Perhaps there are still many individuals, including you, who are unfamiliar with or have never heard of Gantt charts. Maybe you have used it before but are unaware that the chart or graphic containing the job listing is a Gantt chart component. This graph is a frequently used tool in the administration of a company’s projects.
This Gantt chart may help individuals and teams become more productive, especially when scheduling or tracking the progress of a project. Currently, the use of ERP project management software is widely used because it can provide solutions that can be tailored to the unique needs of project-based businesses.
This software can help you manage projects efficiently, process project-critical information, and maximize cost absorption to get the project completed as planned. To better understand the Gantt chart and how you can use it to boost job productivity more effectively and efficiently, continue reading the article below.
Table of Content:
Table of Content
What Is a Gantt Chart?
In project management, the Gantt chart is the most often used. These diagrams help organize a project and determine the order in which activities you must complete. The chart is usually shown as a horizontal bar chart. The project timeline show by horizontal bars of various lengths, containing task sequences, durations, and start and finish dates for each job.
A Gantt chart aids in the scheduling, management, and monitoring of particular project activities and resources. The graph depicts the project timeline, which shows the planned and accomplished work across time.
The Gantt chart helps project managers communicate project status and plans while ensuring that the project stays on schedule. In conclusion, this is beneficial for keeping activities on track when a big team and various stakeholders are involved, and the scope of work varies.
The Functions of Gantt Chart in Project Management
Essentially, Gantt charts contain several capabilities that may assist you in managing and monitoring firm projects, both huge and sophisticated as well as minor. Additional advantages of Gantt charts include the following:
1. Improved communication between team members
Firstly, you may use this chart to help your team communicate more efficiently. Additionally, you can use this chart to more simply and determine the work distribution between groups. This, of course, enables you to deliver more relevant feedback or information to workers or team members.
2. Manage resources more efficiently using the Gantt chart
Secondly, as an employee or manager, you may efficiently manage resources by visualizing the activities and procedures that you must complete using a Gantt chart. You may arrange and split jobs based on the resources available. If done correctly, you can finish ongoing projects on schedule and within the budget allocated.
3. Benchmark project progress and improve time management
Thirdly, you may track project progress and improve time management. Aside from that, you may use a Gantt chart to track the progress of current projects. Additionally, utilizing predictive analytics software, you may also measure and evaluate which strategies you need to adjust if your project is late. Of course, having a clear timetable and setting the time allotment for each work will help you increase your time-management effectiveness.
4. Increase workers’ sense of responsibility
Lastly, this graph can also help create a sense of responsibility in the workplace. The reason is that both the manager and the team can understand how the need for everyone to achieve their goals and tasks with the help of a Gantt chart is. In conclusion, managers can keep better track of which team members are delivering work that meets expectations and merits praise in this manner.
Read more: Optimize Your Business with Project Management Software
Gantt Chart Components
Generally, vertical sections in a Gantt chart indicate urgent activities. It shows the time spent on various duties. It’s easier using Microsoft Excel or Project Management System. If you made it using a system, it will have additional functionality. A more specific task description, real-time progress tracking, and schedule revisions are all possible. But first, you must understand the Gantt chart’s components:
1. Tasklist
This component, written vertically from top to bottom, explains the duties and tasks you must fulfill. You may do the tasks on this list sequentially or concurrently for each stage, individually or in a group. This way, job division, and employee duties will become more concentrated and addressed more rapidly. Easily monitor and track employee time usage per project and create analysis reports with the most complete Timesheet Management Software.
2. Timeline
In addition to the task list, the Gantt chart includes a timeline that details the timetable and work start and finish dates. Timeline This is usually written horizontally from left to right in the day, week, month, or year format. Use the format timeline in a monthly or annual period for initiatives that span a lengthy period.
3. Dateline
This component consists of a line that indicates the current time and is situated in the center of the timeline. These lines are usually made in various striking colors to make it easier for employees to see the tasks they need to do. As a whole, this line helps to demonstrate the amount of completed work both now and in the future.
4. Bars
This component acts as a reminder of tasks that have already perform and their associated deadlines. As a bar chart illustrates, bars may also be thought of as a visual representation of your progress or the progress of the task you are now working on. That way, managers or superiors can more easily see the progress made by all employees.
5. Progress
The progress bar indicates how far the task has progressed and how much of it has been done by the relevant person or team. The progress shown in this Gantt chart is often portrayed as a percentage to make it simpler for management to assess how far the project has progressed.
6. Milestones
Milestones are components of a Gantt chart that show an ongoing plan at any given moment. Data points are the important dates and deadlines, start and finish times, or other key events in your project. The main function of milestones is to remind you and your team not to miss this important date.
7. Dependencies
This component acts as a link between two interrelated jobs. Moreover, it enables you to view the sequence in which activities must be accomplished from the beginning to the completion of a project by defining connections between them.
8. Resource assigned
Following completion of the task list and schedule of the execution time, the next step is to determine the person in charge of carrying out the work. This is what you should include in the section of the Gantt chart that represents the resources assigned.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Gantt Charts
The following are the advantages of using Gantt charts in project management:
- Simple to comprehend to facilitate communication with the members involved.
- A simple project scheduling tool that you can reuse on the same project.
- You can use it to evaluate team performance and serve as a reference for reporting team progress.
However, some drawbacks of utilizing Gantt charts in project management include the following:
- It does not precisely illustrate the link between the two jobs. However, this results in project delays if relevant activities are not performed on schedule.
- Changes are difficult to make during a project because they may affect the plans for other tasks. As a result, any further modifications need the creation of a new chart from the start.
- Not appropriate for high-complexity or large-scale projects.
Examples of Templates The Gantt Chart
The examples and Gantt chart templates shown below might help you plan your company’s project management:
Example of Gantt chart using Excel
Complete The Projects Faster with HashMicro’s Project Management System
Gantt charts are valuable tools to easily track estimated and actual costs, allowing you to stay within budget. In addition, you can also manage resources more effectively in assigning assignments and reporting employee progress. That way, the company can determine the best strategy for possible obstacles in the future.
As a result, you need a solution that can readily boost staff productivity, such as Hashmicro’s Project Management System. This system allows work allocation, project completion accuracy, and resource utilization via platform communication. Thus, managing workloads, budget allocations, and the development of the company’s initiatives will become much simpler to monitor.
