A Gantt chart is a visual representation that provides an instant overview of the status of a project. It outlines all activities involved in a project against a timescale.

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Gantt Chart
Efficient Project Planning and Tracking with Gantt Charts

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Introduction
When managing projects, many activities
must be controlled and completed on
time.
Missing deadlines is significant and may
result in increased costs and penalties.
That’s why project scheduling and
allocating time to each activity are
important.
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What is a Gantt Chart?
A type of bar chart used in project planning to visually show planned and
completed work over time.
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It is a great way to manage project schedule and display activities and milestones very clearly.

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Uses
Used in project management to analyze and display the overall timeline
and milestones of a project.
They are also useful throughout the
project for monitoring progress, tracking
developments, and identifying issues
that may cause delays
Gantt charts are used early in the
project to identify and plan activities
and their expected durations
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Uses
Serves as communication tools by showing the team their progress and
keeping management informed about the overall progress.
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Uses
Gantt charts can be used in personal project planning
and tracking individual objectives.
For example, you can use it for things like . . .
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Planning your fitness goals Organizing your home
renovation

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Benefits
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Effective tools for communicating
progress to the project team and
other stakeholders.
They allow to focus efforts and
reacting quickly to unexpected
situations.
Useful for scheduling project activities
and help ensuring the project stays
on course.
Allow to see how the project is
performing at a glance and help
determining the needed resources.

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Applications
Gantt charts are widely applicable across industries and functions that
demand disciplined project management including:
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Information Technology
Engineering
Construction
Problem Solving & Quality Improvement
Management Consulting
Leveraging Gantt charts proves to be very effective in managing projects of any kind.

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A detailed Gantt chart can answer the following questions . . .
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How long should they take? Which activities are on time and which are no?
In what order? What are the key stages and milestones?
What are the activities that must be
accomplished
What are the needed resources?
Who should do them?
What are the percentage of completion and
the status for each activities?
What are the relationships between the
various activities (sequential or simultaneous)?
What are the percentage of completion and
the status of the project as a whole?

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Basic Structure
Project managers need to estimate the duration of each activity and assign
responsibilities for each project phase.
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On Schedule
Lagging Behind
Ahead of Schedule
Defined Timescale
15 16 17 18
They provide an immediate
overview of the project status by
indicating activities that are on
schedule, as well as those
lagging behind or ahead.

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Components
A Gantt chart may include multiple components . . .
A basic Gantt chart simply lists . . .
Other information can be included as needed such as . . .
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When it is
needed
Who should
do it
What needs
to be done
Needed
resources
Cost estimates
Key
milestones
Relationships and
dependencies
between activities
Indicators showing the
progress of activities

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Formats
A Gantt chart can be presented in various formats . . .
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Activity 1
Activity 2
Activity 3
Activity 4
Activity 5
Activity 6
Activity 7
wk1 wk2 wk3 wk4 wk5 wk6
By looking at the chart, you can see the sequence of the activities, how long each activity
takes, compare the planned and actual progress of activities.

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Creating a Gantt Chart
Gantt charts can be manually drawn or created using spreadsheet
applications.
If more advanced features are required, project management software
such as Microsoft Project can be considered.
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Creating a Gantt Chart
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Identify project phases and major categories
• Consider using a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) if the project is complex.
• Record activities in the order they need to be completed.
1
1.1 1.2 1.3

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Creating a Gantt Chart
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Estimate start dates and durations for each activity
• Draw horizontal bars to indicate the activities and their durations.
Activity 1
Activity 3
Activity 2
Activity 4
Start date
Duration
WBS
summary
elements

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Creating a Gantt Chart
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Clearly assign responsibilities for each activity
• Identify key milestones, dependencies, and other information as needed.
• Allocate necessary human and material resources.
Activity 1
Activity 3
Activity 2
Activity 4
Individual 1
Role 1
Team 1
Department 1
Milestone 1
Dependency
Responsibilities Cost estimates % of completion
$$$
$$$
%
%
%
%

