Gantt Charts: The Project Manager's Secret Weapon

I've been creating and using Gantt charts to meet project expectations since 1988. Here's what you should know:

What should a Gantt Chart look like??A Gantt chart is a visual, usually in horizontal bar-chart form set against a timeline, that clearly illustrates project schedule progress.?

Format (excel,?word, ppt, docs, etc.) matters.?First, use any?tool?that creates the Gantt chart directly from the work plan (the source data). Then, the Gantt chart can be lifted into any format that is meaningful to stakeholders.?I recommend using one format consistently.?Why??For information integrity and transparency that supports informed?decision-making. Seamlessly switching between source data and the Gantt chart improves trust and credibility while greatly reducing the effort of maintaining an accurate Gantt chart. For executives who may be unfamiliar with 'native' project management deliverables,?I recreate the project schedule information in a diagramming tool to simply illustrate the timeline and major milestones (including planned and actual dates).?High-level Gantt charts can be used?during business justification?to?illustrate?solution roadmaps that are elaborated once the project is approved.

Tips for keeping your Gantt charts organized?and easy to use:?

• Use summary bar titles that are nouns describing the result of performing the (sub)tasks. The overall project summary bar names the objective, goal or strategy.?
• Use the outline collapse/expand function to summarize appropriately for various stakeholder?groups.?
• Use available functionality to seamlessly create views that speak to information requirements (such as, 'by phase', 'by gate', 'by milestone', 'by stakeholder group', 'by?year/quarter/month/week', etc.)
• Use colors to improve readability and help stakeholders easily find 'their stuff' on the Gantt chart.
• Include an 'as of' date that easily identifies the most current version.

To indicate dependencies on your?Gantt charts, sequence by task relationships (finish/start, start/finish, etc.), which will appear as lines on the Gantt chart.?

To indicate milestones on your Gantt?charts, use?colored visual cues, used consistently. For example, green italic text or a solid diamond shape.?

Want to elevate your project management game, learn why I knew I wanted to be a project manager in 8th grade, or meet over coffee? Need a 30-minute free consultation on whatever ails your project??Schedule time with me!

Jan Schiller, ex-PMP, PSM1, FLMI, is a partner with?Berkshire Consulting, LLC. She specializes in revealing the path from where an organization is to where they want to be. Jan delights clients by transforming strategy into results with project management in the financial services, investment, health, beverage, learning management, wholesale printing and life sciences industries. She has helped her clients with the adoption of project management best practices; streamlining business processes; complying with regulations; achieving competitive advantage, innovating effectively, getting things done despite turbulent times, creating a fantastic customer experience, migrating to an industry-standard platform, maximizing productivity, and wrangling projects. In addition to being quoted in?PMNetwork Magazine, she's also discussed how to develop a PMO Project's scope statement on?Phoenix Business RadioX?and contributed to?PMWorld360's digital project management magazine.

? Jan Schiller All rights reserved.