Why Should You Use Gantt chart?

There are 6 Reasons to Use Gantt Charts

It is true that we are hearing a lot about agile project management, agile methodology of project delivery. But there are advantages Gantt chart has to offer for those follow traditional way of planning and delivering projects. Thousands of companies and millions of users use, refer Gantt chart to plan project schedule better, be more productive, provide better clarity of project delivery and improve communication.

Let’s look at the advantage and the reasons for which companies still use Gantt chart for project scheduling and tracking.

• It is easy to understand for project manager and management
• It offers better clarity of expected delivery dates and interdependency
• It enables better time management
• It can improve efficiency of a project team
• It ensures accountability among team members in terms of timeline
• It expects coordination among stakeholders in order to deliver things as per Gantt timeline

Earlier tools designed to create Gantt chart are more intended exclusely for project managers’ use. New online project management software are designed to take Gantt chart next level and involve project team members, customers in project planning as well as project execution. As team members update the progress of the tasks they are working on in the PM tool, it reflects in Gantt chart to indicate progress of summary tasks, phases of projects, wbs and overall project progress in terms of timeline.

For project manager and management

Project manager as well as senior stakeholders can easily understand the work breakdown structure (WBS) using Gantt chart. It is simple for a project manager to do task management using Gantt chart, such as impact of change in schedule, dependency, etc.

Of expected delivery dates and interdependency

Gantt chart visually present project schedule, tasks, task dependency. Some of the robust PM tool take Gantt chart to next level to clearly show task priority, task progress, critical path, schedule baseline as well as resources working on those tasks.

For all stakeholders especially team members

Once everyone understand start date, due date, dependency of tasks assigned to them, team members can better plan their own activities. Gantt chart immensely helps team members to better manage their time e.g. if a team member is on leave, project manager can accordingly plan schedule, similarly team members knowing schedule of upcoming tasks, ongoing tasks, can plan their own time for better.

Among team members and stakeholders

In order to deliver things as per the timeline outlined in the Gantt chart, project team members can coordinate among themselves. This is true, especially in case of inter-dependent tasks. Even the escalation can be highlighted, at right time, looking at the delivery timeline using Gantt chart.

Of a project team

Project manager can efficiently plan activities and assign resources when s/he uses Gantt chart. Even for project team members, they can refer Gantt chart to plan their own activities, especially if there are inter-dependent tasks and multiple-tasks assigned across projects.

When tasks are assigned to team members, stakeholders, partners and vendors and they are communicated about their deliverable, it ensures accountability. There is also transparency of the what activity is assigned to whom and when s/he is expected to deliver.

Additional readings about project management, leadership

• Case Study: What Happens When Project Team Has Dual Reporting
• Avoid These 10 Most Common Mistakes That Leads to Project Failure
• Back2Basics: Ultimate Project Management Guide: Project Planning
• 8 Reasons to Decide Whether Your Organization Needs Project Management Office
• Compare the best project management software 
• All in one project management software

Your life can be become easier with the right project management system. ZilicusPM is the right PM tool for you and your team. Get started now.

Do you know ZilicusPM project management software offers comprehensive project planning, project tracking, project collaboration capabilities such as

• Gantt Chart
• Time Tracking
• Budgeting and Cost Management
• Resource Planning and Management
• Issue Tracking
• Risk Management
• Change Management
• Meeting Management
• Stakeholder Management
• Project Portfolio Management
• Project Reporting
• Document Management to help you manage and deliver projects better?

About Zilicus

Zilicus offers the best project portfolio management tool ZilicusPM, with robust project management tools capabilities and easy ways to track project management KPI,

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