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Creating a Gantt Chart
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Regularly update the chart as the project progresses
• Gantt charts should also be updated to reflect changes in time estimates as well
as when adding or removing activities.
Activity 1
Activity 3
Activity 2
Activity 4
Milestone 1

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Example – Conducting and Completing a Research Study
This is an example of a Gantt chart that outlines all activities related to a
research project.
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Activity Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5
Formulate Research Team
Define Research Objectives
Establish Operational Definitions
Develop a Data Collection Plan
Present Research Plan
Train Research Team
Assess Research Methods
Initiate Data Collection
Analyze and Interpret Data
Submit Research Findings

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Example – Conducting and Completing a Research Study
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Activity Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5
Formulate Research Team
Define Research Objectives
Establish Operational Definitions
Develop a Data Collection Plan
Present Research Plan
Train Research Team
Assess Research Methods
Initiate Data Collection
Analyze and Interpret Data
Submit Research Findings
Today line
Each bar
shows
activity
duration,
start and
end dates
An activity in each row Time increments (in weeks)
Milestone
Dependency
Activities can
be categorized
under phases
or groups
Further
information
can be added
such as the
status of
activities and
responsibilities

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Dependencies
Understanding dependencies helps project managers
coordinate activities more effectively.
Managing dependencies is important to ensure the smooth flow of work,
avoid bottleneck and maintain the project's overall timeline.
In general, there are four main relationships between sequential activities:
Finish-to-Finish
(FF)
Start-to-Start
(SS)
Finish-to-Start
(FS)
Start-to-Finish
(SF)
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Types of Dependencies
Examples
You need to finish the painting in a
construction project before you can
finish the final inspection.
Other activities can't end
until preceding ones have
ended.
Finish-to-Finish
(FF) Dependency
In a quality control process, you need
to start the material inspection at the
same time you start the product
assembly.
Some activities need to start
at the same time as the
initiation of other activities.
Start-to-Start
(SS) Dependency
To finish the preparation of training
materials, you need to start the
trainee registration.
The completion of some
activities depends on the
commencement of others.
Start-to-Finish
(SF) Dependency Trainee
registration
Preparation
of materials
Final Inspection
Painting
Product Assembly
Material Inspection
If you are conducting a survey, you
need to finish the data collection
before you can start the data analysis.
Some activities will need to
be completed before
starting the next one.
Finish-to-Start
(FS) Dependency Data
Analysis
Data
Collection
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Further Information – Other Concepts
Project scheduling involves more than just creating a Gantt
chart and managing dependencies.
It includes various concepts essential for effective project
planning and execution including but not limited to . . .
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Buffer
management
Crashing and
fast-tracking
Activity
slack
Lead and lag
time
Critical path

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Further Information – Other Concepts
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• The sequence of activities that
determines the minimum time needed
for the completion of a project.
• Any delays along this path will directly
impact the overall timeline of the
project.
Critical Path
• The maximum allowable delay for an
activity without causing problems for
the whole project.
• Important for activities on the critical
path, which can’t be delayed at all.
• It shows which activities need close
attention.
Activity Slack

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Further Information
It's always better to complete a project ahead of schedule
rather than behind schedule.
It is always helpful if there are contingency reserves (a
safety factor) which are additional time, resources, or
budget set aside to account for uncertainties, risks, and
unexpected events.
Be careful when allocating scarce resources such as
expensive equipment or highly qualified experts.
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Further Information
Size your activities appropriate to your needs.
• If you are managing a time-critical process,
you may break down your activities into
more specific steps.
• If you want to maintain general oversight on
the project, you may have fewer activities.
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Further Information
A good Gantt chart . . .
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Outlines all
activities and
their order
Outlines dates,
responsibilities
& dependencies
Highlights any
needs, issues
or obstacles to
overcome
Identifies
where to focus
efforts for
greater impact

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Further Information - Limitations of Gantt Charts
• Creating them for projects with many activities can be overwilling.
• Lack flexibility to consider unforeseen disruptions during the project.
• Lack flexibility to consider mistakes that may requires rework.
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