Gantt Charts in Project Management – Definition and Meaning
A Gantt chart is a special form of Gantt chart that serves as a visual representation of the project schedule. It displays project activities or phases as horizontal bars on a timeline, where the length of each bar is proportional to the duration of the activity. Gantt charts are often used to plan projects, show dependencies between tasks (often using arrows), mark milestones and track project progress over time. They are a standard tool in many project management tools and provide a clear chronological representation of the project process.
Example, best practice and further information
In the context of an event management project, for example, a Gantt chart could visualize the planned timeline for the individual phases such as conception, location search, marketing, implementation and follow-up. A best practice is to update the Gantt chart regularly to reflect actual progress and use it as a communication tool with the project team and other stakeholders. This aligns with PMBOK time management principles and the use of agile visualization tools and enables clear communication of the schedule and early detection of delays.