http://13.50.150.85/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=S103183 2026-07-14T19:46:04Z User contributions MediaWiki 1.43.3 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=17350 2015-09-28T20:15:41Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Category:Project Management]][[Category:Management]][[Category:Planning Methods]][[Category:Gantt Chart]][[Category:Planning Tool]]<br /> This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, explain the use of a Gantt Chart in practice as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866). Approximately 15 years later, it was also created independently by an American engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861) &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt&quot;&gt; ''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;. It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information that is put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be confusing to create a Gantt Chart through the use of different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed the Gantt Chart should be can be a hard choice. As many programs are available it can be hard to find a program that fits the specific needs one might have. Therefore a list of usable programs can be found in the end of this article.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chart was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and is today known as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Already from the mid 1920's the Gantt Charts were acknowledged as a production planning tool. &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt charts&quot;&gt; ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Though the Gantt Chart were a popular tool from the beginning, it encountered some problems with the limited handling of information and it was speculated that computers would replace the Gantt Charts. Then in the 1950's and 1960's the Gantt Chart lost its popularity as the large scale production complexity were considered too complex. &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt charts&quot;&gt; ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; Today we have the technological advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen. &lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> Even though this quote is 14 years old, it reminds us that exaggerating something whether if it is new technology or something else, can turn out to be disadvantageous. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another. There are several types of dependencies and Allan Orr &lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; identifies three of them as:<br /> <br /> * '''Finish to Start''' - This means that one activity must be finished before another one can start.<br /> * '''Start to Start''' - This means that the activities has to start at the same time but not necessarily finish at the same time.<br /> * '''Finish to Finish''' - This means that the activities has to finish at the same time but not necessarily start at the same time.<br /> <br /> There are however more types of dependencies. One that is missing from the dependencies that Allan Orr has identified is:<br /> <br /> *'''Start to Finish''' - This means that one activity has to start before another one can finish &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantter&quot;&gt; ''http://www.gantter.com/help/task-dependencies/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In addition to the above mentioned dependencies there is a term known as slack or float&lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Float is the buffer between when an activity can be completed and when it has to be completed. An activity that is on the critical path (see [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]]) has no float. In addition to float there a sub-term called free float which is the amount of time an activity's start date can be postponed before it will delay its successor activity's start date. More on what a successor activity is in the section &quot;The Gantt Chart in practice&quot;.<br /> <br /> An example to show dependencies could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need. Otherwise, buying the light bulb would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed. This means that buying the light bulb and installing the lamp can begin at the same time to save time (Start to Start).<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain percentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One thing to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning.&lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practice==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is crucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore it is needed to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. In Figure 1 and 2 it is hard to see exactly which activities are dependent on one another. However, it is assumed that one activity starts as soon as possible when its predecessor has been completed and that the planning of each activity does not inflict with the different dependencies. One way to help get an overview of the activities can be through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can be seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Microsoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practice to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. As mentioned more details can be put into a Gantt Chart i.e. the way activities are dependent on each other. In order to see the interdependencies of activities in the project, arrows between the activities can be added to visualize which activities are connected. A simple illustration of this can be seen in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> '''Figure 3''' illustrates that an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. A predecessor activity is an activity that needs to be completed before it is possible to start on the next activity (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, buying the lamp is a predecessor to installing the lamp. A successor activity is an activity that cannot start until the current activity has been completed (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, turning on the switch is the successor activity to both installing the lamp '''and''' buying the light bulb. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project (See [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]] for more information on this topic).<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and it is possible to have a overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref name=&quot;Mind&quot;&gt; ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> Because the Gantt Chart visually presents a projects information in regards to what needs to be done at what time, it is practically applicable in almost any situation where an overview of the activities and their time span though it might become quite complex to use for big projects.<br /> <br /> '''A short step-by-step guide on how to create a Gantt Chart'''<br /> * List all the activities that needs to be completed<br /> * Write down the earliest start date for each activity<br /> * Write down the duration of each activity<br /> * Write down if any activities are dependent on other activities to be completed<br /> * Make a column where you list every activity<br /> * Make a column for each day/week/month you think you project will take<br /> * Plot in your activities with horizontal bars with the length of the duration of the activity<br /> * If a task cannot be started before another one is completed, show this by starting the second task when the first is completed.<br /> You can use color coding to &quot;sort&quot; the activities, and connect them with arrows to show the interdependencies.<br /> <br /> <br /> Below video is a guide on how to create a Gantt Chart &lt;ref name=&quot;Mind&quot;&gt; ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;:<br /> {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRNOXVKN9J0&amp;feature=youtu.be}}<br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> As with any other tool the Gantt Chart also has its limitations. Some of these limitations has been identified here.<br /> <br /> * The Gantt Chart requires the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to have been done (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]] for more information on this topic). Before this it makes absolutely no sense to try and create a Gantt Chart because the information regarding which activities that should be put into the Gantt Chart will not be available.<br /> * There is a risk the the Gantt Chart can become complex and be confusing to look at for big projects. If a computer is being used and the Gantt Chart takes up more space than a single screen it can be confusing to get the needed overview of all the activities. <br /> * Costs is not taking into consideration when using the Gantt Chart. Costs is usually what most companies tend to focus on and it is therefore a weakness that the Gantt chart is completely ignorant when it comes to costs.<br /> * The amount of work needed for each activity is not specified. It is just an estimation of the time span. Even though the amount of work needed has been calculated and estimated it is only the time estimation which is presented in the Gantt Chart. <br /> * It does not see the weak links between the different stages in the project. The Gantt Chart can show the links between activities but it has no information in regards to how sensitive these links are.<br /> * The Gantt Chart does not include information about the location of the work that has to be carried out. For information regarding a method that includes the location of the work see [[Location Based Scheduling]] (LBS).<br /> <br /> The biggest limitation of the Gantt Chart though must be that alone the Gantt Chart is nothing more than a blunt tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating a Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> This section covers a list of software that can be used to create a Gantt Chart. There are many more &quot;pay to use&quot; programs than listed here and it is probably possible to find more &quot;free to use&quot; programs at well but the two listed here are the ones who I found to me most trustworthy.<br /> * Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref name=&quot;dream&quot;&gt; ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * GanttProject - Free to use program. There is an instructional video on the webpage. &lt;ref name=&quot;Source&quot;&gt; ''http://sourceforge.net/projects/ganttproject/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> * Microsoft Excel - If you have the Microsoft Office package you will also have excel. <br /> * MindView - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Smartsheet - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Microsoft Project - Very expensive but also very professional tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> If there is need for a tool that can provide an overview of the time span of a number of activities and how they are dependent on one another then the Gantt Chart will be a fine choice. If the project is a small project the Gantt Chart might be one of the best tools that can used. However, if the project is big with many different activities and interrelations between these activities the Gantt Chart might not be the best solution depending on the technology available as it tends to become too complex to get an easy overview. <br /> Before starting on the Gantt Chart it is important that the pre-work like making a project plan (see [[Program evaluation and review technique (PERT)]]), WBS (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]])etc. has been done as the Gantt Chart will not be able to do this and if something is left out the Gantt Chart will not be able to show this. Remember, to make a Gantt Chart is not the first thing to do when starting a project.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> * '''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory''' - This article gives a great overall explanations of the different aspects of the Gantt Chart. It also discusses something about risk mitigation which has not been mentioned in this wiki article.<br /> <br /> * '''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm''' - If you need more information regarding what a Gantt chart is, how to create a Gantt Chart or what software to use both for creating Gantt charts but also for project management in general then this page is a good place to start.<br /> <br /> * '''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on''' - This article talks about project management in general and looks at other ways of managing projects than by the use of a Gantt Chart. The article seems very critical about the Gantt Chart and brings another perspective to the topic. <br /> <br /> * '''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;''' - This paper describe the history of the Gantt Chart from the beginning of the 19th century. It is a very interesting read if you want to know more about the development of the Gantt Chart from then to now. It also provides a view on how Gantt Charts is used now since it regained its use after the 1960's.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=17334 2015-09-28T20:11:28Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Category:Project Management]][[Category:Management]][[Category:Planning Methods]][[Category:Gantt Chart]][[Category:Planning Tool]]<br /> This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, explain the use of a Gantt Chart in practice as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866). Approximately 15 years later, it was also created independently by an American engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861) &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt&quot;&gt; ''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;. It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information that is put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be confusing to create a Gantt Chart through the use of different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed the Gantt Chart should be can be a hard choice. As many programs are available it can be hard to find a program that fits the specific needs one might have. Therefore a list of some usable programs can be found in the end of this article.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chart was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and is today known as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Already from the mid 1920's the Gantt Charts were acknowledged as a production planning tool. &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt charts&quot;&gt; ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Though the Gantt Chart were a popular tool from the beginning, it encountered some problems with the limited handling of information and it was speculated that computers would replace the Gantt Charts. Then in the 1950's and 1960's the Gantt Chart lost its popularity as the large scale production complexity were considered too complex. &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt charts&quot;&gt; ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; Today we have the technological advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen. &lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> Even though this quote is 14 years old, it reminds us that exaggerating something whether if it is new technology or something else, can turn out to be disadvantageous. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another. There are several types of dependencies and Allan Orr &lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; identifies three of them as:<br /> <br /> * '''Finish to Start''' - This means that one activity must be finished before another one can start.<br /> * '''Start to Start''' - This means that the activities has to start at the same time but not necessarily finish at the same time.<br /> * '''Finish to Finish''' - This means that the activities has to finish at the same time but not necessarily start at the same time.