Gantt charts are a type of bar chart that lays out everything that needs to be done in a particular project. You can create as many of these charts as you want to be associated with different projects that you are in charge of. From there, you can create task lists and different assignments for each person who is participating in the project. The bars represent individual tasks that need to be completed and they show exactly when the assignment or task is meant to start and when it needs to be completed.
Even more unique with these charts is that they can show you interconnections between different tasks. But there’s a whole lot more to these charts than just that. They’re great for anyone who needs to know what’s going on in the project or different assignments and they’ll display everything you need including the different tasks, who is in charge of each task when they need to complete that task, who is dependent upon them to complete a task and even when they need to start a task or when the full project needs to be finished.
Who Needs to See Gantt Charts?
Just who needs to see the chart for the project that you’re working on? Well, there are quite a few people on that list, depending on the size of the project, of course. First, anyone who is working on the project needs to be able to see this chart. This allows them to see what they’re responsible for and when they need to get it done. It helps to hold them more accountable to the rest of the team because everyone knows what they’re supposed to be doing and when they finish it (or don’t).
Anyone who is in charge of those people should be able to see the chart as well. You, as the project manager, should be able to see the chart. Any other managers and leaders within your team who have members on the project team should be able to see it check in with their team members. At least, if they are responsible for this part of their team they should. If you pull someone out of the accounting department to work on a project but their manager is in no way involved they may not need access to the chart. If they are representing work that is done by the entire department, however, you may want to include the manager.
Anyone above you as the project manager should also be looking at this chart periodically. You want to make sure that your bosses, all the way up to whoever is actually in charge of this project with the client can check-in and see how the progress is going. Also, anyone who is considered a stakeholder in the project needs to be able to see it. This also includes the client that you are working on the project with. It allows them to stay better informed.
Preparing to Create a Gantt Chart
Before you’re ready to create a chart you’re going to need to get some important information ready. This is where you’re going to gather everything together to make sure that when you sit down to start putting things into a place you don’t have to get back up. After all, you don’t want to sit down to work and find out that you’re missing some of the most crucial elements. These are the things you need to create the system, and you should only be moving on to the next step once you’ve done this.
Know Your Deliverables: You’ll need to meet with the client possibly more than once to know what they expect from you. You may also need to meet with higher-level managers and leaders within your team. This will help you figure out what needs to be delivered in the end.
Know Your Deadline: You also need to know the firm deadline for the overall project as well as any other deadlines related to the milestones that you’re going to hit along the way. All of these deadlines and what needs to be provided at each should be written down.
Know Your Tasks: Know what the different tasks are that need to be completed. That means taking the deliverables and breaking them down into subtasks and breaking those down into subtasks and so on until you have everything mapped out.
Know Your Dependencies: If there are specific tasks that need to be completed before other tasks can be you must take care of these as well. Know where these dependencies occur and mark them down so you can be prepared when creating the chart.
Know Your Team: Who are you going to have working with you on this project? What people are you going to use and how are you going to use them? You want to be prepared with each person that is going to help and you need to know that they are available to help.
Know Your Assignments: You should take a close look at each person you have on your team and each task that your team is responsible for. Then, start working out just how you’re going to set things up and who is going to be responsible for each of those different tasks.
Creating a Gantt Chart
Are you ready to create one of these charts? Well, you should know that it doesn’t have to be complicated. Some people create these types of charts in Microsoft Project, Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. These types of charts are relatively simple designs, however. On the other hand, even though they contain very basic information they are more difficult to execute and can require a great deal of skill in these programs. That’s where a program like InstaGantt could be exactly what you’re looking for.
With this program, you start by creating a project within the platform. From there, you can assign different people to the project as a whole or you can start creating individual tasks right away. You get the freedom to create as many tasks as you want and then you can assign them to different people. You can create overall tasks and break those down into subtasks. You can create some tasks that are dependent upon other tasks and you can create the deadlines and start dates that you want.
From there, you can make the entire chart accessible to anyone and everyone who needs it and they’ll be able to check in on their tasks. They can even talk to other people about questions, comments, and concerns right in the project so everyone can see what’s going on. They can also mark tasks as complete and send over information that might be needed to get started on the next task. All of this makes it much easier for you and everyone involved in the project to keep track of what’s happening and what still needs to happen to achieve the ultimate goal.
There are many different benefits to Gantt chart Makers in your business and for the execution of your projects. The key is to make sure that you’re finding one system that works for your team. From there, you’re going to see all of these benefits and maybe even some more while you’re at it.
1. Keep Everything Organized: You’re going to know exactly what needs to be done and what has been done. You’re going to know each of the different tasks in the project and you’re going to be better informed along the way. Everything is organized and spelled out in ways that are easier for everyone.
2. Keep Everyone Accountable: Everyone is going to know the tasks that they need to complete and so is the rest of the team. That makes it more likely that they will do what they’re supposed to do and do it on time. After all, everyone else is waiting and watching.
3. Keep Everyone Updated: Everyone knows what’s happening and when which makes it easier to know when it’s time for you to start on your project if you’re dependent on someone else. It also makes it a whole lot simpler for everyone to show what they’re doing.
4. Easy to Share Information: You can share comments, feedback and even files directly in the system. That makes it easier for everyone to share the information that’s needed and create folders and files that everyone can access as needed to do their part of the job.
5. Get Answers to Questions: If you have any questions or concerns you can easily ask them to the group and get a response quickly. There are also ways to send more private communication and get responses individually from specific members of the team.
6. Keep the Client Informed: The client will have a way to keep track of what’s going on and whether the project is on track at all times rather than having to try communicating back and forth with the team or trying to get in touch with someone at the company.
7. Ability to Customize: These types of charts give you all of the freedom that you need so you can customize each aspect of the project and the control over the project to fit your needs. You get to decide how the chart is organized and displayed.
8. Duplicate Projects: If you have to carry out the same project multiple times or if you have a project that has very similar tasks you can duplicate tasks, save projects as templates and even copy entire projects over to create new ones so you can get started faster.
9. Schedule Things Out – You can see what your team is doing at any given time and you can make sure that they are getting enough tasks to keep them busy but not so many that they’re getting overwhelmed. This will help keep everyone on your team doing what needs to be done for the business.
The Benefits of Gantt Charts
You can create a Gantt chart using Excel or other programs, but you’re not going to get the kind of freedom and customization that you’ll get from an InstaGantt chart. Here, you’re going to have the benefits that we’ve mentioned above and you’re also going to have additional customization features that will help you turn your chart into something specific for you. You’re going to have a system that helps you keep track of your team, your assignments and everything else along the way.
If you’re ready to start using Gantt charts for your business or even if you just want to try it out, make sure you check us out to find out more. You’ll be able to try a free trial that will let you create basic charts and try out the process. That way, you can make sure that you know what you’re going to get and how it’s going to work for you. You can improve your team experience and your project management experience if you pay attention to the tools that are designed to help you. Instagantt and Gantt charts, in general, are designed to help you do exactly that. You just need to know how to optimize them.
