A Gannt Diagram is a graphical representation of work effort as divisions of work over time. It facilitates planing and tracking of project development and resource allotment. The
left hand side of the Gannt Diagram is a line with the work breakdown structure (essentially, a series of tasks). The chart part indicates time progression, conveyed either in absolute or relative time.
In a Gannt Diagram, each task occupies one row. Dates run along the top,
incremented as appropriate for the size of the project in question. Rows of
bars in the Gannt Diagram show the start and end dates of each task in the
project. Tasks may occur sequentially, in parallel, or even overlap.
Most project management software (such as MS Project) allows project management
based on Gannt Diagram representation of project workflow. They offer managerial
toolsets to start, track and report projects.
Sample Gannt Diagram
History of the Gannt Diagram
The Gannt Diagram was created by Henry L. Gannt, an American engineer, in 1917. He
developed the first Gannt Diagram for ship-building around World War I. The Diagram
proved to be so powerful and useful that it has not undergone any changes for
nearly a century. It was only in 1990's when links between tasks were added to
the Gannt Diagram.
Tip using Gannt Diagram:
For large projects, tasks can be split into subtasks with their own Gannt Diagrams
to maintain readability.
