Gantt charts, explained

Managing a large, complicated project requires clear organization, structured timelines, and effective team collaboration, or, in other words, a Gantt chart. An essential tool for any project manager, it provides a visual roadmap for breaking down big projects into clear tasks and timelines. This article will explore what a Gantt chart is and how it works to be able to communicate project timelines in an easy, effective way that helps all team members.

What is a Gantt chart?

A Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart used to represent a project’s timeline and tasks over time. The purpose is to give a visual overview of the project and give clarity regarding deliverables, deadlines, and who’s responsible for what.

Usually, Gantt charts are used in project management, especially in complex projects where a simple to-do list is not enough. Typically, each horizontal bar signifies a task and its length, the amount of time it should take. This way, when you zoom out, the chart can give teams a comprehensive view of what needs to be done and when.

Furthermore, Gantt charts help give context to how tasks in a project are connected, giving those involved insights into how their roles impact the project as a whole.

What are Gantt charts used for?

Gantt charts are usually used by project managers for the following reasons:

Building and managing large projects

Large projects consist of many moving parts; Gantt charts help visualize the building blocks and organize them into smaller, manageable tasks. These tasks are then scheduled and aligned with assignees and milestones and are placed on the chart’s timeline to track progress.

Monitoring task dependencies

Delays happen, but visualizing the work in a timeline helps project managers allocate task dependencies so that the next steps can only begin when the previous one is completed. This is useful for large teams where the delayed tasks can automatically be rescheduled.

Monitoring the progress of a project

Since teams can insert updates into a Gantt chart, it helps project managers track a project’s progress and adjust when necessary. This way, they can monitor deadlines, milestones, or other important metrics.

Parts of a Gantt chart

To leverage the full potential of a Gantt chart in organizing a project, it is vital to understand its anatomy. Here is a breakdown of a Gantt chart’s basic components:

Task list: A vertical list of all the project tasks placed on the left and serving as the project’s baseline. For example, a project to develop a new webpage would have tasks such as “write webpage copy,” “draft webpage outline,” or “sketch hero image options.”

Taskbars: These are horizontal bars that show the proposed duration of a task with the start and end dates. A taskbar can stretch over days or weeks to indicate its planned duration.

Milestones: These are markers that indicate key dates or achievements within the project, such as completing a draft or prototype that would show significant progress.

Dependencies: They are the lines or arrows that connect tasks, revealing the sequence in which the tasks must occur. If one task cannot begin without the completion of another, a dependency arrow indicates that.

Critical path: The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that determines how long a project will take. For example, “coding the website” would be the critical path in a website development project that influences a project’s timeline.

Resource allocation: This component clarifies which resources (or individuals) are assigned to which task, and it is usually included alongside the taskbar. For instance, a designer would be assigned to a “sketch logos” task.

Date and time scale: At the top of the chart, there would usually be a calendar or time scale with the milestones highlighted to provide context. This is to help the team and stakeholders picture the project’s timeline at a glance.

All of these components serve an important function in giving a detailed overview of the scope, duration, and dependencies of a project.

How to make a Gantt chart

When planning a project, a Gantt chart is your best friend, as it helps organize your ideas, tasks, and team. To create a Gantt chart that serves your project, there are steps you need to take to set it up:

1. List tasks

The first step in creating a Gantt chart is listing all the tasks and subtasks that need to be tackled to complete a project. Breaking down all tasks from broad phases into specific tasks helps make scheduling and assigning them much more manageable and ensures that nothing is overlooked or forgotten.

2. Decide on the timeline and add tasks

A Gantt chart should represent your project over a timeline; to do so, set the duration of the project, which must include a start date and an end date. Make sure that each task has a clear deadline that can be visualized on the chart; this is to help the team know when to start tackling a task. And although a project should have a clear completion date, it’s important to keep in mind that there will likely be some follow-up tasks that you might need to factor in.

3. Allocate resources and clarify dependencies

Assign team members to the tasks they will be handling, making note of any other resources they may need. In large projects, there will be tasks that cannot be initiated until certain tasks are done. So, to maintain smooth progress and keep the team aligned, it’s helpful to visualize the dependencies between tasks in the Gantt chart and let each team know what they can work on in each phase of a project.

4. Determine milestones

Milestones are the fixed checkpoints a project needs to indicate that chunks of the work are done. They are meant to help a team know what they should prioritize and are typically at the end of a project’s phases. There is no one way to create a milestone since every project is different, but typical milestones are usually project approvals, phase completion points, or significant deadlines.

5. Modify as the plan proceeds

Plans will inevitably be disrupted or altered, so a Gantt chart should be able to adapt to these changes. You should be monitoring progress and regularly updating the chart so it accurately reflects a project’s current status, especially if plans shift. This also lets you address any potential issues early by helping you keep an eye on potential delays or bottlenecks.

A well-organized Gantt chart is a visual roadmap that keeps a team in check, tasks in progress, and deadlines clear and straightforward. In addition to being a planning tool, it also helps a team facilitate quick decision-making and streamline communication. A dynamic, effective timeline guarantees clarity and accountability.