<br /> <br /> There are however more types of dependencies. One that is missing from the dependencies that Allan Orr has identified is:<br /> <br /> *'''Start to Finish''' - This means that one activity has to start before another one can finish &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantter&quot;&gt; ''http://www.gantter.com/help/task-dependencies/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In addition to the above mentioned dependencies there is a term known as slack or float&lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Float is the buffer between when an activity can be completed and when it has to be completed. An activity that is on the critical path (see [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]]) has no float. In addition to float there a sub-term called free float which is the amount of time an activity's start date can be postponed before it will delay its successor activity's start date. More on what a successor activity is in the section &quot;The Gantt Chart in practice&quot;.<br /> <br /> An example to show dependencies could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need. Otherwise, buying the light bulb would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed. This means that buying the light bulb and installing the lamp can begin at the same time to save time (Start to Start).<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain percentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One thing to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning.&lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practice==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is crucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore it is needed to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. In Figure 1 and 2 it is hard to see exactly which activities are dependent on one another. However, it is assumed that one activity starts as soon as possible when its predecessor has been completed and that the planning of each activity does not inflict with the different dependencies. One way to help get an overview of the activities can be through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can be seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Microsoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practice to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. As mentioned more details can be put into a Gantt Chart i.e. the way activities are dependent on each other. In order to see the interdependencies of activities in the project, arrows between the activities can be added to visualize which activities are connected. A simple illustration of this can be seen in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> '''Figure 3''' illustrates that an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. A predecessor activity is an activity that needs to be completed before it is possible to start on the next activity (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, buying the lamp is a predecessor to installing the lamp. A successor activity is an activity that cannot start until the current activity has been completed (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, turning on the switch is the successor activity to both installing the lamp '''and''' buying the light bulb. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project (See [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]] for more information on this topic).<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and it is possible to have a overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref name=&quot;Mind&quot;&gt; ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> Because the Gantt Chart visually presents a projects information in regards to what needs to be done at what time, it is practically applicable in almost any situation where an overview of the activities and their time span though it might become quite complex to use for big projects.<br /> <br /> '''A short step-by-step guide on how to create a Gantt Chart'''<br /> * List all the activities that needs to be completed<br /> * Write down the earliest start date for each activity<br /> * Write down the duration of each activity<br /> * Write down if any activities are dependent on other activities to be completed<br /> * Make a column where you list every activity<br /> * Make a column for each day/week/month you think you project will take<br /> * Plot in your activities with horizontal bars with the length of the duration of the activity<br /> * If a task cannot be started before another one is completed, show this by starting the second task when the first is completed.<br /> You can use color coding to &quot;sort&quot; the activities, and connect them with arrows to show the interdependencies.<br /> <br /> <br /> Below video is a guide on how to create a Gantt Chart &lt;ref name=&quot;Mind&quot;&gt; ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;:<br /> {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRNOXVKN9J0&amp;feature=youtu.be}}<br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> As with any other tool the Gantt Chart also has its limitations. Some of these limitations has been identified here.<br /> <br /> * The Gantt Chart requires the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to have been done (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]] for more information on this topic). Before this it makes absolutely no sense to try and create a Gantt Chart because the information regarding which activities that should be put into the Gantt Chart will not be available.<br /> * There is a risk the the Gantt Chart can become complex and be confusing to look at for big projects. If a computer is being used and the Gantt Chart takes up more space than a single screen it can be confusing to get the needed overview of all the activities. <br /> * Costs is not taking into consideration when using the Gantt Chart. Costs is usually what most companies tend to focus on and it is therefore a weakness that the Gantt chart is completely ignorant when it comes to costs.<br /> * The amount of work needed for each activity is not specified. It is just an estimation of the time span. Even though the amount of work needed has been calculated and estimated it is only the time estimation which is presented in the Gantt Chart. <br /> * It does not see the weak links between the different stages in the project. The Gantt Chart can show the links between activities but it has no information in regards to how sensitive these links are.<br /> * The Gantt Chart does not include information about the location of the work that has to be carried out. For information regarding a method that includes the location of the work see [[Location Based Scheduling]] (LBS).<br /> <br /> The biggest limitation of the Gantt Chart though must be that alone the Gantt Chart is nothing more than a blunt tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating a Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> This section covers a list of software that can be used to create a Gantt Chart. There are many more &quot;pay to use&quot; programs than listed here and it is probably possible to find more &quot;free to use&quot; programs at well but the two listed here are the ones who I found to me most trustworthy.<br /> * Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref name=&quot;dream&quot;&gt; ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * GanttProject - Free to use program. There is an instructional video on the webpage. &lt;ref name=&quot;Source&quot;&gt; ''http://sourceforge.net/projects/ganttproject/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> * Microsoft Excel - If you have the Microsoft Office package you will also have excel. <br /> * MindView - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Smartsheet - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Microsoft Project - Very expensive but also very professional tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> If there is need for a tool that can provide an overview of the time span of a number of activities and how they are dependent on one another then the Gantt Chart will be a fine choice. If the project is a small project the Gantt Chart might be one of the best tools that can used. However, if the project is big with many different activities and interrelations between these activities the Gantt Chart might not be the best solution depending on the technology available as it tends to become too complex to get an easy overview. <br /> Before starting on the Gantt Chart it is important that the pre-work like making a project plan (see [[Program evaluation and review technique (PERT)]]), WBS (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]])etc. has been done as the Gantt Chart will not be able to do this and if something is left out the Gantt Chart will not be able to show this. Remember, to make a Gantt Chart is not the first thing to do when starting a project.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> * '''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory''' - This article gives a great overall explanations of the different aspects of the Gantt Chart. It also discusses something about risk mitigation which has not been mentioned in this wiki article.<br /> <br /> * '''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm''' - If you need more information regarding what a Gantt chart is, how to create a Gantt Chart or what software to use both for creating Gantt charts but also for project management in general then this page is a good place to start.<br /> <br /> * '''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on''' - This article talks about project management in general and looks at other ways of managing projects than by the use of a Gantt Chart. The article seems very critical about the Gantt Chart and brings another perspective to the topic. <br /> <br /> * '''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;''' - This paper describe the history of the Gantt Chart from the beginning of the 19th century. It is a very interesting read if you want to know more about the development of the Gantt Chart from then to now. It also provides a view on how Gantt Charts is used now since it regained its use after the 1960's.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Talk:The_Gantt_Chart&diff=17309 2015-09-28T20:04:59Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>Anna: I like your topic idea and that it focuses on a single project management tool. It also seem that you have read and understood the structure requirements.<br /> <br /> ==Feedback from reviewers==<br /> <br /> ===Review 1, Nannats &lt;br&gt;===<br /> Hi s103183 :-)<br /> <br /> * Generally, the whole article is easy to understand, which is nice. But be aware of the language do not become too much ’spoken’ language, and too long sentences. <br /> * I like the example with the light – also easy to understand :-)<br /> * I think it is good that you suggest real tools for creating Gantt Charts. <br /> * You mention The Critical Path Method, which is nice! You could consider to link to the Wiki article about the Critical path method. The same as for the WBS.<br /> * There are some spelling errors - watch out for these :-)<br /> * You should consider the layout of the sentence under figure 1 (''&quot;to the Gantt Chart by using arrows as shown in Figure 3.”''), to make it easier for the reader to read. <br /> * The figure 2 is taking up a lot of space. Maybe you could remove some of the white frame in the figure. <br /> * I was a little confused about figure 3, so it might be an idea to explain what a predecessor activity and a successor activity is.<br /> * I think the video is god, but as your article is a bit short, you could consider writing the guide on how to create a Gantt Chart yourself.<br /> <br /> Keep up the good work :-)<br /> <br /> <br /> ===S113815, Review 2. [2206 words]===<br /> <br /> Dear S 103183. <br /> <br /> <br /> After reviewing your article, I have following comments:<br /> First of all, I think the article is consistently well-written and explains a tool which is very useful in the field of project management. There structure of the article seems to follow the guidelines from the assignment.<br /> <br /> I have made some comments and tried to make some suggestions to make the article even better, they are as followed: <br /> <br /> '''History of the Gantt Chart'''<br /> * … “during World War One and is today known as &quot;the Gant Chart&quot;[2]. “ You miss a t in Gantt. :)<br /> * “&quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;. [6] “ You use a quote from a 14 years old article. Is that quote still relevant?<br /> <br /> '''Basic understanding'''<br /> <br /> * ..” The different activities can be dependent on one another which means that one activity may not begin before another activity has finished. This does not mean that multiple activities can not be worked on at the same time it merely means that some activities might be connected.” I guess that there are other dependencies than the “finish-start”. (https://www.google.dk/search?q=cpm+dependencies&amp;rlz=1C1CHWL_da__638DK638&amp;espv=2&amp;biw=1366&amp;bih=637&amp;source=lnms&amp;tbm=isch&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMIjcCmuKeLyAIVYzJyCh3RFwbl#imgrc=Huejzitp6md9JM%3A) Maybe you should consider explain the different types of dependencies? <br /> * “… can begin after a certain oercentage of its predecessor activity has been completed.” Typing error: percentage, not oercentage. :)<br /> <br /> '''The Gantt Chart in practice'''<br /> * I really like the figures. Nice and descriptive. <br /> * “It is grucial that the duration of each…” .” Typing error: crucial, not grucial. :)<br /> * Comment to figure 1: Where is the dependencies between the different task showed?<br /> * The last line in the explanation of figure 2 has dropped down below Figure 1. I think it would look better if it is placed below the rest of the text. <br /> * Figure 3 is very small compared to the others. Maybe another figure would be better here? <br /> * I think that it would be nice to add a section on how to use the Gantt Chart as control tool to monitor the projects, in terms of progress, stage reporting etc. <br /> <br /> '''Limitations'''<br /> * “It can get very complicated for big projects. Especially if it is on a computer where you have multiple pages of tasks etc. The more information the more bars, connecting lines, color codings etc. has to be put into the Gantt Chart. If you use a computer and the Gantt Chart takes up more space than a single screen it is quite easy to lose the overview thus making the Gantt Chart very hard to decipher”. How do you back this statement up? As far as I know, a lot of professional planners are using Gantt Charts to schedule large projects – also with success? <br /> * Another limitation could be the missing link to the location. The Gantt Chart don’t give an overview of processes and the location they are carried out. This might lead to conflicts. [See location-based scheduling]. <br /> <br /> '''Tools for creating a Gantt Chart'''<br /> * I guess it is hard to make a detailed Gantt Chart schedule in Vison or Excel?<br /> * I think that the most used Gantt Chart program is Microsoft Project (you miss that on your list). All the construction companies I know uses this program. <br /> <br /> '''Conclusion, Annotated Bibliography, References'''<br /> * All these sections looks nice – no comments on them. :)<br /> <br /> '''General to the article'''<br /> * I found a couple of typing errors – I hopefully catch them all.<br /> * I think that your main points are well illustrated with figures. Thus, Figure 3 is a bit small. <br /> * I feel it is possible to add some internal links to other Wiki-articles. For example WBS. This is one of the points the teachers will look into (I guess). <br /> * As you still have 800 words to use, you might consider a longer “Limitations”-part. Or maybe an extra example to strengthen your theory. <br /> * Be careful not to use “spoken language” when you write<br /> <br /> <br /> All in all a very nice article – and good work. :)<br /> <br /> ===s140046 review 3===<br /> <br /> # Great introduction to article<br /> # You could easily add links to internal wiki-articles e.g. on Karol Adamiecki.