The Gantt Chart also referred to as a harmonogram, is a unique project management tool that provides a visual illustration of activities (tasks) scheduled over a given period. It facilitates the planning, organization, and designing process of projects. This technique typically consists of time intervals denoted on the horizontal axis and a listing of tasks to be executed on the vertical one. The horizontal bars’ width within the graph often shows each activity’s duration. Gantt charts typically illustrate the commencement and cessation dates of an initiative’s summary and terminal aspects, which, according to Dennis et al., comprise a project’s work breakdown structure (WBS).
Contemporary Gantt charts also display the precedence network or underlying dependency connection between responsibilities. An early start time methodology is usually used to create Gantt charts during the initial phase, whereby every role is scheduled to begin immediately following the completion of its prerequisites. The abovementioned approach maximizes the available float time for all tasks. First, Gantt charts are typically used to improve the project planning procedure. According to Dennis et al., visualization using the abovementioned tool helps managers plot all milestones, phases, and tasks against the initiative’s schedule. It allows one to develop benchmarks for scope, budget, and time, distinguish prerequisites, categorize them into achievements or deliverables, and estimate the planned period and resources.
Second, they may be utilized to track projects and enhance the monitoring of a task’s progress, at-risk activities, and deviations or digressions from the developed schedule. Third, Gantt charts foster the management of responsibilities; they typically alert users about new assignments and allow them to view the to-do list alongside the allocated duties with the beginning and due dates. Additionally, they can be utilized to manage a project’s resources, facilitate the allotting of roles to users, prevent scheduling conflicts, and enhance one’s capacity to identify pertinent and available team members. Lastly, their application promotes collaboration between project managers by allowing them to centralize the initiative’s requirements and workforce.
