Before any new project begins, it is critical to have some sort of roadmap in place. There are many different charts and graphs you can use to illustrate the key steps that need to be taken, and one of this is the Gannt chart. Gantt charts are often taught about in project management training courses, as they can play a critical role in managing your team. With that being said, read on to discover everything you need to know about them.
So, let’s begin by taking a look at what Gannt charts actually are. They were developed in the 1910s by Henry Gantt, and thus you can see where the name comes from. They give you the ability to visualise the project from the beginning to the end. A Gantt chart is an important type of productivity tool, which reads from top to bottom and right to left. The running length of the y-axis is tasks. Their order is irrelevant, and most people tend to go for chronological order. The x-axis is time. So, this covers what the task is and how long it will take. But, the third component of a task is who is going to do it. This is revealed by a colour-coded system, indicating what department or person is responsible for getting the task in question done.
How do you get started with Gantt charts?
1. Choose a template – The first step is to select a template. Of course, you do have the option of building one from scratch, although this is not always necessary. Most templates come via project management software, or you can find them on the Internet. Once you have a suitable template, you can reuse it for every project.
2. Make your milestones – Now that you have a template ready, you need to add your milestones. What is a milestone? This is a marker that indicates that a section of the project is complete. For example, locking down the wireframes is usually a milestone when it comes to website creation. It is a good idea to plot all milestones before you move onto the next phase.
3. Add tasks, events, and generate dependencies – Now that you have followed the information above, you need to create dependencies, and also add tasks and sequence events. Talk to the individuals that are going to complete the task to get a proper understanding of how long there are going to take. When it comes to sequencing events, remember, you can schedule multiple events to be finalised at the same time, so long as they are not carried out by the same individual. Finally, once you have put the tasks on the chart, as well as the sequence, you need to create dependencies. You need to be very careful about plotting what tasks are dependent on others. If you get something wrong, it can cause issues later down the line.
4. Collaborate – Last but not least, it is important to collaborate with everyone on your team if your Gantt chart is to be a success. Everyone working on the project in question needs to have the ability to view the chart. They should also update their progress too, as it can help other assignees if a task is completed before the scheduled deadline.
