The Gantt Chart – Where to Start and How to Use it to Plan Your Projects

The Gantt Chart is a popular technique we use in project management for planning, scheduling, and monitoring projects. It shows managers and team members how tasks display against time. Gantt Charts will offer clear answers to important questions like “What needs to be done?”, “When does a task start and when it is scheduled to be completed?”, “Which activities overlap and what are the connections between tasks?” or “Who is the person responsible for a task?”.

Currently, Gantt Charts are a common feature, like reporting, in many work and project management tools, used by big and small teams that run multiple projects. Ever since the first computers became widespread, they’ve been actively used on projects to plan and schedule tasks, visualize the project as a whole, monitor the team’s work according to deadlines, and make appropriate adjustments to the initial project plan based on changes that can be identified on the chart from a simple look.

Gantt Chart example in Paymo

NOTE: If you are looking for a simple online time tracking system, check out this list for creative agency time tracking software.

To find out more about the various elements that make Gantt Charts work for so many teams, check out the resources we’ve left for you below:

1. What is a Gantt Chart? – Learn more about this technique that’s used in project management for planning activities, monitoring, and tracking project schedules.
2. How to Make a Gantt Chart – A Comprehensive Guide – You can make a Gantt Chart by either using a dedicated tool or just creating one in Excel. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages.
3. Task Dependencies – In project management there are 4 types of task dependencies which are explained in more detail in the following article.
4. Lead, Lag, and Constraints – These are easy-to-understand concepts in project management, but they often generate confusion especially among novice project managers.
5. What Is a Critical Path in Project Management – What is the Critical Path in project management? Read on to discover its meaning and importance when it comes to managing projects on time.