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Gantt chart
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Gantt chart is a type of bar chart, devised by Henry Gantt in the 1910s,
that illustrates a project schedule. Gantt charts illustrate the start and finish
dates of the terminal elements and summary elements of a project. Terminal
elements and summary elements comprise the work breakdown structure of
the project. Modern Gantt charts also show the dependency (i.e., precedence
network) relationships between activities. Gantt charts can be used to show
current schedule status using percent-complete shadings and a vertical
"TODAY" line as shown here.

Although now regarded as a common charting technique, Gantt charts were

considered revolutionary when first introduced.[1] This chart is also used in
information technology to represent data that has been collected. A Gantt chart showing three kinds of schedule
dependencies (in red) and percent complete
indications.
Contents
1 Historical development
2 Example
3 Gantt chart baseline
4 Further applications
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

Historical development
The first known tool of this type was developed in 1896 by Karol Adamiecki, who called it a harmonogram.[2] Adamiecki did
not publish his chart until 1931, however, and only in Polish, which limited both its adoption and recognition of his authorship.
The chart is named after Henry Gantt (1861–1919), who designed his chart around the years 1910–1915.[3][4]

One of the first major applications of Gantt charts was by the United States during World War I, at the instigation of General
William Crozier.[5]

In the 1980s, personal computers allowed widespread creation of complex and elaborate Gantt charts. The first desktop
applications were intended mainly for project managers and project schedulers. With the advent of the Internet and increased
collaboration over networks at the end of the 1990s, Gantt charts became a common feature of web-based applications,
including collaborative groupware.

Example
In the following table there are seven tasks, labeled a through g. Some tasks can be done concurrently (a and b) while others
cannot be done until their predecessor task is complete (c and d cannot begin until a is complete). Additionally, each task has
three time estimates: the optimistic time estimate (O), the most likely or normal time estimate (M), and the pessimistic time
estimate (P). The expected time (TE) is estimated using the beta probability distribution for the time estimates, using the formula
(O + 4M + P) ÷ 6.

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Time estimates
Activity Predecessor Expected time
Opt. (O) Normal (M) Pess. (P)

a — 2 4 6 4.00

b — 3 5 9 5.33

c a 4 5 7 5.17

d a 4 6 10 6.33

e b, c 4 5 7 5.17

f d 3 4 8 4.50

g e 3 5 8 5.17

Once this step is complete, one can draw a Gantt chart or a network diagram.

A Gantt chart created using Microsoft Project (MSP). Note (1) the critical path is in red, (2) the slack is the black lines connected to non-critical
activities, (3) since Saturday and Sunday are not work days and are thus excluded from the schedule, some bars on the Gantt chart are longer if
they cut through a weekend.

Gantt chart baseline

Baseline in Gantt chart is used for clear comparison picture of what and how was planned and the current state of a project. Thus
a manager or anyone who manages a project is able to see whether a schedule deviates from the initial plan. A project will be
successfully accomplished when everything goes according to a baseline.

A baseline gives a manager possibility to understand and track project progress and forecast project results. Generally baselines
are a combination of project scope, cost and schedule (time) that are called triple constraints of a project.

Thanks to baselines a project manager knows what exactly goes wrong and how much it takes. They help to realize problematic
points and minimize them.

Further applications
Gantt charts can be used for scheduling generic resources as well as project management. They can also be used for scheduling
production processes and employee rostering.[6] In the latter context, they may also be known as timebar schedules. Gantt charts
can be used to track shifts or tasks and also vacations or other types of out-of-office time.[7] Specialized employee scheduling
software may output schedules as a Gantt chart, or they may be created through popular desktop publishing software.

See also
Critical path method
Float (project management)
Henry Gantt
List of project management software, which includes specific Gantt Chart software.
Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)

References
1. Wilson, James M. (1 September 2003). "Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation" (https://web.archive.org/web/2013112615
2919/http://www-public.it-sudparis.eu:80/~gibson/Teaching/CSC7003/ReadingMaterial/Wilson03.pdf) (PDF). European
Journal of Operational Research. 149 (2). doi:10.1016/S0377-2217(02)00769-5 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2FS0377-221
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8/8/2017 Gantt chart - Wikipedia
7%2802%2900769-5). Archived from the original (http://www-public.it-sudparis.eu/~gibson/Teaching/CSC7003/Reading
Material/Wilson03.pdf) (PDF) on 2013-11-26. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
2. "The Harmonogram of Karol Adamiecki – Tags: ADAMIECKI, Karol ORGANIZATION charts" (http://connection.ebsco
host.com/c/proceedings/17530521/harmonogram-karol-adamiecki). Connection.ebscohost.com. Retrieved 2014-06-04.
3. H.L. Gantt, Work, Wages and Profit, published by the Engineering Magazine, New York, 1910; republished as Work,
Wages and Profits, Easton, Pennsylvania, Hive Publishing Company, 1974, ISBN 0-87960-048-9.
4. Peter W. G. Morris, The Management of Projects, Thomas Telford, 1994, ISBN 0-7277-2593-9, Google Print, p.18 (http
s://books.google.com/books?id=5ekyoWaeZ1UC&pg=PA18-IA7&dq=Adamiecki+Gantt&as_brr=3&sig=xe_RAipoqlvhn
u0xLkIsxx-8OAQ)
5. Wallace Clark and Henry Gantt (1922) The Gantt chart, a working tool of management (https://archive.org/details/ganttch
artworkin00claruoft). New York, Ronald Press.
6. Triant G. Flouris; Dennis Lock (2009). Managing Aviation Projects from Concept to Completion (https://books.google.co
m/books?id=rNCZ7dEtTJMC&pg=PA207). Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. pp. 207–. ISBN 978-0-7546-7615-7.
7. "Availability Planning" (http://ceiton.com/CMS/EN/scheduling/attendance.html#Out-of-Office). CEITON. Retrieved
2014-06-04.

External links
Long-running discussion (http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=000076&topic_id=1&topic=A
sk%20E%2eT%2e) regarding limitations of the Gantt chart format, and alternatives, on Edward Tufte's website

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This page was last edited on 27 July 2017, at 20:18.

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