‘Gantt Chart Project Management (PM)’ is an oft-chanted buzz phrase these days – and for good reason.
A project schedule management category in its own right.
Opened up:
A method for charting work, task dependencies, and assignments progress in one interactive, shared, and incredibly intuitive screen!
For forever-busy project managers, what’s not to like in this picture?
Ever since the advent of Henry Gantt in the early 20th century, they’ve, in fact, been mesmerized by this convenience. And with the arrival of modern project management software that comes studded with this feature, things (read: complex projects) have only become more manageable.
But there’s a catch in this equation.
If you haven’t already guessed it, it’s the problem of choice. Endless project management tool variety, that is. The online software marketplace is practically bursting with
How do you pick the needle from the haystack: the perfect Gantt Chart project management suite for your needs and budget?
Well, that’s where this blog is here to guide – give you expertly curated, updated, and digestible advice/context for making the right decision.
Our readers tell us we’re their go-tos for ‘matching software buyer with tool’ across industries – and we want to make this magic work for you!
Let’s get started.
Learning Goals (the Gantt Chart Project Management Story)
Over the course of this reading, we’ll explore such concerns as:
- When Your Project Management Mess is Begging for some Gantt Chart action
- Listing Project Management Needs & Expectations
- What You Need to Create a Suitable Gantt Chart Template in Minutes
- Examples of Gantt Charts for Specific Project Types
- 5 Recommendations: Gantt Chart Software That Won’t Disappoint!
- Nipping the Nag: Shouldn’t I Just Use Excel?
- Sage – Parting – Words on Project Management
When It’s Time to Transition to the Right Project Management Tool
Now, there are some tell-tale signs of when you need to seriously consider shifting to a project management tool fitted with the right (Gantt-Chart-inclusive) features.
Consider the following occurrences to be the tip of the iceberg - expected to make your project planning even tougher if you don't make a timely workflow optimization call:
Complex Project Schedules
If your organization frequently handles projects with multiple tasks, dependencies, and deadlines, it's a strong sign that you could benefit from Gantt chart tools. These can help you visualize the project schedule, understand how tasks are interconnected, and manage the project timeline (through dynamic horizontal bar chart iconography: a signature feature) more effectively.
Difficulty Tracking Progress
Without a visual representation of your project's progress, it can be hard to know where you stand at a glance. PM suites with Gantt Charts and Kanban Boards (among other illustrative options) provide a clear picture of what's been done, what's in progress, and what's yet to be done.
Poor Resource Allocation
If you're struggling to allocate resources appropriately to tasks or team members, a Gantt chart can help. By graphically charting task durations and overlaps, you can see where resources are needed most and plan accordingly.
Miscommunication and Lack of Transparency
Gantt charts provide a straightforward method for communicating project timelines and task responsibilities. This can improve transparency among team members and stakeholders, keeping everyone on the same page.
Missed Deadlines
If your organization is habitually missing deadlines, this is another clear sign that you need better project management tools. Here, a Gantt chart can help you constantly check your project timeline, making it easier to stay on track.
Inefficient Workflows
If tasks often get delayed because of dependencies on other tasks that haven't been completed, Gantt charts are your best friend. They allow you to map out the sequence of tasks, so you can clearly see which tasks depend on others and plan your workflow more efficiently.
It's important to understand that while Gantt charts are a powerful tool for project management, they are most effective when used as part of a comprehensive project management software suite.
These programs offer additional features like task tracking, collaboration tools, and more that can further enhance your team's productivity and efficiency.
Listing Your Project Management Needs & Expectations
As a project manager, what you want most is to deliver well on your project tasks. And that’s more than understandable: it’s what the job description is all about, right?
Now, you obviously have a list of typical daily workflow scuffles (figuratively speaking) you need to take care of. Concerns ranging from the minutiae of the project planning phase to actualizing the exhilaration of project completion – allow us to be a little poetic.
And when you’re contemplating subscribing to a project management tool, you have all these problem-solving/feature expectations from the interface (hacks that will allow you to resolve the former).
