What is a gantt chart used for in project management? Resource assigned: Indicates the person or team responsible for completing a task.Progress: Shows how far along work is and may be indicated by percent complete and/or bar shading.Dependencies: Light gray lines that connect tasks that need to happen in a certain order.Milestones: Yellow diamonds that call out major events, dates, decisions, and deliverables.Bars: Horizontal markers on the right side of the gantt chart that represent tasks and show progress, duration, and start and end dates.Dateline: A vertical line that highlights the current date on the gantt chart.Timeline: Runs horizontally across the top of the gantt chart and shows months, weeks, days, and years.Task list: Runs vertically down the left of the gantt chart to describe project work and may be organized into groups and subgroups.Let’s break down the basic parts of a gantt chart so you understand how they function in a project plan. Here’s a simple gantt chart example with explanations of the core components:Įxample of a gantt chart with basic elements noted Reading a gantt chart really comes down to understanding how the different elements come together to make a gantt chart work. But once you learn how to read them, you’ll be able to tell exactly where your projects are and what needs to happen to guide them to success. Gantt charts may seem complicated at first. Today: Gantt charts are the preferred tool for managing projects of all sizes and types.1910-1915: Henry Gantt publishes his own project management system, the gantt chart.1931: Adamiecki publishes the harmonogram (but in Polish with limited exposure).1896: Karol Adamiecki creates the first project management chart: the Harmonogram, a precursor to the modern gantt chart.Meanwhile, Henry Gantt published his own project management system in the 1910s to a much wider audience.

It got limited exposure at the time because it was only published in Polish. So why isn’t it called an Adamiecki chart? Good question!Īlthough Adamiecki created his precursor to the gantt chart-called the harmonogram-in the late 19th century, he didn’t publish it until 1931. The first project management chart was invented by Karol Adamiecki in 1896. That means it’s a whole lot easier to keep your project team and stakeholders on the same page from the get-go. In other words, a gantt chart is a super-simple way to communicate what it will take to deliver a project on time and budget. The full project schedule from start to finish.When important meetings, approvals, or deadlines need to happen.

How tasks relate to and depend on each other.

Here’s a quick look at the details a gantt chart enables you to capture at a glance: Gantt charts typically show you the timeline and status-as well as who’s responsible-for each task in the project. What is a gantt chart?: Definition & overviewĪ gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart used in project management to visually represent a project plan over time.

Microsoft gantt project