<br /> # The history section tend to repeat a lot of the introduction.<br /> # Interesting quote by the project director [6] – It would be interesting to dig into that topic in a discussion section?<br /> # The article contains few spelling errors/typos which can easily be corrected<br /> # It would be interesting to know the process for creating a Gantt-chart. You could include Work-breakdown structures, network diagrams, critical path method etc. from the Project manager book.<br /> # There exist several types of interdependencies for tasks. It would be great to describe the different types of dependencies introduced.<br /> #I miss a description of slack/buffer and how it is visualized in the gantt chart.<br /> #I am not sure I follow the red line in the limitations overview. You argue that gantt chart is a blunt tool and describe how it ignore costs. From my perspective it is a visualization tool and has nothing to do with economics? <br /> #Fine with the annotated bibliography with descriptions.<br /> #Note that the reference list does not comply with the wikipedia standard - which is showing small reference numbers.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Replies to the comments from reviewers==<br /> <br /> ===Comments on the feedback from Reviewer 1===<br /> * Thanks for the kind words. I am aware that I use ”spoken language” too much when writing and I have done my best to change it for the final delivery.<br /> * Thank you. I also felt it was a nice touch.<br /> * I felt that since it is an article that other students can look at it could maybe be helpful.<br /> * That is a good idea. I forgot all about that when I wrote it, so thanks a lot for reminding me!<br /> * I thought there might be. I did not get to read and correct the article, and because the English dictionary was not installed I had red lines under every word and I had a hard time finding the errors. Hopefully I have caught them all before the final hand-in.<br /> * You were absolutely right about this. I had a hard time finding the sentence, but I have now changed it to something that the reader will hopefully find easier to read/understand.<br /> * I have tried to cut off some of the white area but for some reason even though I remove it in paint on my computer, safe it as a new picture, and upload it, it still stays the same. I even get a warning that the same picture exists even though I have changed the picture and the file name. So unfortunately this is not an option for me right now.<br /> * Thanks for pointing this out. I have now added a description of what a predecessor and successor activity is by using the activities from the example with the light.<br /> * I would like to keep the video as a lot of people like to see how it is done including myself. If I want to know how to create something in a program etc. I find it very easy if I can find a guide on youtube. I have however added a short step-by-step guide on how to make a Gantt Chart.<br /> <br /> Thanks a lot for your feedback. I found it helpful as you pointed out some errors and areas where I needed to improve. You have indeed helped me in the creation of this article and the help is much appreciated.<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Comments on the feedback from Reviewer 2===<br /> <br /> '''History of the Gantt Chart'''<br /> * Thanks for pointing that out. It has now been corrected<br /> * I see your point regarding this quote. To be honest I had forgotten that 2001 was 14 years ago. However, I do feel that the quote gives an important statement, that the use of new technology might seem very tempting but that exaggerating something can turn out to be disadvantageous. I must admit that I am not sure if it is right to keep it in the article, but I have chosen to keep it in the article with a short comment.<br /> <br /> '''Basic Understanding'''<br /> * You are correct. There are other types of dependencies and thanks a lot for the link! I have added a brief description of the four types of dependencies from your link and made references to where I found them.<br /> * This has now been corrected<br /> <br /> '''Gantt Chart in practice'''<br /> * Thanks.<br /> * This has now been corrected<br /> * The dependencies is not shows in the figure. Not by arrows or something similar, but it is assumed that they would not plan activities so that it would inflict with the different dependencies. The figure is mostly there to show how a basic Gantt Chart might look. I have tried to explain this better in the text.<br /> * I am not sure I follow this. As I see it the text is placed just like the rest of the text so I have not done anything about this comment.<br /> * I made figure 3 small/tiny on purpose. I wanted a simple figure that showed that an activity can have a predecessor and successor activity. I also feel it is in good contrast to the other figures.<br /> * I do not feel that this is too crucial for the report as I am aiming for a simple description of the Gantt Chart. Also, the modifications I have made according to the feedback I have received, means that there is not that many words left for a section I think would require a significant amount of words. <br /> <br /> '''Limitations'''<br /> * I like this comment a lot as I see it as good constructive critique. First I would like to say that I know a lot of people as well like project managers etc. who make use of Gantt Charts. I do feel however that there is a possibility for the Gantt Chart to be confusing to look at when the project is big. I have read this several times when browsing for source material for this article and also experienced it myself. Maybe because I used the wrong programs but nonetheless, I felt that it could be confusing. I have re-written this point in the limitation part and tried to make it sound less definite. <br /> * Firstly I enjoy that this comment suggest me to link to your article ;-) Secondly I agree that this is also a limitation to the Gantt Chart, and I have added it and linked to your article! <br /> <br /> '''Tools for creating a Gantt Chart'''<br /> * I have never tried to make a Gantt Chart in Excel. I must also admit that I have only tried to make a simple Gantt Chart in Visio in a previous project and it was very easy. I do not remember how many features there were for creating a Gantt Chart in Visio but I think you can make it fairly detailed. I am not able to download it again and my old computer has crashed.<br /> * I forgot to add this after listening to the video I have in the article where they also mention it. Thanks for reminding me!<br /> <br /> '''Conclusion, Annotated Bibliography, References'''<br /> * Thanks.<br /> <br /> '''General to the article'''<br /> * I hope I have corrected them all by now. But thanks for notifying me!<br /> * Thanks for the feedback, and I have made a comment about Figure 3 somewhere in the above text.<br /> * I was planning on doing this but yes, thanks for reminding me and I have added some links to other wiki-articles.<br /> * I do not have as many words left to use, but I have it in mind and will see when I am done modifying my article according to the feedback I have received. Unfortunately I do not have to time to add this but fortunately the article is a bit longer after considering the feedback from the reviews.<br /> * I know I do it a lot but it is somehow hard for me to catch. Hopefully it will be mostly/all gone for the final hand-in.<br /> <br /> Thanks a lot for your feedback. I found it very constructive and you had some good points. I also liked that you came with suggestions and a link to help me improving my article. I wish you the best with your own.<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Comments on the feedback from Reviewer 3===<br /> * Thank you.<br /> * I have added links to other wiki articles but not for Karol Adamiecki<br /> * I can see that some of the text repeats itself but as I have changed a bit here and there I do not feel that it is necessary to re-write it. Thanks for the comment though :-)<br /> * I found it interesting as well. However I do not see the need for discussing this statement as it is meant as an interesting quote to make people think about it but nothing more than that. I have however added a few words about the quote.<br /> * I hope I have caught them all.<br /> * I have written a short step-by-step guide to make a Gantt Chart. You mention that I could include WBS, CPM etc. but I feel that this would be a bit too much as other students are making articles about these specific topics. I have instead added a link to the wiki articles.<br /> * I have added a short description of the different types of dependencies as the other reviewers also pointed this out.<br /> * I have added a brief description of this in the section ”Basic understanding”.<br /> * I do not see how a ”red line” in the limitation section is needed. Yes my last sentence is that the Gantt Chart is a blunt tool. Yes I also mention that a Gantt chart ignores costs which i find to be true as you have no information what so ever regarding costs in a Gantt Chart. I agree with you that the Gantt Chart is a visualization tool but it sounds like you miss understand what I mean with ”a blunt tool”. It is merely an expression meaning that if you have not planned your activities or done any preparation work before you make a Gantt Chart, the Gantt Chat will be useless. There needs to be a certain amount of imformation ready, thus you need to have done a lot of planning before making a Gantt Chart. You also say that it has nothing to do with economics which is exactly why I have put costs in as a limitation since a Gantt Chart does not cover this aspect.<br /> * Thanks a lot for mentioning this as i was not aware of it. It has now been corrected.<br /> <br /> Thanks a lot for your feedback as it has made me think about how to improve my article. I have tried to improve it based on your feedback and I hope you will do great with your own article.</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=17300 2015-09-28T20:03:04Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, explain the use of a Gantt Chart in practice as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866). Approximately 15 years later, it was also created independently by an American engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861) &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt&quot;&gt; ''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;. It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information that is put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be confusing to create a Gantt Chart through the use of different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed the Gantt Chart should be can be a hard choice. As many programs are available it can be hard to find a program that fits the specific needs one might have. Therefore a list of some usable programs can be found in the end of this article.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chart was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and is today known as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Already from the mid 1920's the Gantt Charts were acknowledged as a production planning tool. &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt charts&quot;&gt; ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Though the Gantt Chart were a popular tool from the beginning, it encountered some problems with the limited handling of information and it was speculated that computers would replace the Gantt Charts. Then in the 1950's and 1960's the Gantt Chart lost its popularity as the large scale production complexity were considered too complex. &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt charts&quot;&gt; ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; Today we have the technological advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen. &lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> Even though this quote is 14 years old, it reminds us that exaggerating something whether if it is new technology or something else, can turn out to be disadvantageous. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another. There are several types of dependencies and Allan Orr &lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; identifies three of them as:<br /> <br /> * '''Finish to Start''' - This means that one activity must be finished before another one can start.<br /> * '''Start to Start''' - This means that the activities has to start at the same time but not necessarily finish at the same time.<br /> * '''Finish to Finish''' - This means that the activities has to finish at the same time but not necessarily start at the same time.<br /> <br /> There are however more types of dependencies. One that is missing from the dependencies that Allan Orr has identified is:<br /> <br /> *'''Start to Finish''' - This means that one activity has to start before another one can finish &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantter&quot;&gt; ''http://www.gantter.com/help/task-dependencies/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In addition to the above mentioned dependencies there is a term known as slack or float&lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Float is the buffer between when an activity can be completed and when it has to be completed. An activity that is on the critical path (see [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]]) has no float. In addition to float there a sub-term called free float which is the amount of time an activity's start date can be postponed before it will delay its successor activity's start date. More on what a successor activity is in the section &quot;The Gantt Chart in practice&quot;.<br /> <br /> An example to show dependencies could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need. Otherwise, buying the light bulb would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed. This means that buying the light bulb and installing the lamp can begin at the same time to save time (Start to Start).<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain percentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One thing to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning.&lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practice==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is crucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore it is needed to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. In Figure 1 and 2 it is hard to see exactly which activities are dependent on one another. However, it is assumed that one activity starts as soon as possible when its predecessor has been completed and that the planning of each activity does not inflict with the different dependencies. One way to help get an overview of the activities can be through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can be seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Microsoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practice to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. As mentioned more details can be put into a Gantt Chart i.e. the way activities are dependent on each other. In order to see the interdependencies of activities in the project, arrows between the activities can be added to visualize which activities are connected. A simple illustration of this can be seen in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> '''Figure 3''' illustrates that an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. A predecessor activity is an activity that needs to be completed before it is possible to start on the next activity (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, buying the lamp is a predecessor to installing the lamp. A successor activity is an activity that cannot start until the current activity has been completed (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, turning on the switch is the successor activity to both installing the lamp '''and''' buying the light bulb. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project (See [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]] for more information on this topic).