Well, in this section, we’ve tried to compile a list of all of these ‘rigors’ in the way of managing projects – matched with the software feature(s) best suited to dispelling each.
This can serve as a nifty guide on your (project management consultant) PM software buying spree.
Please know that this is not a comprehensive list of project management software desirables by any stretch. But if you can source a Gantt chart tool that boasts a bulk of these essentials, you’re in good shape!
How to Create a Gantt Chart in Minutes
If you’re creating a Gantt Chart for the first time and want to get done with it quickly (reasonably so), you’ve got two approaches to consider:
- The Manual Route (the pen-and-paper or spreadsheet way)
- Automation (hello Gantt Chart software! Obviously…)
Let’s do a quick walkthrough of each.
Going it Old School
Starting in order with the first, you want to follow these steps:
- Identify Tasks: Start by listing all the tasks that need to be completed for the project.
- Determine Task Duration: For each task, estimate how long it will take to complete. This will be the bar length for each task on the Gantt chart.
- Establish Dependencies: Identify which tasks depend on others to be completed before they can start. These dependencies will be represented by arrows between tasks on the Gantt chart.
- Draw the Chart: Draw a horizontal bar for each task using graph paper or a spreadsheet. The length of the bar should correspond to its duration, and its position on the chart should reflect its start and end dates. Use arrows to indicate dependencies between tasks.
- Update Regularly: As work progresses, update the Gantt chart to reflect completed tasks and any changes in task duration or dependencies.
Now, you can imagine this rugged, hands-on method won’t exactly take minutes to whip up your chart – more like a few hours.
But hey, the effort is worth it! Especially if the alternative is to skip the Gantt altogether.
Also, as a project management newbie, it really pays to make your first bar chart yourself. This way, you’ll understand a deep appreciation for the process (a sense that will go a long way).
Software Gantt Charts: The Modern Gold Standard
To make exceptionally quick work of the affair (and we really mean minutes), create Gantt Chart templates using PM software.
Follow these steps
- Choose the Right Software: Tools like Microsoft Project, Smartsheet software, and Monday.com software are known for their robust Gantt chart generation features.
- Input Tasks: Enter all the tasks for your project into the software. Most tools allow you to enter task duration and assign team members at this stage.
- Establish Dependencies: Indicate which tasks depend on others. Based on these dependencies, the software will automatically adjust task start and end dates.
- Generate the Gantt Chart: Once done, you can usually customize the appearance of the chart to suit your needs.
- Update Regularly: As with a manual Gantt chart, it's important to keep your digital Gantt chart up-to-date. The advantage of using software is that updates to task duration and dependencies can be made easily, and the chart will automatically adjust to reflect these changes.
Common Gantt Chart Examples
There are various software Gantt Chart example templates available for project managers to choose from.
Five of the most popular renditions are –
Standard Gantt Chart
This is the most common type of Gantt chart. It outlines all the tasks involved in a project, their durations, start and end dates, and dependencies. It provides a visual timeline for the project, making understanding the workflow and deadlines easier.
Milestone Gantt Chart
This type highlights key events or milestones in a project. It's particularly useful for tracking progress toward important goals and can help keep everyone focused on the big picture.
Resource Gantt Chart
This version includes information about the resources assigned to each task, such as team members or equipment. It's useful for managing resource allocation and avoiding over or under-utilization.
Percentage-Complete Gantt Chart
This variation shows the percentage of work completed for each task. It's a helpful tool for tracking progress and identifying tasks that are falling behind schedule.
PERT Chart
While not a Gantt chart in the traditional sense, PERT (Program Evaluation Review Technique) charts are often mentioned in the same context. They provide a graphical representation of a project's tasks and timelines but also include information about the time variability of tasks. This makes them useful for projects where task duration is uncertain.
Your best fit will naturally depend on your project planning, scheduling, execution, and monitoring needs.
Many online platforms and PM vendors also allow you to create custom online Gantt Charts if a default template isn’t suitable.
