What is a Gantt Chart and Why is it important?
What is a Gantt Chart?
Gantt chart was developed by Henry Gantt. A Gantt chart is a form of the bar chart. The vertical axis lists all the tasks to be performed. The bars are drawn along the y-axis, one for each task. Gantt charts are mainly used in software project management. To summarize, a Gantt chart shows you that given as follows:
- What the various activities are
- When each activity begins and ends
- How long each activity is scheduled to last
- Where activities overlap with other activities, and by how much
- The start and end date of the whole project
In the Gantt charts, each bar consists of an unshaded part and a shaded part. The shaded part of the bar shows the length of time each task is estimated to take. The unshaded part shows the slack time or lax time. The lax time represents the leeway or flexibility available in meeting the latest time by which a task must be finished.
Why is Gantt Chart important?
A Gantt chart is a special type of bar chart where each bar represents an activity. The bars are drawn along a timeline. The length of each bar is proportional to the duration of time planned for the corresponding activity. Gantt chart representation of a project schedule helps plan the utilization of resources, while the PERT chart is useful for monitoring the timely progress of activities.