When it comes to project management, Gantt charts are the gold standard. Project managers all over the world use this visual insrument to keep track of tasks performed against time. Read on to learn more about how these graphics help all kinds of projects stay on track.
What Are Gantt Charts?
A Gantt chart is a bar chart that represents the progress of a project over a period of time.
At its most basic, a Gantt chart comprises an X (horizontal) and Y (vertical) axis. Tasks are shown as horizontal bars, allowing users to easily visualize the start and end dates of every task. You can see an example of Gantt chart below.
Why Are Gantt Charts Called Like That?
Gantt charts owe its name to Henry Gantt, an American engineer and project management consultant who introduced the use of these graphics in the United States in the early 20th century.
Karol Adamiecki, a Polish engineer, was already using this type of graphic in the mid-1890s, but his works were available only in Polish and Russian, so these charts became almost universally associated with Henry Gantt.
Originally, Gantt charts were drawn by hand, a tedious and time-consuming process. Nowadays there are many project-management programs that allow users to create and manage Gantt charts easily and almost instantly.
What Are the Elements of a Gantt Chart?
These are the basic elements you will find on any Gantt chart:
- Time: The length of the horizontal bars that represent each task.
- Tasks: Each of the activities represented by a horizontal bar on the Gantt chart.
- Owner: The person or team responsible for a task.
- Status: The stage at which a task is at the moment.
- Milestones: An important point in the project.
- Dependencies: A task that cannot start until another task is completed.
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Darnell Technical Services is an engineering design firm with extensive experience in a vast array of projects.
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