<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and it is possible to have a overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref name=&quot;Mind&quot;&gt; ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> Because the Gantt Chart visually presents a projects information in regards to what needs to be done at what time, it is practically applicable in almost any situation where an overview of the activities and their time span though it might become quite complex to use for big projects.<br /> <br /> '''A short step-by-step guide on how to create a Gantt Chart'''<br /> * List all the activities that needs to be completed<br /> * Write down the earliest start date for each activity<br /> * Write down the duration of each activity<br /> * Write down if any activities are dependent on other activities to be completed<br /> * Make a column where you list every activity<br /> * Make a column for each day/week/month you think you project will take<br /> * Plot in your activities with horizontal bars with the length of the duration of the activity<br /> * If a task cannot be started before another one is completed, show this by starting the second task when the first is completed.<br /> You can use color coding to &quot;sort&quot; the activities, and connect them with arrows to show the interdependencies.<br /> <br /> <br /> Below video is a guide on how to create a Gantt Chart &lt;ref name=&quot;Mind&quot;&gt; ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;:<br /> {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRNOXVKN9J0&amp;feature=youtu.be}}<br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> As with any other tool the Gantt Chart also has its limitations. Some of these limitations has been identified here.<br /> <br /> * The Gantt Chart requires the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to have been done (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]] for more information on this topic). Before this it makes absolutely no sense to try and create a Gantt Chart because the information regarding which activities that should be put into the Gantt Chart will not be available.<br /> * There is a risk the the Gantt Chart can become complex and be confusing to look at for big projects. If a computer is being used and the Gantt Chart takes up more space than a single screen it can be confusing to get the needed overview of all the activities. <br /> * Costs is not taking into consideration when using the Gantt Chart. Costs is usually what most companies tend to focus on and it is therefore a weakness that the Gantt chart is completely ignorant when it comes to costs.<br /> * The amount of work needed for each activity is not specified. It is just an estimation of the time span. Even though the amount of work needed has been calculated and estimated it is only the time estimation which is presented in the Gantt Chart. <br /> * It does not see the weak links between the different stages in the project. The Gantt Chart can show the links between activities but it has no information in regards to how sensitive these links are.<br /> * The Gantt Chart does not include information about the location of the work that has to be carried out. For information regarding a method that includes the location of the work see [[Location Based Scheduling]] (LBS).<br /> <br /> The biggest limitation of the Gantt Chart though must be that alone the Gantt Chart is nothing more than a blunt tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating a Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> This section covers a list of software that can be used to create a Gantt Chart. There are many more &quot;pay to use&quot; programs than listed here and it is probably possible to find more &quot;free to use&quot; programs at well but the two listed here are the ones who I found to me most trustworthy.<br /> * Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref name=&quot;dream&quot;&gt; ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * GanttProject - Free to use program. There is an instructional video on the webpage. &lt;ref name=&quot;Source&quot;&gt; ''http://sourceforge.net/projects/ganttproject/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> * Microsoft Excel - If you have the Microsoft Office package you will also have excel. <br /> * MindView - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Smartsheet - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Microsoft Project - Very expensive but also very professional tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> If there is need for a tool that can provide an overview of the time span of a number of activities and how they are dependent on one another then the Gantt Chart will be a fine choice. If the project is a small project the Gantt Chart might be one of the best tools that can used. However, if the project is big with many different activities and interrelations between these activities the Gantt Chart might not be the best solution depending on the technology available as it tends to become too complex to get an easy overview. <br /> Before starting on the Gantt Chart it is important that the pre-work like making a project plan (see [[Program evaluation and review technique (PERT)]]), WBS (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]])etc. has been done as the Gantt Chart will not be able to do this and if something is left out the Gantt Chart will not be able to show this. Remember, to make a Gantt Chart is not the first thing to do when starting a project.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> * '''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory''' - This article gives a great overall explanations of the different aspects of the Gantt Chart. It also discusses something about risk mitigation which has not been mentioned in this wiki article.<br /> <br /> * '''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm''' - If you need more information regarding what a Gantt chart is, how to create a Gantt Chart or what software to use both for creating Gantt charts but also for project management in general then this page is a good place to start.<br /> <br /> * '''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on''' - This article talks about project management in general and looks at other ways of managing projects than by the use of a Gantt Chart. The article seems very critical about the Gantt Chart and brings another perspective to the topic. <br /> <br /> * '''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;''' - This paper describe the history of the Gantt Chart from the beginning of the 19th century. It is a very interesting read if you want to know more about the development of the Gantt Chart from then to now. It also provides a view on how Gantt Charts is used now since it regained its use after the 1960's.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Talk:The_Gantt_Chart&diff=15788 2015-09-27T18:49:18Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>Anna: I like your topic idea and that it focuses on a single project management tool. It also seem that you have read and understood the structure requirements.<br /> <br /> ==Feedback from reviewers==<br /> <br /> ===Review 1, Nannats &lt;br&gt;===<br /> Hi s103183 :-)<br /> <br /> * Generally, the whole article is easy to understand, which is nice. But be aware of the language do not become too much ’spoken’ language, and too long sentences. <br /> * I like the example with the light – also easy to understand :-)<br /> * I think it is good that you suggest real tools for creating Gantt Charts. <br /> * You mention The Critical Path Method, which is nice! You could consider to link to the Wiki article about the Critical path method. The same as for the WBS.<br /> * There are some spelling errors - watch out for these :-)<br /> * You should consider the layout of the sentence under figure 1 (''&quot;to the Gantt Chart by using arrows as shown in Figure 3.”''), to make it easier for the reader to read. <br /> * The figure 2 is taking up a lot of space. Maybe you could remove some of the white frame in the figure. <br /> * I was a little confused about figure 3, so it might be an idea to explain what a predecessor activity and a successor activity is.<br /> * I think the video is god, but as your article is a bit short, you could consider writing the guide on how to create a Gantt Chart yourself.<br /> <br /> Keep up the good work :-)<br /> <br /> <br /> ===S113815, Review 2. [2206 words]===<br /> <br /> Dear S 103183. <br /> <br /> <br /> After reviewing your article, I have following comments:<br /> First of all, I think the article is consistently well-written and explains a tool which is very useful in the field of project management. There structure of the article seems to follow the guidelines from the assignment.<br /> <br /> I have made some comments and tried to make some suggestions to make the article even better, they are as followed: <br /> <br /> '''History of the Gantt Chart'''<br /> * … “during World War One and is today known as &quot;the Gant Chart&quot;[2]. “ You miss a t in Gantt. :)<br /> * “&quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;. [6] “ You use a quote from a 14 years old article. Is that quote still relevant?<br /> <br /> '''Basic understanding'''<br /> <br /> * ..” The different activities can be dependent on one another which means that one activity may not begin before another activity has finished. This does not mean that multiple activities can not be worked on at the same time it merely means that some activities might be connected.” I guess that there are other dependencies than the “finish-start”. (https://www.google.dk/search?q=cpm+dependencies&amp;rlz=1C1CHWL_da__638DK638&amp;espv=2&amp;biw=1366&amp;bih=637&amp;source=lnms&amp;tbm=isch&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMIjcCmuKeLyAIVYzJyCh3RFwbl#imgrc=Huejzitp6md9JM%3A) Maybe you should consider explain the different types of dependencies? <br /> * “… can begin after a certain oercentage of its predecessor activity has been completed.” Typing error: percentage, not oercentage. :)<br /> <br /> '''The Gantt Chart in practice'''<br /> * I really like the figures. Nice and descriptive. <br /> * “It is grucial that the duration of each…” .” Typing error: crucial, not grucial. :)<br /> * Comment to figure 1: Where is the dependencies between the different task showed?<br /> * The last line in the explanation of figure 2 has dropped down below Figure 1. I think it would look better if it is placed below the rest of the text. <br /> * Figure 3 is very small compared to the others. Maybe another figure would be better here? <br /> * I think that it would be nice to add a section on how to use the Gantt Chart as control tool to monitor the projects, in terms of progress, stage reporting etc. <br /> <br /> '''Limitations'''<br /> * “It can get very complicated for big projects. Especially if it is on a computer where you have multiple pages of tasks etc. The more information the more bars, connecting lines, color codings etc. has to be put into the Gantt Chart. If you use a computer and the Gantt Chart takes up more space than a single screen it is quite easy to lose the overview thus making the Gantt Chart very hard to decipher”. How do you back this statement up? As far as I know, a lot of professional planners are using Gantt Charts to schedule large projects – also with success? <br /> * Another limitation could be the missing link to the location. The Gantt Chart don’t give an overview of processes and the location they are carried out. This might lead to conflicts. [See location-based scheduling]. <br /> <br /> '''Tools for creating a Gantt Chart'''<br /> * I guess it is hard to make a detailed Gantt Chart schedule in Vison or Excel?<br /> * I think that the most used Gantt Chart program is Microsoft Project (you miss that on your list). All the construction companies I know uses this program. <br /> <br /> '''Conclusion, Annotated Bibliography, References'''<br /> * All these sections looks nice – no comments on them. :)<br /> <br /> '''General to the article'''<br /> * I found a couple of typing errors – I hopefully catch them all.<br /> * I think that your main points are well illustrated with figures. Thus, Figure 3 is a bit small. <br /> * I feel it is possible to add some internal links to other Wiki-articles. For example WBS. This is one of the points the teachers will look into (I guess). <br /> * As you still have 800 words to use, you might consider a longer “Limitations”-part. Or maybe an extra example to strengthen your theory. <br /> * Be careful not to use “spoken language” when you write<br /> <br /> <br /> All in all a very nice article – and good work. :)<br /> <br /> ===s140046 review 3===<br /> <br /> # Great introduction to article<br /> # You could easily add links to internal wiki-articles e.g. on Karol Adamiecki.<br /> # The history section tend to repeat a lot of the introduction.<br /> # Interesting quote by the project director [6] – It would be interesting to dig into that topic in a discussion section?<br /> # The article contains few spelling errors/typos which can easily be corrected<br /> # It would be interesting to know the process for creating a Gantt-chart. You could include Work-breakdown structures, network diagrams, critical path method etc. from the Project manager book.<br /> # There exist several types of interdependencies for tasks. It would be great to describe the different types of dependencies introduced.<br /> #I miss a description of slack/buffer and how it is visualized in the gantt chart.<br /> #I am not sure I follow the red line in the limitations overview. You argue that gantt chart is a blunt tool and describe how it ignore costs. From my perspective it is a visualization tool and has nothing to do with economics? <br /> #Fine with the annotated bibliography with descriptions.<br /> #Note that the reference list does not comply with the wikipedia standard - which is showing small reference numbers.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Replies to the comments from reviewers==<br /> <br /> ===Comments on the feedback from Reviewer 1:===<br /> * Thanks for the kind words. I am aware that I use ”spoken language” too much when writing and I have done my best to change it for the final delivery.<br /> * Thank you. I also felt it was a nice touch.<br /> * I felt that since it is an article that other students can look at it could maybe be helpful.<br /> * That is a good idea. I forgot all about that when I wrote it, so thanks a lot for reminding me!<br /> * I thought there might be. I did not get to read and correct the article, and because the English dictionary was not installed I had red lines under every word and I had a hard time finding the errors. Hopefully I have caught them all before the final hand-in.<br /> * You were absolutely right about this. I had a hard time finding the sentence, but I have now changed it to something that the reader will hopefully find easier to read/understand.<br /> * I have tried to cut off some of the white area but for some reason even though I remove it in paint on my computer, safe it as a new picture, and upload it, it still stays the same. I even get a warning that the same picture exists even though I have changed the picture and the file name. So unfortunately this is not an option for me right now.<br /> * Thanks for pointing this out. I have now added a description of what a predecessor and successor activity is by using the activities from the example with the light.<br /> * I would like to keep the video as a lot of people like to see how it is done including myself. If I want to know how to create something in a program etc. I find it very easy if I can find a guide on youtube. I have however added a short step-by-step guide on how to make a Gantt Chart.<br /> <br /> Thanks a lot for your feedback. I found it helpful as you pointed out some errors and areas where I needed to improve. You have indeed helped me in the creation of this article and the help is much appreciated.