Gantt Chart

A Gantt chart is a commonly used tool within project management. It is usually made as a bar chart and it relies upon the work breakdown structure, which is a method within project management as well.

Use and application of the Gantt chart

Use

The chart shows the tasks that need to be done in a project, when each task needs to be performed, and how long time they are going to take according to the plan. So basically it is a timeline for the project, which manageable illustrates the start and end dates for tasks and events. It is up to the project manager to decide how detailed the chart should be – For instance it could also contain information about who is doing which task.

Application

A Gantt charts is applicable in practically every kind of event or project, where tasks need to be planned and organized relatively to each other. An example where it is used can for instance be in the planning of a building process. In such a process a lot of things like ordering materials, hiring workers and planning when and in which order every thing needs to happen, a Gantt chart is a very useful tool because it gives a good and manageable overview.

Limitations

However, the Gantt chart does also have its limitations, and will in some cases not be the most effective tool. One of its disadvantages is that it is based on the work breakdown structure. This means that if the work breakdown structure isn’t constructed, the Gantt chart cannot be made.