Gantt Chart
A horizontal bar chart that maps out a project schedule — tasks on the Y axis, time on the X axis, with bars showing start/end and dependencies shown as arrows.
Explanation
A Gantt chart shows:
- Every project task (from the work-breakdown-structure)
- Each task’s owner
- When each task starts and ends
- How tasks depend on one another (dependency-types)
- Progress against plan
It’s useful both for planning (building the schedule) and tracking (seeing where you are vs where you should be).
When to use a Gantt chart
From Course 4’s tracking guidance:
- Projects with many dependencies, tasks, activities, or milestones
- Larger projects where a granular, ordered view matters
- When staying on schedule is important
Contrast with other tracking tools:
- Roadmap — high-level, for large milestones and communicating evolution
- Burndown chart — granular task-vs-deadline tracking, best when finishing on time is the top priority
You can use more than one: Gantt for scoping at the start, switch to a burndown in the weeks before launch.
Application
Build the Gantt chart after completing the work-breakdown-structure and critical-path-method analysis. Use it in status meetings throughout course-4-project-execution as the visual reference for progress.
Connections
- work-breakdown-structure — source of the tasks
- critical-path-method — typically highlighted on the chart
- dependency-types
- course-3-project-planning course-4-project-execution