<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Comments on the feedback from Reviewer 2:===<br /> <br /> '''History of the Gantt Chart'''<br /> * Thanks for pointing that out. It has now been corrected<br /> * I see your point regarding this quote. To be honest I had forgotten that 2001 was 14 years ago. However, I do feel that the quote gives an important statement, that the use of new technology might seem very tempting but that exaggerating something can turn out to be disadvantageous. I must admit that I am not sure if it is right to keep it in the article, but I have chosen to keep it in the article with a short comment.<br /> <br /> '''Basic Understanding'''<br /> * You are correct. There are other types of dependencies and thanks a lot for the link! I have added a brief description of the four types of dependencies from your link and made references to where I found them.<br /> * This has now been corrected<br /> <br /> '''Gantt Chart in practice'''<br /> * Thanks.<br /> * This has now been corrected<br /> * The dependencies is not shows in the figure. Not by arrows or something similar, but it is assumed that they would not plan activities so that it would inflict with the different dependencies. The figure is mostly there to show how a basic Gantt Chart might look. I have tried to explain this better in the text.<br /> * I am not sure I follow this. As I see it the text is placed just like the rest of the text so I have not done anything about this comment.<br /> * I made figure 3 small/tiny on purpose. I wanted a simple figure that showed that an activity can have a predecessor and successor activity. I also feel it is in good contrast to the other figures.<br /> * I do not feel that this is too crucial for the report as I am aiming for a simple description of the Gantt Chart. Also, the modifications I have made according to the feedback I have received, means that there is not that many words left for a section I think would require a significant amount of words. <br /> <br /> '''Limitations'''<br /> * I like this comment a lot as I see it as good constructive critique. First I would like to say that I know a lot of people as well like project managers etc. who make use of Gantt Charts. I do feel however that there is a possibility for the Gantt Chart to be confusing to look at when the project is big. I have read this several times when browsing for source material for this article and also experienced it myself. Maybe because I used the wrong programs but nonetheless, I felt that it could be confusing. I have re-written this point in the limitation part and tried to make it sound less definite. <br /> * Firstly I enjoy that this comment suggest me to link to your article ;-) Secondly I agree that this is also a limitation to the Gantt Chart, and I have added it and linked to your article! <br /> <br /> '''Tools for creating a Gantt Chart'''<br /> * I have never tried to make a Gantt Chart in Excel. I must also admit that I have only tried to make a simple Gantt Chart in Visio in a previous project and it was very easy. I do not remember how many features there were for creating a Gantt Chart in Visio but I think you can make it fairly detailed. I am not able to download it again and my old computer has crashed.<br /> * I forgot to add this after listening to the video I have in the article where they also mention it. Thanks for reminding me!<br /> <br /> '''Conclusion, Annotated Bibliography, References'''<br /> * Thanks.<br /> <br /> '''General to the article'''<br /> * I hope I have corrected them all by now. But thanks for notifying me!<br /> * Thanks for the feedback, and I have made a comment about Figure 3 somewhere in the above text.<br /> * I was planning on doing this but yes, thanks for reminding me and I have added some links to other wiki-articles.<br /> * I do not have as many words left to use, but I have it in mind and will see when I am done modifying my article according to the feedback I have received. Unfortunately I do not have to time to add this but fortunately the article is a bit longer after considering the feedback from the reviews.<br /> * I know I do it a lot but it is somehow hard for me to catch. Hopefully it will be mostly/all gone for the final hand-in.<br /> <br /> Thanks a lot for your feedback. I found it very constructive and you had some good points. I also liked that you came with suggestions and a link to help me improving my article. I wish you the best with your own.<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Comments on the feedback from Reviewer 3:===<br /> * Thank you.<br /> * I have added links to other wiki articles but not for Karol Adamiecki<br /> * I can see that some of the text repeats itself but as I have changed a bit here and there I do not feel that it is necessary to re-write it. Thanks for the comment though :-)<br /> * I found it interesting as well. However I do not see the need for discussing this statement as it is meant as an interesting quote to make people think about it but nothing more than that. I have however added a few words about the quote.<br /> * I hope I have caught them all.<br /> * I have written a short step-by-step guide to make a Gantt Chart. You mention that I could include WBS, CPM etc. but I feel that this would be a bit too much as other students are making articles about these specific topics. I have instead added a link to the wiki articles.<br /> * I have added a short description of the different types of dependencies as the other reviewers also pointed this out.<br /> * I have added a brief description of this in the section ”Basic understanding”.<br /> * I do not see how a ”red line” in the limitation section is needed. Yes my last sentence is that the Gantt Chart is a blunt tool. Yes I also mention that a Gantt chart ignores costs which i find to be true as you have no information what so ever regarding costs in a Gantt Chart. I agree with you that the Gantt Chart is a visualization tool but it sounds like you miss understand what I mean with ”a blunt tool”. It is merely an expression meaning that if you have not planned your activities or done any preparation work before you make a Gantt Chart, the Gantt Chat will be useless. There needs to be a certain amount of imformation ready, thus you need to have done a lot of planning before making a Gantt Chart. You also say that it has nothing to do with economics which is exactly why I have put costs in as a limitation since a Gantt Chart does not cover this aspect.<br /> * Thanks a lot for mentioning this as i was not aware of it. It has now been corrected.<br /> <br /> Thanks a lot for your feedback as it has made me think about how to improve my article. I have tried to improve it based on your feedback and I hope you will do great with your own article.</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=15753 2015-09-27T18:33:38Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, providing a simple example of the use of a Gantt Chart as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866). Approximately 15 years later, it was also created independently by an American engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861) &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt&quot;&gt; ''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;. It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information that is put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be confusing to create a Gantt Chart through the use of different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed the Gantt Chart should be can be a hard choice. It is also important to remember that <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chart was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and is today known as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Already from the mid 1920's the Gantt Charts were acknowledged as a production planning tool. &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt charts&quot;&gt; ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Though the Gantt Chart were a popular tool from the beginning, it encountered some problems with the limited handling of information and it was speculated that computers would replace the Gantt Charts. Then in the 1950's and 1960's the Gantt Chart lost its popularity as the large scale production complexity were considered too complex. &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt charts&quot;&gt; ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; Today we have the technological advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen. &lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> Even though this quote is 14 years old, it reminds us that exaggerating something whether if it is new technology or something else, can turn out to be disadvantageous. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another. There are several types of dependencies and Allan Orr &lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; identifies three of them as:<br /> <br /> * '''Finish to Start''' - This means that one activity must be finished before another one can start.<br /> * '''Start to Start''' - This means that the activities has to start at the same time but not necessarily finish at the same time.<br /> * '''Finish to Finish''' - This means that the activities has to finish at the same time but not necessarily start at the same time.<br /> <br /> There are however more types of dependencies. One that is missing from the dependencies that Allan Orr has identified is:<br /> <br /> *'''Start to Finish''' - This means that one activity has to start before another one can finish &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantter&quot;&gt; ''http://www.gantter.com/help/task-dependencies/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In addition to the above mentioned dependencies there is a term known as slack or float&lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Float is the buffer between when an activity can be completed and when it has to be completed. An activity that is on the critical path (see [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]]) has no float. In addition to float there a sub-term called free float which is the amount of time an activity's start date can be postponed before it will delay its successor activity's start date. More on what a successor activity is in the section &quot;The Gantt Chart in practice&quot;.<br /> <br /> An example to show dependencies could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need. Otherwise, buying the light bulb would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed. This means that buying the light bulb and installing the lamp can begin at the same time to save time (Start to Start).<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain percentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One thing to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning.&lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practice==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is crucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore it is needed to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. In Figure 1 and 2 it is hard to see exactly which activities are dependent on one another. However, it is assumed that one activity starts as soon as possible when its predecessor has been completed and that the planning of each activity does not inflict with the different dependencies. One way to help get an overview of the activities can be through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can be seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Microsoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practice to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. As mentioned more details can be put into a Gantt Chart i.e. the way activities are dependent on each other. In order to see the interdependencies of activities in the project, arrows between the activities can be added to visualize which activities are connected. A simple illustration of this can be seen in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> '''Figure 3''' illustrates that an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. A predecessor activity is an activity that needs to be completed before it is possible to start on the next activity (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, buying the lamp is a predecessor to installing the lamp. A successor activity is an activity that cannot start until the current activity has been completed (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, turning on the switch is the successor activity to both installing the lamp '''and''' buying the light bulb. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project (See [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]] for more information on this topic).<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and it is possible to have a overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref name=&quot;Mind&quot;&gt; ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> Because the Gantt Chart visually presents a projects information in regards to what needs to be done at what time, it is practically applicable in almost any situation where an overview of the activities and their time span though it might become quite complex to use for big projects.<br /> <br /> '''A short step-by-step guide on how to create a Gantt Chart'''<br /> * List all the activities that needs to be completed<br /> * Write down the earliest start date for each activity<br /> * Write down the duration of each activity<br /> * Write down if any activities are dependent on other activities to be completed<br /> * Make a column where you list every activity<br /> * Make a column for each day/week/month you think you project will take<br /> * Plot in your activities with horizontal bars with the length of the duration of the activity<br /> * If a task cannot be started before another one is completed, show this by starting the second task when the first is completed.<br /> You can use color coding to &quot;sort&quot; the activities, and connect them with arrows to show the interdependencies.<br /> <br /> <br /> Below video is a guide on how to create a Gantt Chart &lt;ref name=&quot;Mind&quot;&gt; ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;:<br /> {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRNOXVKN9J0&amp;feature=youtu.be}}<br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> As with any other tool the Gantt Chart also has its limitations. Some of these limitations has been identified here.<br /> <br /> * The Gantt Chart requires the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to have been done (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]] for more information on this topic). Before this it makes absolutely no sense to try and create a Gantt Chart because the information regarding which activities that should be put into the Gantt Chart will not be available.<br /> * There is a risk the the Gantt Chart can become complex and be confusing to look at for big projects. If a computer is being used and the Gantt Chart takes up more space than a single screen it can be confusing to get the needed overview of all the activities. <br /> * Costs is not taking into consideration when using the Gantt Chart. Costs is usually what most companies tend to focus on and it is therefore a weakness that the Gantt chart is completely ignorant when it comes to costs.<br /> * The amount of work needed for each activity is not specified. It is just an estimation of the time span. Even though the amount of work needed has been calculated and estimated it is only the time estimation which is presented in the Gantt Chart. <br /> * It does not see the weak links between the different stages in the project. The Gantt Chart can show the links between activities but it has no information in regards to how sensitive these links are.<br /> * The Gantt Chart does not include information about the location of the work that has to be carried out. For information regarding a method that includes the location of the work see [[Location Based Scheduling]] (LBS).<br /> <br /> The biggest limitation of the Gantt Chart though must be that alone the Gantt Chart is nothing more than a blunt tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating a Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> This section covers a list of software that can be used to create a Gantt Chart. There are many more &quot;pay to use&quot; programs than listed here and it is probably possible to find more &quot;free to use&quot; programs at well but the two listed here are the ones who I found to me most trustworthy.