A
Gantt Chart, or Project Chart, is used
extensively by project managers and
other people involved in scheduling.
While it is similar to a timeline in that
it deals with time and events, the format and purpose of a Gantt Chart
is very
different. The Gantt Chart is a table
with one task for each row and time in
the columns.
The
unit of time chosen depends on the
length and detail of the product, but some common units are weeks,
quarters,
months, and years. Usually there is a column at the left listing the
tasks,
then columns for start date, end date, and duration, followed by the
columns
for time. Each task has a bar extending across the time columns,
representing
the duration of the task. Milestones
and critical path lines may also be used
to add further detail to the chart. Milestones are important
checkpoints or
deadlines represented by small symbols in the time columns. Critical
path lines
connect task bars to indicate a dependence of one task upon another's
completion or commencement.
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Typical Uses of
Gantt
Charts
Gantt
Charts are especially useful for
organizing and maintaining the schedule of a product. It also shows how
certain
tasks are dependent upon the completion or commencement of others.
Identify the purpose: First choose
the
process or project to be detailed on the Gantt chart.
Create a timeline: Decide when the
entire
process will begin and when it must be completed. Now decide how to
divide the
increments of time for the duration of the project. Create a table with
a
column for each of the dates and increments you have decided to use and
place
them inside in chronological order.
List tasks: Determine how many tasks
there
are in the process. Make a row for each and place the name of each task
in its
cell on the left side of the chart.
Create progress bars: Now create a
progress
bar for each of the tasks. A progress bar is simply a horizontal bar
that
should be in line with the task name it represents and should begin
beneath its
start date and end beneath its end date (thus indicating the time at
which the
task will be in progress). Do this for each task. Some may overlap,
meaning
that they are occurring at the same time.
Add critical paths: Use lines to
connect a
task to another if they are dependent on each other. If the completion
of one
task will trigger the beginning of another, draw a line from the end of
the
first to the beginning of the second with an arrow pointing to the
second to
show that it can begin after the first is finished.
Add milestone markers: Choose a
symbol to
represent milestones, that is, major events that either have a large
part in
the process or must be completed before progress can continue. Place
them on
the chart beneath the date or time when they occur.
Additional labeling: If there is
anything
else you wish to label you may do it now, whether you need to label who
is in
charge of each activity, or note the cost of each task. Fill in any
information
you find critical.
Do not deviate: Use the Gantt Chart
to
maintain the schedule, and update it occasionally during the project.
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Charts......easily.....
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