What is a Gantt Chart?
The Gantt Chart from Henry Laurence Gantt provides a graphical overview
and schedule of all activities, elements and dependencies of a project or
program. It is a special type of horizontal bar chart that is very common
in project management to represent the phases and activities of a project
Work Breakdown Structure.
A Gantt chart is constructed with a horizontal axis representing the total
time span of the project, broken down into increments (for example, days,
weeks, or months) and a vertical axis representing the tasks that make up
the project. Horizontal bars of varying lengths represent the sequences, timing,
and time span for each task.
They may be simple versions created on graph paper or more complex automated
versions created using project management applications such as Microsoft Project
or Excel.
Optional Gantt Chart Enhancements
The progression of each activity can be shown by shading the bar as progress
is made. Some Gantt charts also illustrate the dependency relationships between
activities by using link lines or color codes. Milestones can be shown. Current
schedule status can be shown by a vertical marker, the TODAY-line.
Origin of the Gantt Chart. History
Henry Laurence Gantt, A.B., M.E. (1861-23 November 1919) was
a mechanical engineer and management consultant who is most famous for developing
the Gantt chart in 1917, besides a number of others charts. The first Gantt
charts were employed on major infrastructure projects including the Hoover
Dam. Modern spreadsheet and project software enable the creation and editing
of very comprehensive Gantt charts.
Usage of a Gantt Chart. Applications
In Project and Program Management, the Gantt Chart technique can be used
to:
- Display an overview of project activities.
- Plan project activities.
- Work out the critical path.
- Give you a basis to schedule when the tasks should be carried out.
- Allocate resources.
- Communicate project activities.
- Coordinate and manage project activities.
- Monitor the progress of project activities.
Steps in creating a Gantt Chart. Process
- Determine and list the required activities / tasks. For example
using the Brainstorming or
Mind Mapping method.
- Create a rough draft of the Gantt Chart. There may be insufficient
resources to perform all activities at the same time. On top of this, certain
activities may require that other activities are finished first.
-
Determine the dependencies and schedule the activities.
Compare: Cause and
Effect Diagram.
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This ensures that when the planning has to be changed,
the activities will continue to be performed in the correct order.
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Ensure that dependent activities do not start until the activities
they depend on have been completed.
-
Try to avoid increasing the critical path: the sequence
of critical tasks from beginning to end that takes the longest time to
complete. It is also the shortest possible time that the project can be
finished in. Note that the critical path may change from time to time
as activities are completed ahead of or behind schedule. Compare:
Theory of Constraints.
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Do not over-commit resources and allow some slack time in
the schedule for unforeseen events. But critical tasks can have no slack,
because they are part of the critical path.
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Calculate the number of man-hours for each activity.
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Determine who will perform the activities and adjust
the number of hours when needed. Compare: RACI.
-
Calculate the throughput time. Planning software will
be able to do this automatically.
Strengths of the Gantt Chart. Benefits
- Good graphical overview. Common technique. Easy to understand.
- Small to medium size projects with no more than about 30 activities.
- Can be supported by special project planning software to facilitate
complex calculations and complex dependencies and conduct what-if analyses.
Gantt Chart versus PERT
Unlike the Gantt Chart, the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
has no calendar, so you can not see precisely when the activities should be
performed. On the other hand, the dependencies between the activities in PERT
are easier to follow. This is why for larger projects, usually PERT is preferable.
Actually PERT uses multiple time estimates for each activity to allow for
variation in activity times. The activity times are assumed to be random,
with assumed probability distribution ("probabilistic"). They are represented
by arrowed lines between nodes or circles.
Limitations of the Gantt Chart. Disadvantages
- Projects are often considerably more complex than can be communicated
effectively with a Gantt chart.
- Gantt charts only represent part of the triple constraints (time,
cost and scope) of projects, because they focus primarily on schedule management
(time). Compare: Cost-Benefit
Analysis.
- Gantt charts do not represent the size of a project or the relative
size of work elements, therefore the magnitude of a behind-schedule condition
is easily misunderstood.
- Software. Although project management software can show schedule dependencies
as lines between activities, displaying a large number of dependencies may
result in a cluttered or unreadable chart. Avoid using (heavy) grids in
Gantt software as they distract the attention.
Forum discussions about the Gantt Chart.
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Compare with Gantt Chart: Earned
Value Management | RACI
| SMART
| Cause and Effect
Diagram | CSFs and
KPIs | Cost-Benefit
Analysis | PRINCE2
| Theory of Constraints
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