A Gant
Diagram is a graphical demonstration of tasks as segments of work
across time. It helps arrangement and supervision of project development and
resource allotment. The left hand side of the Gant Diagram is a column with the
work breakdown structure (essentially, a series of tasks). The left-to-right
indicates time succession, denote either in absolute or relative time.
In a Gant Diagram, 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 Diagram show the start and end dates of each task in the
project. Tasks may occur sequentially, in parallel, or even overlap.
Most timeline management software (such as Microsoft Project) allows project
management based on Gant Diagram representation of project workflow. They offer
managerial toolsets to start, track and report projects.
Example Gant Diagram
History of the Gant Diagram
The Gant Diagram was created by Henry L. Gant, an American engineer, in 1917. He
developed the first Gant Diagram for ship-building around World War I. The
Diagram 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 Diagram.
Tip using Gant Diagram:
For large projects, tasks can be split into subtasks with their own Gant
Diagrams to maintain readability.
