Construction Management

What is a Gantt Chart | Bar Chart Excel Template [XLS]

Gantt Chart XLS

A Gantt chart is a project management tool that depicts a project schedule. It is typically divided into two sections: the left side contains a list of tasks, and the right side contains a timeline with schedule bars that visualize work. The Gantt chart can also include task start and end dates, milestones, task dependencies, and assignees.

What is a Gantt Chart?

Gantt chart is a visual view of tasks/activities scheduled over time. Gantt charts are used for planning projects of all sizes and they are a useful way of showing what work is scheduled to be done on a specific day. They also help you view the start & end dates of a project in a simple view.

The History of Gantt Charts

The first project management bar chart was invented in 1896 by Karol Adamiecki.

A quick history of Gantt charts:

  • 1896: Karol Adamiecki creates the first project management bar chart: the Harmonogram, a precursor to the modern Gantt chart.
  • 1931: Adamiecki publishes the Harmonogram (but in Polish with limited exposure).
  • 1910-1915: Henry Gantt publishes his own system in project management, the Gantt chart.
  • Present Days: Gantt charts or bar charts are the preferred tool for managing projects of all types and sizes.

Features of Gantt Chart

On Gantt Chart, you can easily see:

  • Start and Finish dates for activities.
  • Project milestones.
  • Dependencies between activities.
  • The person assigned to each activity.
  • Duration of each activity

Advantages of Gantt Chart

  • You can know the project’s start date.
  • You can know what the project activities are.
  • You can see who is working on each activity.
  • You can see when tasks start and finish.
  • You can check how long each task will take
  • You can check how activities group together, overlap, and link with each other
  • You can see the end date of the project.
  • Excel Gantt chart template saves your time by organizing the plan of your project & tackling the tedious planning work for you.
  • All you need to do is add your activities & the dates, and you’ll have a presentation-quality Excel Gantt chart.

Who Use Gantt Charts

  • Project Managers
  • General Managers
  • Team Leaders
  • Operations Managers
  • Scheduling managers
  • Work Managers
  • Marketing Managers
  • CTOs & CEOs

Why use a Gantt chart?

A Gantt chart is used for the following activities:

  • Establish the initial project time schedule – who is going to do what, when and how long will it take.
  • Allocate the resources of the project- ensure everyone knows who is responsible for what.
  • Make project adjustments – the initial plan will need many adjustments.
  • Monitor and report progress – helps you stay on schedule.
  • Control and communicate the schedule – clear visuals for stakeholders and participants.
  • Display milestones – shows key events.
  • Identify and report problems – As everything is depicted visually you can immediately see what should have been achieved by a certain date and, if the project is behind schedule, you can take action to bring it back on course.

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See Also
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