Our Recommendations
At Software Finder, we’re all about reader empowerment.
And, so, in keeping with tradition, here’s our list (with brief intel) of the top five Gantt Chart software that should be on your radar this hustle season – in no order of preference:
TeamGantt
TeamGantt is a project management software that primarily focuses on planning, scheduling, and tracking projects. Its Gantt chart features are intuitive, allowing users to visualize, create, and edit project plans and schedules easily. The software also offers drag-and-drop functionality, in addition to features like task dependencies, resource allocation, time tracking, and reporting, enhancing project management efficiency.
Enabling collaboration, TeamGantt facilitates task-level communication and file sharing among team members.
ProofHub
ProofHub's Gantt chart features offer a comprehensive solution for project planning and scheduling. The software allows users to visualize the progress of multiple projects, identify potential bottlenecks, and create unique workflows. It provides an intuitive platform for updating the status, resources, comments, and progress of tasks.
The tool's Gantt charts also support setting task dependencies, viewing the critical path, and forecasting resources, enhancing strategic planning and quality outcomes.
Wrike
Wrike software provides a dynamic and robust platform for project management. It allows users to visualize tasks within a project or folder, showing the duration of each task compared to one another. This helps in planning and managing collaborative projects efficiently.
The tool's Gantt chart functionality is highly customizable, offering features like real-time updates, automatic sync with time tracking, and cross-tagging. Its dynamic timelines provide visibility and control over multiple projects simultaneously. Tasks are represented by horizontal bars, the length of which represents their duration. This clear visualization aids in identifying bottlenecks and managing resources effectively.
GanttPRO
GanttPRO enables users to build detailed Gantt charts that clearly represent tasks, dates, deadlines, dependencies, and assignees. It provides a grid view feature where tasks can be assigned statuses, priorities, costs, duration, estimation, time logs, progress, and more. The platform also offers advanced import and export possibilities, budget management, and workload features that display all resource availability on your Gantt chart timeline. This facilitates efficient resource allocation and effective scheduling. Furthermore, it allows users to add custom columns for tracking and measurement according to their needs.
ClickUp
ClickUp software features offer a dynamic way to plan time, manage resources, and visualize task dependencies. The software provides a user-friendly interface that makes Gantt charts easy to read, customize, organize, and understand, even for complex projects. It also allows users to represent data visually in a timeline format, including project start dates, due dates, tasks, subtasks, and dependency tasks.
The platform comes equipped with templates designed specifically for software developers, helping them track different project milestones and deliverables effectively.
But Wait…Shouldn’t I Just Use Excel?
That’s a good question – and here’s our take.
While Excel can be used for creating Gantt charts, this approach has several drawbacks.
For starters, Excel is not specialized in project management and lacks important UI features such as automatic task updates and easy visualization of dependencies between tasks. This can lead to unreliability and quality issues, making it difficult to manage complex projects effectively.
Secondly, creating Gantt charts in Excel can become complex and confusing, especially for large projects with many tasks and subtasks.
Also, Excel Gantt charts do not provide real-time updates or collaboration features, which are crucial for team-based projects.
On the other hand, dedicated project management software offers numerous advantages over basic spreadsheets for drafting Gantt charts.
These tools are designed specifically for project management, providing intuitive UI features, automatic task updates, and clear visualization of task dependencies. They also support real-time updates and collaboration, allowing teams to work together more efficiently.
Moreover, project management software often includes advanced features such as resource allocation, budget tracking, and workload management, providing a more comprehensive solution for project management needs.
NEXT STEPS
Ok.
So, now you have a pretty good idea about the right, expert-backed way of securing a decent Gantt Chart software for your organization.
If you’re intrigued by any of the project management vendors' offers we’ve mentioned here, go visit its dedicated Software Finder profile page by –
Following the blue navigational links given
OR
Entering the software name in the search field given at the top of this page
Alternatively – and this is quicker – you can call our friendly helpline executives at (661) 384-7070 for free, expert advice on the best project management system for your workflow type and pocket!
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