A Gant Chart is a graphical representation of tasks as segments of work across
time. It helps plan and monitor project development or resource allocation. The
left hand side of the Gant chart is a column with the work breakdown structure
(basically, a list of tasks). The left-to-right indicates time progression,
expressed either in absolute or relative time.
In a Gant chart, each task occupies one row. Dates run along the top,
incremented as appropriate for the size of the project in question. Rows of
bars in the Gant chart show the start and end dates of each task in the
project. Tasks may occur sequentially, in parallel, or even overlap.
Most project management software (such as Microsoft Project) allows project management
based on Gant chart representation of project workflow. They offer managerial
toolsets to start, track and report projects.
Sample Gant Chart
History of the Gant Chart
The Gant chart was created by Henry L. Gant, an American engineer, in 1917. He
developed the first Gant chart for ship-building around World War I. The chart
proved to be so powerful and useful that it has not undergone any changes for
nearly a century. It was only in 1990's when links between tasks were added to
the Gant chart.
Tip using Gant Chart:
For large projects, tasks can be split into subtasks with their own Gant charts
to maintain readability.