<br /> * Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref name=&quot;dream&quot;&gt; ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * GanttProject - Free to use program. There is an instructional video on the webpage. &lt;ref name=&quot;Source&quot;&gt; ''http://sourceforge.net/projects/ganttproject/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> * Microsoft Excel - If you have the Microsoft Office package you will also have excel. <br /> * MindView - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Smartsheet - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Microsoft Project - Very expensive but also very professional tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> If there is need for a tool that can provide an overview of the time span of a number of activities and how they are dependent on one another then the Gantt Chart will be a fine choice. If the project is a small project the Gantt Chart might be one of the best tools that can used. However, if the project is big with many different activities and interrelations between these activities the Gantt Chart might not be the best solution depending on the technology available as it tends to become too complex to get an easy overview. <br /> Before starting on the Gantt Chart it is important that the pre-work like making a project plan (see [[Program evaluation and review technique (PERT)]]), WBS (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]])etc. has been done as the Gantt Chart will not be able to do this and if something is left out the Gantt Chart will not be able to show this. Remember, to make a Gantt Chart is not the first thing to do when starting a project.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> * '''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory''' - This article gives a great overall explanations of the different aspects of the Gantt Chart. It also discusses something about risk mitigation which has not been mentioned in this wiki article.<br /> <br /> * '''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm''' - If you need more information regarding what a Gantt chart is, how to create a Gantt Chart or what software to use both for creating Gantt charts but also for project management in general then this page is a good place to start.<br /> <br /> * '''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on''' - This article talks about project management in general and looks at other ways of managing projects than by the use of a Gantt Chart. The article seems very critical about the Gantt Chart and brings another perspective to the topic. <br /> <br /> * '''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;''' - This paper describe the history of the Gantt Chart from the beginning of the 19th century. It is a very interesting read if you want to know more about the development of the Gantt Chart from then to now. It also provides a view on how Gantt Charts is used now since it regained its use after the 1960's.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=15702 2015-09-27T18:14:43Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, providing a simple example of the use of a Gantt Chart as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866). Approximately 15 years later, it was also created independently by an American engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861) &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt&quot;&gt; ''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;. It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information that is put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be confusing to create a Gantt Chart through the use of different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed the Gantt Chart should be can be a hard choice. It is also important to remember that <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chart was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and is today known as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Already from the mid 1920's the Gantt Charts were acknowledged as a production planning tool. &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt charts&quot;&gt; ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Though the Gantt Chart were a popular tool from the beginning, it encountered some problems with the limited handling of information and it was speculated that computers would replace the Gantt Charts. Then in the 1950's and 1960's the Gantt Chart lost its popularity as the large scale production complexity were considered too complex. &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt charts&quot;&gt; ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; Today we have the technological advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen. &lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> Even though this quote is 14 years old, it reminds us that exaggerating something whether if it is new technology or something else, can turn out to be disadvantageous. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another. There are several types of dependencies and Allan Orr &lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; identifies three of them as:<br /> <br /> * '''Finish to Start''' - This means that one activity must be finished before another one can start.<br /> * '''Start to Start''' - This means that the activities has to start at the same time but not necessarily finish at the same time.<br /> * '''Finish to Finish''' - This means that the activities has to finish at the same time but not necessarily start at the same time.<br /> <br /> There are however more types of dependencies. One that is missing from the dependencies that Allan Orr has identified is:<br /> <br /> *'''Start to Finish''' - This means that one activity has to start before another one can finish &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantter&quot;&gt; ''http://www.gantter.com/help/task-dependencies/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In addition to the above mentioned dependencies there is a term known as slack or float&lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Float is the buffer between when an activity can be completed and when it has to be completed. An activity that is on the critical path (see [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]]) has no float. In addition to float there a sub-term called free float which is the amount of time an activity's start date can be postponed before it will delay its successor activity's start date. More on what a successor activity is in the section &quot;The Gantt Chart in practice&quot;.<br /> <br /> An example to show dependencies could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need. Otherwise, buying the light bulb would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed. This means that buying the light bulb and installing the lamp can begin at the same time to save time (Start to Start).<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain percentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One thing to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning.&lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practice==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is crucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore it is needed to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. In Figure 1 and 2 it is hard to see exactly which activities are dependent on one another. However, it is assumed that one activity starts as soon as possible when its predecessor has been completed and that the planning of each activity does not inflict with the different dependencies. One way to help get an overview of the activities is through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can be seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Microsoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practice to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. As mentioned more details can be put into a Gantt Chart i.e. the way activities are dependent on each other. In order to see the interdependencies of activities in the project, arrows between the activities can be added to visualize which activities are connected. A simple illustration of this can be seen in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> '''Figure 3''' illustrates that an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. A predecessor activity is an activity that needs to be completed before it is possible to start on the next activity (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, buying the lamp is a predecessor to installing the lamp. A successor activity is an activity that cannot start until the current activity has been completed (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, turning on the switch is the successor activity to both installing the lamp '''and''' buying the light bulb. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project (See [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]] for more information on this topic).<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and it is possible to have a overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref name=&quot;Mind&quot;&gt; ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> Because the Gantt Chart visually presents a projects information in regards to what needs to be done at what time, it is practically applicable in almost any situation where an overview of the activities and their time span though it might become quite complex to use for big projects.<br /> <br /> '''A short step-by-step guide on how to create a Gantt Chart'''<br /> * List all the activities that needs to be completed<br /> * Write down the earliest start date for each activity<br /> * Write down the duration of each activity<br /> * Write down if any activities are dependent on other activities to be completed<br /> * Make a column where you list every activity<br /> * Make a column for each day/week/month you think you project will take<br /> * Plot in your activities with horizontal bars with the length of the duration of the activity<br /> * If a task cannot be started before another one is completed, show this by starting the second task when the first is completed.<br /> You can use color coding to &quot;sort&quot; the activities, and connect them with arrows to show the interdependencies.<br /> <br /> <br /> Below video is a guide on how to create a Gantt Chart &lt;ref name=&quot;Mind&quot;&gt; ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;:<br /> {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRNOXVKN9J0&amp;feature=youtu.be}}<br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> As with any other tool the Gantt Chart also has its limitations. Some of these limitations has been identified here.<br /> <br /> * The Gantt Chart requires the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to have been done (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]] for more information on this topic). Before this it makes absolutely no sense to try and create a Gantt Chart because the information regarding which activities that should be put into the Gantt Chart will not be available.<br /> * There is a risk the the Gantt Chart can become complex and be confusing to look at for big projects. If a computer is being used and the Gantt Chart takes up more space than a single screen it can be confusing to get the needed overview of all the activities. <br /> * Costs is not taking into consideration when using the Gantt Chart. Costs is usually what most companies tend to focus on and it is therefore a weakness that the Gantt chart is completely ignorant when it comes to costs.<br /> * The amount of work needed for each activity is not specified. It is just an estimation of the time span. Even though the amount of work needed has been calculated and estimated it is only the time estimation which is presented in the Gantt Chart. <br /> * It does not see the weak links between the different stages in the project. The Gantt Chart can show the links between activities but it has no information in regards to how sensitive these links are.<br /> * The Gantt Chart does not include information about the location of the work that has to be carried out. For information regarding a method that includes the location of the work see [[Location Based Scheduling]] (LBS).<br /> <br /> The biggest limitation of the Gantt Chart though must be that alone the Gantt Chart is nothing more than a blunt tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating a Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> This section covers a list of software that can be used to create a Gantt Chart. There are many more &quot;pay to use&quot; programs than listed here and it is probably possible to find more &quot;free to use&quot; programs at well but the two listed here are the ones who I found to me most trustworthy.<br /> * Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref name=&quot;dream&quot;&gt; ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * GanttProject - Free to use program. There is an instructional video on the webpage. &lt;ref name=&quot;Source&quot;&gt; ''http://sourceforge.net/projects/ganttproject/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> * Microsoft Excel - If you have the Microsoft Office package you will also have excel. <br /> * MindView - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Smartsheet - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Microsoft Project - Very expensive but also very professional tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> If there is need for a tool that can provide an overview of the time span of a number of activities and how they are dependent on one another then the Gantt Chart will be a fine choice. If the project is a small project the Gantt Chart might be one of the best tools that can used. However, if the project is big with many different activities and interrelations between these activities the Gantt Chart might not be the best solution depending on the technology available as it tends to become too complex to get an easy overview. <br /> Before starting on the Gantt Chart it is important that the pre-work like making a project plan (see [[Program evaluation and review technique (PERT)]]), WBS (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]])etc. has been done as the Gantt Chart will not be able to do this and if something is left out the Gantt Chart will not be able to show this. Remember, to make a Gantt Chart is not the first thing to do when starting a project.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> * '''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory''' - This article gives a great overall explanations of the different aspects of the Gantt Chart. It also discusses something about risk mitigation which has not been mentioned in this wiki article.<br /> <br /> * '''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm''' - If you need more information regarding what a Gantt chart is, how to create a Gantt Chart or what software to use both for creating Gantt charts but also for project management in general then this page is a good place to start.<br /> <br /> * '''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on''' - This article talks about project management in general and looks at other ways of managing projects than by the use of a Gantt Chart. The article seems very critical about the Gantt Chart and brings another perspective to the topic. <br /> <br /> * '''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;''' - This paper describe the history of the Gantt Chart from the beginning of the 19th century. It is a very interesting read if you want to know more about the development of the Gantt Chart from then to now. It also provides a view on how Gantt Charts is used now since it regained its use after the 1960's.