Uses of Gantt Charts in Project plans

Gantt Chart is such a popular tool in project planning.  Its uses could not be underrated and a project plan software would not be complete without a Gantt Chart.  There are software that incorporates Gantt chart in its features such as the ProjectPlan software.   In this project plan software, Gantt chart is used to present reports regarding task and schedule.  It allows the team to know what has to be done and by when should the project be delivered.  Apart from that Gantt Charts have the ability to schedule tasks, create task lists and link them together, allocate resources and track time spent, monitor actual versus planned progress, and set baselines and monitor delivery.

Gantt Chart shows how the project is planned and see instantly whether the project is behind or ahead of the schedule.  The Gantt Chart functions as guide towards the direction of the project plan.

Gantt chart software uses the computer to produce a horizontal bar graph.  Although bar graphs can also be produced manually, Gantt Chart has still its edge because it’s easy to use.  If you want to make changes with the tasks and resources, it’s convenient to change because it automatically creates the bar without the burden of erasing the chart and drawing it again.

Gantt Chart is very simple to use for project plan.  On the left side of the chart, (y-axis) , the tasks, resources, individual operations, job processes or shown.  On the horizontal side (x-axis), time periods appropriate for the project (might be in days, weeks, months, or years) are shown.

Gantt Chart software has a lot of benefits like the speed to make changes, the flexibility to look into options, ability to track many tasks, the communication tool in the form of printed reports, and the accuracy of the data presented.

There are different features to look for in Gantt Chart software which can help project plan achieve best performance. These features are drag and drop jobs, flexibility to add and delete tasks, resize rows and columns, zoom in and out, jump to other displays, highlight list that are behind schedule, customize text fonts and colors, and display lines to show task dependencies.

With the benefits and features of Gantt Chart which are helpful to project planning, , it is proper to look back and give courtesy to the one who developed this very useful tool.

The Gantt chart was developed by Henry Gantt in 1917 and it focuses on the sequence of tasks needed for completion of the project at hand.  Each task on a Gantt chart is represented as a single horizontal bar on an X-Y chart.  The Gantt chart is an excellent tool for project plan by quickly assessing the status of a project.  Gantt chart is useful for small projects that fit on a single sheet or screen. However, large projects may find Gant Chart limited because it can only display 3 activities at a time.  With the current update in technology, more improvements and enhancements were done to Gantt chart to serve its purpose to project planning.