The ins and outs of GANTT charts

Developed as a production control tool in 1917, Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart that demonstrates a project schedule. The chart is constructed with a horizontal axis which represents a time span which is expressed either in absolute time or in relative time referenced to the commencement of the project, whereas, the vertical axis shows a series of tasks or events. Horizontal bars of varying lengths on the chart represent event sequences and time span for each task/event on the vertical axis.

Henry L. Gantt, an American engineer and social scientist created Gantt chart to chalk out a visual plan for constructing ships. However, business organizations from diverse fields soon realized the importance of Gantt's charting system and began using it for other projects. Did you know that The U.S. interstate highway system and the Hoover Dam were visualized with the help of a Gantt chart? In recognition of Henry Gantt's contributions to management and community services, the Henry Laurence Gantt Medal is awarded. Besides being used in project management, Gantt chart is used also in Information Technology to visually represent data that have been collected.

Though early Gantt charts illustrate a clear picture of your project status but the only problem with them is that they do not show dependencies between tasks – they don't tell you how one event falling behind schedule affects other tasks. But modern Gantt chart software provides this feature.