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=14424 2015-09-25T20:15:45Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, providing a simple example of the use of a Gantt Chart as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866). Approximately 15 years later, it was also created independently by an American engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861) &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt&quot;&gt; ''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;. It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information that is put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be confusing to create a Gantt Chart through the use of different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed the Gantt Chart should be can be a hard choice. It is also important to remember that <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chart was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and is today known as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Already from the mid 1920's the Gantt Charts were acknowledged as a production planning tool. &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt charts&quot;&gt; ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Though the Gantt Chart were a popular tool from the beginning, it encountered some problems with the limited handling of information and it was speculated that computers would replace the Gantt Charts. Then in the 1950's and 1960's the Gantt Chart lost its popularity as the large scale production complexity were considered too complex. &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt charts&quot;&gt; ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; Today we have the technological advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen. &lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> Even though this quote is 14 years old, it reminds us that exaggerating something whether if it is new technology or something else, can turn out to be disadvantageous. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another. There are several types of dependencies and Allan Orr &lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; identifies three of them as:<br /> <br /> * '''Finish to Start''' - This means that one activity must be finished before another one can start.<br /> * '''Start to Start''' - This means that the activities has to start at the same time but not necessarily finish at the same time.<br /> * '''Finish to Finish''' - This means that the activities has to finish at the same time but not necessarily start at the same time.<br /> <br /> There are however more types of dependencies. One that is missing from the dependencies that Allan Orr has identified is:<br /> <br /> *'''Start to Finish''' - This means that one activity has to start before another one can finish &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantter&quot;&gt; ''http://www.gantter.com/help/task-dependencies/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In addition to the above mentioned dependencies there is a term known as slack or float&lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Float is the buffer between when an activity can be completed and when it has to be completed. An activity that is on the critical path (see [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]]) has no float. In addition to float there a sub-term called free float which is the amount of time an activity's start date can be postponed before it will delay its successor activity's start date. More on what a successor activity is in the section &quot;The Gantt Chart in practice&quot;.<br /> <br /> An example to show dependencies could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need. Otherwise, buying the light bulb would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed. This means that buying the light bulb and installing the lamp can begin at the same time to save time (Start to Start).<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain percentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One of the most important things to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that, alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of future plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning.&lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practice==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is crucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore it is needed to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. In Figure 1 and 2 it is hard to see exactly which activities are dependent on one another. However, it is assumed that one activity starts as soon as possible when its predecessor has been completed and that the planning of each activity does not inflict with the different dependencies. One way to help get an overview of the activities is through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can be seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Microsoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practice to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. As mentioned more details can be put into a Gantt Chart i.e. the way activities are dependent on each other. In order to see the interdependencies of activities in the project, arrows between the activities can be added to visualize which activities are connected. A simple illustration of this can be seen in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> '''Figure 3''' illustrates that an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. A predecessor activity is an activity that needs to be completed before it is possible to start on the next activity (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, buying the lamp is a predecessor to installing the lamp. A successor activity is an activity that cannot start until the current activity has been completed (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, turning on the switch is the successor activity to both installing the lamp '''and''' buying the light bulb. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project (See [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]] for more information on this topic).<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and it is possible to have a overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref name=&quot;Mind&quot;&gt; ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> Because the Gantt Chart visually presents a projects information in regards to what needs to be done at what time, it is practically applicable in almost any situation where an overview of the activities and their time span though it might become quite complex to use for big projects.<br /> <br /> '''A short step-by-step guide on how to create a Gantt Chart'''<br /> * List all the activities that needs to be completed<br /> * Write down the earliest start date for each activity<br /> * Write down the duration of each activity<br /> * Write down if any activities are dependent on other activities to be completed<br /> * Make a column where you list every activity<br /> * Make a column for each day/week/month you think you project will take<br /> * Plot in your activities with horizontal bars with the length of the duration of the activity<br /> * If a task cannot be started before another one is completed, show this by starting the second task when the first is completed.<br /> You can use color coding to &quot;sort&quot; the activities, and connect them with arrows to show the interdependencies.<br /> <br /> <br /> Below video is a guide on how to create a Gantt Chart &lt;ref name=&quot;Mind&quot;&gt; ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;:<br /> {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRNOXVKN9J0&amp;feature=youtu.be}}<br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> As with any other tool the Gantt Chart also has its limitations. Some of these limitations has been identified here.<br /> <br /> * The Gantt Chart requires the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to have been done (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]] for more information on this topic). Before this it makes absolutely no sense to try and create a Gantt Chart because the information regarding which activities that should be put into the Gantt Chart will not be available.<br /> * There is a risk the the Gantt Chart can become complex and be confusing to look at for big projects. If a computer is being used and the Gantt Chart takes up more space than a single screen it can be confusing to get the needed overview of all the activities. <br /> * Costs is not taking into consideration when using the Gantt Chart. Costs is usually what most companies tend to focus on and it is therefore a weakness that the Gantt chart is completely ignorant when it comes to costs.<br /> * The amount of work needed for each activity is not specified. It is just an estimation of the time span. Even though the amount of work needed has been calculated and estimated it is only the time estimation which is presented in the Gantt Chart. <br /> * It does not see the weak links between the different stages in the project. The Gantt Chart can show the links between activities but it has no information in regards to how sensitive these links are.<br /> * The Gantt Chart does not include information about the location of the work that has to be carried out. For information regarding a method that includes the location of the work see [[Location Based Scheduling]] (LBS).<br /> <br /> The biggest limitation of the Gantt Chart though must be that alone the Gantt Chart is nothing more than a blunt tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating a Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> This section covers a list of software that can be used to create a Gantt Chart. There are many more &quot;pay to use&quot; programs than listed here and it is probably possible to find more &quot;free to use&quot; programs at well but the two listed here are the ones who I found to me most trustworthy.<br /> * Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref name=&quot;dream&quot;&gt; ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * GanttProject - Free to use program. There is an instructional video on the webpage. &lt;ref name=&quot;Source&quot;&gt; ''http://sourceforge.net/projects/ganttproject/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> * Microsoft Excel - If you have the Microsoft Office package you will also have excel. <br /> * MindView - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Smartsheet - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Microsoft Project - Very expensive but also very professional tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> If there is need for a tool that can provide an overview of the time span of a number of activities and how they are dependent on one another then the Gantt Chart will be a fine choice. If the project is a small project the Gantt Chart might be one of the best tools that can used. However, if the project is big with many different activities and interrelations between these activities the Gantt Chart might not be the best solution depending on the technology available as it tends to become too complex to get an easy overview. <br /> Before starting on the Gantt Chart it is important that the pre-work like making a project plan (see [[Program evaluation and review technique (PERT)]]), WBS (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]])etc. has been done as the Gantt Chart will not be able to do this and if something is left out the Gantt Chart will not be able to show this. Remember, to make a Gantt Chart is not the first thing to do when starting a project.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> * '''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory''' - This article gives a great overall explanations of the different aspects of the Gantt Chart. It also discusses something about risk mitigation which has not been mentioned in this wiki article.<br /> <br /> * '''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm''' - If you need more information regarding what a Gantt chart is, how to create a Gantt Chart or what software to use both for creating Gantt charts but also for project management in general then this page is a good place to start.<br /> <br /> * '''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on''' - This article talks about project management in general and looks at other ways of managing projects than by the use of a Gantt Chart. The article seems very critical about the Gantt Chart and brings another perspective to the topic. <br /> <br /> * '''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;''' - This paper describe the history of the Gantt Chart from the beginning of the 19th century. It is a very interesting read if you want to know more about the development of the Gantt Chart from then to now. It also provides a view on how Gantt Charts is used now since it regained its use after the 1960's.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=14419 2015-09-25T20:05:36Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, providing a simple example of the use of a Gantt Chart as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866). Approximately 15 years later, it was also created independently by an American engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861) &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt&quot;&gt; ''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;. It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be confusing to create a Gantt Chart through the use of different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. It is also important to remember that <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chart was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and is today known as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Already from the mid 1920's the Gantt Charts were acknowledged as a production planning tool. &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt charts&quot;&gt; ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Though the Gantt Chart were a popular tool from the beginning, it encountered some problems with the limited handling of information and it was speculated that computers would replace the Gantt Charts. Then in the 1950's and 1960's the Gantt Chart lost its popularity as the large scale production complexity were considered too complex. &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt charts&quot;&gt; ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; Today we have the technological advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen. &lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> Even though this quote is 14 years old, it reminds us that exaggerating something whether if it is new technology or something else, can turn out to be disadvantageous. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another. There are several types of dependencies and Allan Orr &lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; identifies three of them as:<br /> <br /> * '''Finish to Start''' - This means that one activity must be finished before another one can start.<br /> * '''Start to Start''' - This means that the activities has to start at the same time but not necessarily finish at the same time.<br /> * '''Finish to Finish''' - This means that the activities has to finish at the same time but not necessarily start at the same time.<br /> <br /> There are however more types of dependencies. One that is missing from the dependencies that Allan Orr has identified is:<br /> <br /> *'''Start to Finish''' - This means that one activity has to start before another one can finish &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantter&quot;&gt; ''http://www.gantter.com/help/task-dependencies/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In addition to the above mentioned dependencies there is a term known as slack or float&lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Float is the buffer between when an activity can be completed and when it has to be completed. An activity that is on the critical path (see [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]]) has no float. In addition to float there a sub-term called free float which is the amount of time an activity's start date can be postponed before it will delay its successor activity's start date. More on what a successor activity is in the section &quot;The Gantt Chart in practice&quot;.