With the introduction of computer technology, it became very easy to use Gantt charts with projects. A project Gantt chart is favored by many project managers for dealing with their project schedules. This is simply because of the Gantt chart’s ability to quickly show project managers a picture of the project’s flow and scheduled tasks. Project Gantt charts make it easy to communicate the project’s schedules and status to people who are not managers because of its visual nature. It allows one to easily check on a certain task’s progress or non-progress with a simple glance.
Gantt charts were developed by an American engineer and consultant named Henry Gantt. Though considered elementary today by most project managers, Gantt charts were a major breakthrough when they were first introduced by Henry Gantt during the 1910s. Major construction projects such as the U.S. Interstate Highway and the Hoover Dam enjoyed the benefits of the Gantt chart.
A basic Gantt chart will display a timeline at the top part, extending from the start date of the project to its expected end date. A list on the left margin contains the tasks and activities that need to be done in a project. These can usually be grouped together, or arranged depending on which tasks need to be completed first. Under the timeline, horizontal bars are situated in the same row as the tasks. These bars correspond to the tasks’ actual schedules, so the length and the position of each bar would depend on its corresponding task’s estimated duration and start and end dates. Some tasks may only begin after another task has begun. As such, arrows can be present to signify such dependencies.
There are several ways to set up a project Gantt chart for managing your project schedules:
- By hand – This could be the quickest way for project managers to create Gantt charts for small to medium-sized projects. It is easier to use a graphing paper since the lines are already there.
- Microsoft Excel – Though not specifically made for making Gantt charts, Microsoft Excel can be very a very powerful tool for making complex Gantt charts. The ability of Excel to convert tables into graphs is especially useful. Data can be tabulated and made into a Gantt chart by picking a custom chart type that suits your needs. In addition, Microsoft Excel Gantt charts can be easily integrated into other Microsoft Office applications, such as PowerPoint. This is great for presenting the current status of a project to an audience using PowerPoint.
- Microsoft Project – Here is a software tool made for Gantt charts and project management. It integrates Gantt charts into its interface, making it easy to create and modify Microsoft Project Gantt charts. You can also integrate Microsoft Project Gantt charts with other Microsoft Office documents.
- FusionCharts – FusionCharts Gantt charts are very useful for presenting projects online using the popular Flash format. Indeed, interactive and animated Gantt charts add to the visual appeal when project managers make a presentation. Your project Gantt chart data can be pulled out from various sources, so there won’t be any compatibility issues.