SH1662

Research Timeline
I. Gantt Chart
It is a chart in which a series of horizontal lines shows the amount of work done or production
completed in certain periods of time in relation to the amount planned for those periods.
(Google.com)

A. History of Gantt Chart

Based on Gantt.com (2012), the first Gantt chart was devised in the mid-1890s by Karol
Adamiecki, a Polish engineer who ran a steelworks in southern Poland and had become
interested in management ideas and techniques. Some 15 years after Adamiecki, Henry
Gantt, an American engineer and management consultant, devised his own version of the
chart. This became widely known and popular in western countries. Consequently, it was
Henry Gantt whose name was to become associated with charts of this type.

Originally Gantt charts were prepared laboriously by hand; each time a project changed it
was necessary to amend or redraw the chart and this limited their usefulness, continual
change being a feature of most projects. Nowadays, however, with the advent of
computers and project management software, Gantt charts can be created, updated and
printed easily.

Today, Gantt charts are most commonly used for tracking project schedules. For this it is
useful to be able to show additional information about the various tasks or phases of the
project, for example how the tasks relate to each other, how far each task has progressed,
what resources are being used for each task and so on.

II. Importance of a Gantt Chart

When you set up a Gantt chart, you need to think through all of the tasks involved in your
project. As part of this process, you will work out who will be responsible for each task, how
long each task will take, and what problems your team may encounter.
This detailed thinking helps you ensure that the schedule is workable, that the right people are
assigned to each task, and that you have workarounds for potential problems before you start.
They also help you work out practical aspects of a project, such as the minimum time it will
take to deliver, and which tasks need to be completed before others can start. In addition, you
can use them to identify the critical path – the sequence of tasks that must individually be
completed on time if the whole project is to deliver on time.

Finally, you can use them to keep your team and your sponsors informed of progress. Simply
update the chart to show schedule changes and their implications, or use it to communicate
that key tasks have been completed.

III. Steps in Making a Gantt Chart

Step 1: Identify Essential Tasks

Gantt charts do not give useful information unless they include all of the activities needed for a
project or project phase to be completed.
So, to start, list all of these activities. Use a work breakdown structure if you need to establish
what the tasks are. Then, for each task, note its earliest start date and its estimated.

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Example:
Your organization has won a tender to create a new "Software as a Service" product, and you
are in charge of the project.
You decide to use a Gantt chart to organize all of the necessary tasks, and to calculate the likely
overall timescale for delivery.

Step 2: Identify Task Relationships

The chart shows the relationship between the tasks in a project. Some tasks will need to be
completed before you can start the next one, and others cannot end until preceding ones have
ended.
Example:
If you are creating a brochure, you need to finish the design before you can send it to print.

Step 3: Input Activities into Software or a Template

You can draw your charts by hand or use specialist software, such as Microsoft Excel.

Step 4: Chart Progress

As your project moves along, it will evolve. Update your chart to reflect changes as soon as
they occur. This will help you to keep your plans, your team, and your sponsors up to date.

REFERENCES:
Baylor University. (n.d.). Research paper planner: Timeline. Baylor Universities Libraries. Retrieved
on December 05, 2014, from http://planner.bulibtools.net/

Gantt.com. (2012). Gantt chart history. Gantt.com. Retrieved on December 05, 2014, from
http://www.gantt.com/

Mind Tools Ltd. (n.d.). Gantt Charts. Mind Tools. Retrieved on December 05, 2014, from
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm

Smartsheet. (2014). Create An Online Gantt Chart In Minutes. Smartsheet.com. Retrieved on

December 05, 2014, from http://www.smartsheet.com/gantt-chart-software-2

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