A Gantt chart lets managers and teams visually plan and track projects. It combines a table of tasks to be accomplished along with assignment details and timelines showing their status.

Gantt charts were developed by mechanical engineer Henry Gantt more than 100 years ago and have been a staple of project managers ever since. The reason is that they are simple and intuitive to create and use, but display a considerable amount of information at a glance.

While Gantt charts are similar to timelines in that both diagram types deal with time and events, the format and purpose of a Gantt chart are quite different.

 

Purpose of a Gantt Chart

Projects have a lot of moving parts. They are usually time-sensitive, so making sure everything is planned properly and runs on schedule are crucial to successful completion.

Gantt charts are an excellent tool for small to mid-size projects involving multiple people. They are easy to create and use. It doesn't require a lot of time or effort to make a Gantt chart and keep it up to date if you use a good, intuitive software program.

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A Gantt Chart is a Matrix

The Gantt chart is constructed with a horizontal axis representing the total time span of the project, broken down into increments (days, weeks, or months).
The Gantt chart is constructed with a vertical axis representing the tasks that make up the project.
The Gantt chart is constructed with a graph area which contains horizontal bars for each task connecting the period start and period ending symbols.

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