Worksheet 4 – Time Constraints

Gantt Chart Overview

A Gantt Chart is a tool that gives a visual view of a set of tasks that are scheduled to be
completed over a period of time. This type of chart usually takes the form of a horizontal
bar graph with each bar representing the time spent on each task

When constructing a Gantt Chart you will usually list the tasks to be completed in the
left hand column while heading your top columns with set timescales, usually either
days, weeks or months.

Construct Gantt Charts for the following scenarios…

Scenario 1: New Ride at an Amusement Park

Gantt chart for Scenario 1

Tasks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Pre-Production
Victorian
World War 2
The 1970’s
Modern times
Scenario 2: Short Film Production
Fantastic Productions are a multimedia production company that specialise in multiple types of
digital media product including digital advertising and short films. They have been approached by a
local television company to produce a short film focusing on the lives of 4 young people growing up
in a northern town.

The premiere for the film has been set for 10 months’ time.

The television company have requested a meeting to go over the pre-production content at the end
of the first month.

The 4 stars of the show will only be available at specific times so their filming dates will be scheduled
accordingly:

• Actor one: months 2 and 5

• Actor two: months 2 and 3
• Actor three months 4 and 5
• Actor four months 4, 5 and 6

Principle Photography will happen with each of the stars during their first month in the production

All actors will only be available for re-shoots or voice over work in month 8.

The post-production tasks can only be started once all of the initial scenes have been completed any
re-shoots or voice over work will happen during the post-production phase.

Gantt chart for Scenario 2

Tasks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Pre-
production
Actor
one
Actor
two
Actor
three
Actor
four
Post
production
Exam Questions:
Time constraints are a key part of any digital media project and failure to stay within these time
constraints can impact negatively on a project in a number of ways. Give two examples of how not
sticking to deadlines in a project can have negative consequences [4]

1. It can lead to a back log of work for the future, meaning that many other projects will be
delayed. Also, if the delay is too long, people may have been building up to it so much that
once the anticipation is over, it’s a slight anti-climax.

2. It can give you a negative reputation and less people might be interested in working with
you and your project. This could lead to you earning a lower profit and therefore struggling
financially.

Evaluate the effectiveness of a production tool such as a Gantt Chart in helping to effectively
organise production of a short movie such as the one in Scenario 2. [6]

When evaluating you must look at both the positive and negative aspects of the thing you have
been asked to judge.

For a 6-mark question you should select two points and for each point:

• State what the point is [1 mark]

• Explain the point [1 mark]
• State why it would have a positive or negative impact [1 make]

A Gantt chart is effective as it allows you to structure your time efficiently, allowing you to
work at a steady pace. This is important because it checks whether you will have enough
time to complete all your tasks within the deadline. This has a positive impact as it limits
stress and encourages organisation skills.

A Gantt chart can be ineffective if it’s too rigid and dependent on everything going as
planned. This means following a tight schedule and leaving little space for anything that
takes longer than expected. This would have a negative impact as it could cause unnecessary
pressure and stress that the film is going to fail, while in fact the only thing going wrong is
the order and time scale in which the product is being made.