ABOUT
GANTT CHARTS
A Gantt
chart is a graphical representation of the duration of
tasks against the progression of time. Gantt
charts are useful tools for planning and scheduling
projects.
A Gantt
chart is helpful when monitoring a project's progress. A Gantt chart is a type of
bar chart
that illustrates a
project schedule. Gantt charts illustrate the start
and finish dates of the
terminal elements and summary elements of a
project.
Terminal elements and summary elements comprise the
work breakdown structure of the project.
Some Gantt charts also show the dependency relationships between activities.
Gantt charts can be used to show current schedule status
using percent-complete shadings and a vertical "Today"
line.
Planning and Scheduling
Use a Gantt chart
to plan how long a project should take.
A Gantt chart lays out the order in which the
tasks need to be carried out.
Early Gantt charts did not show dependencies
between tasks but modern Gantt chart software provides this
capability.
Henry Laurence Gantt, an American
mechanical engineer, is credited with the invention of the Gantt
chart.
Monitoring a Project
A Gantt chart lets you see
immediately what should have been achieved at any point in time.
A Gantt chart lets you see how remedial action may bring the
project back on course.
Most Gantt
charts include "milestones" which are not part of a
traditional Gantt Chart.
However, for representing deadlines and
other significant events, it is very useful to include this
feature on a Gantt chart.
Read about the
Evolution of the Gantt chart
For help on how to create your own gantt chart, read our article about
Creating a Gantt Chart