<br /> <br /> An example to show dependencies could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need. Otherwise, buying the light bulb would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed. This means that buying the light bulb and installing the lamp can begin at the same time to save time (Start to Start).<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain percentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One of the most important things to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that, alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of future plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning.&lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practice==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is crucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore you need to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. In Figure 1 and 2 it is hard to see exactly which activities are dependent on one another. However, it is assumed that one activity starts as soon as possible when its predecessor has been completed and that the planning of each activity does not inflict with the different dependencies. One way to help get an overview of the activities is through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can be seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Microsoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practice to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. As mentioned more details can be put into a Gantt Chart i.e. the way activities are dependent on each other. In order to see the interdependencies of activities in the project, arrows between the activities can be added to visualize which activities are connected. A simple illustration of this can be seen in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> '''Figure 3''' illustrates that an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. A predecessor activity is an activity that needs to be completed before you can start on the next activity (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, buying the lamp is a predecessor to installing the lamp. A successor activity is an activity that cannot start until the current activity has been completed (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, turning on the switch is the successor activity to both installing the lamp '''and''' buying the light bulb. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project (See [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]] for more information on this topic).<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and you have a good overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref name=&quot;Mind&quot;&gt; ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> Because the Gantt Chart visually presents a projects information in regards to what needs to be done at what time, it is practically applicable in almost any situation where you need an overview of your activities and their time span though it might become quite complex to use for big projects.<br /> <br /> '''A short step-by-step guide on how to create a Gantt Chart'''<br /> * List all the activities that needs to be completed<br /> * Write down the earliest start date for each activity<br /> * Write down the duration of each activity<br /> * Write down if any activities are dependent on other activities to be completed<br /> * Make a column where you list every activity<br /> * Make a column for each day/week/month you think you project will take<br /> * Plot in your activities with horizontal bars with the length of the duration of the activity<br /> * If a task cannot be started before another one is completed, show this by starting the second task when the first is completed.<br /> You can use color coding to &quot;sort&quot; the activities, and connect them with arrows to show the interdependencies.<br /> <br /> <br /> Below video is a guide on how to create a Gantt Chart &lt;ref name=&quot;Mind&quot;&gt; ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;:<br /> {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRNOXVKN9J0&amp;feature=youtu.be}}<br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> As with any other tool the Gantt Chart also has its limitations. Some of these limitations has been identified here.<br /> <br /> * The Gantt Chart requires the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to have been done (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]] for more information on this topic). Before this it makes absolutely no sense to try and create a Gantt Chart because you do not know which activities should be put into the chart.<br /> * There is a risk the the Gantt Chart can become complex and be confusing to look at for big projects. If you use a computer and the Gantt Chart takes up more space than a single screen it can be confusing to get the needed overview of all the activities. <br /> * Costs is not taking into consideration when using the Gantt Chart. Costs is usually what most companies tend to focus on and it is therefore a weakness that the Gantt chart is completely ignorant when it comes to costs.<br /> * The amount of work needed for each activity is not specified. It is just an estimation of the time span. Even though the amount of work needed has been calculated and estimated it is only the time estimation which is presented in the Gantt Chart. <br /> * It does not see the weak links between the different stages in the project. The Gantt Chart can show the links between activities but it has no information in regards to how sensitive these links are.<br /> * The Gantt Chart does not include information about the location of the work that has to be carried out. For information regarding a method that includes the location of the work see [[Location Based Scheduling]] (LBS).<br /> <br /> The biggest limitation of the Gantt Chart though must be that alone the Gantt Chart is nothing more than a blunt tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating a Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> This section covers a list of software that can be used to create a Gantt Chart. There are many more &quot;pay to use&quot; programs than listed here and it is probably possible to find more &quot;free to use&quot; programs at well but the two listed here are the ones who I found to me most trustworthy.<br /> * Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref name=&quot;dream&quot;&gt; ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * GanttProject - Free to use program. There is an instructional video on the webpage. &lt;ref name=&quot;Source&quot;&gt; ''http://sourceforge.net/projects/ganttproject/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> * Microsoft Excel - If you have the Microsoft Office package you will also have excel. <br /> * MindView - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Smartsheet - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Microsoft Project - Very expensive but also very professional tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> If you need a tool that can give you an overview of the time span of your activities and how they are dependent on one another then the Gantt Chart will be a fine choice. If your project is a small project the Gantt Chart might be one of the best tools you can use. However, if your project is big with many different activities and interrelations between these activities the Gantt Chart might not be the best solution as it tends to become too complex to get an easy overview. <br /> Before you begin with the Gantt Chart it is important that you have done the pre-work like making a project plan (see [[Program evaluation and review technique (PERT)]]), WBS (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]])etc. as the Gantt Chart will not be able to do this for you and if something is left out the Gantt Chart will not inform you of this. Remember, to make a Gantt Chart is not the first thing to do when starting a project.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> * '''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory''' - This article gives a great overall explanations of the different aspects of the Gantt Chart. It also discusses something about risk mitigation which has not been mentioned in this wiki article.<br /> <br /> * '''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm''' - If you need more information regarding what a Gantt chart is, how to create a Gantt Chart or what software to use both for creating Gantt charts but also for project management in general then this page is a good place to start.<br /> <br /> * '''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on''' - This article talks about project management in general and looks at other ways of managing projects than by the use of a Gantt Chart. The article seems very critical about the Gantt Chart and brings another perspective to the topic. <br /> <br /> * '''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;''' - This paper describe the history of the Gantt Chart from the beginning of the 19th century. It is a very interesting read if you want to know more about the development of the Gantt Chart from then to now. It also provides a view on how Gantt Charts is used now since it regained its use after the 1960's.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=14418 2015-09-25T20:05:01Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, providing a simple example of the use of a Gantt Chart as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866). Approximately 15 years later, it was also created independently by an American engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861) &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt&quot;&gt; ''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;. It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be confusing to create a Gantt Chart through the use of different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. It is also important to remember that <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chart was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and is today known as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Already from the mid 1920's the Gantt Charts were acknowledged as a production planning tool. &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt charts&quot;&gt; ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Though the Gantt Chart were a popular tool from the beginning, it encountered some problems with the limited handling of information and it was speculated that computers would replace the Gantt Charts. Then in the 1950's and 1960's the Gantt Chart lost its popularity as the large scale production complexity were considered too complex. &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantt charts&quot;&gt; ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; Today we have the technological advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen. &lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> Even though this quote is 14 years old, it reminds us that exaggerating something whether if it is new technology or something else, can turn out to be disadvantageous. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another. There are several types of dependencies and Allan Orr &lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; identifies three of them as:<br /> <br /> * '''Finish to Start''' - This means that one activity must be finished before another one can start.<br /> * '''Start to Start''' - This means that the activities has to start at the same time but not necessarily finish at the same time.<br /> * '''Finish to Finish''' - This means that the activities has to finish at the same time but not necessarily start at the same time.<br /> <br /> There are however more types of dependencies. One that is missing from the dependencies that Allan Orr has identified is:<br /> <br /> *'''Start to Finish''' - This means that one activity has to start before another one can finish &lt;ref name=&quot;Gantter&quot;&gt; ''http://www.gantter.com/help/task-dependencies/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In addition to the above mentioned dependencies there is a term known as slack or float&lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Float is the buffer between when an activity can be completed and when it has to be completed. An activity that is on the critical path (see [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]]) has no float. In addition to float there a sub-term called free float which is the amount of time an activity's start date can be postponed before it will delay its successor activity's start date. More on what a successor activity is in the section &quot;The Gantt Chart in practice&quot;.<br /> <br /> An example to show dependencies could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need. Otherwise, buying the light bulb would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed. This means that buying the light bulb and installing the lamp can begin at the same time to save time (Start to Start).<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain percentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One of the most important things to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that, alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of future plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning.&lt;ref name=&quot;Beyond&quot;&gt; ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practice==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is crucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore you need to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. In Figure 1 and 2 it is hard to see exactly which activities are dependent on one another. However, it is assumed that one activity starts as soon as possible when its predecessor has been completed and that the planning of each activity does not inflict with the different dependencies. One way to help get an overview of the activities is through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can be seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Microsoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practice to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. As mentioned more details can be put into a Gantt Chart i.e. the way activities are dependent on each other. In order to see the interdependencies of activities in the project, arrows between the activities can be added to visualize which activities are connected. A simple illustration of this can be seen in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> '''Figure 3''' illustrates that an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. A predecessor activity is an activity that needs to be completed before you can start on the next activity (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, buying the lamp is a predecessor to installing the lamp. A successor activity is an activity that cannot start until the current activity has been completed (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, turning on the switch is the successor activity to both installing the lamp '''and''' buying the light bulb. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project (See [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]] for more information on this topic).<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and you have a good overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref name=&quot;Mind&quot;&gt; ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> Because the Gantt Chart visually presents a projects information in regards to what needs to be done at what time, it is practically applicable in almost any situation where you need an overview of your activities and their time span though it might become quite complex to use for big projects.<br /> <br /> '''A short step-by-step guide on how to create a Gantt Chart'''<br /> * List all the activities that needs to be completed<br /> * Write down the earliest start date for each activity<br /> * Write down the duration of each activity<br /> * Write down if any activities are dependent on other activities to be completed<br /> * Make a column where you list every activity<br /> * Make a column for each day/week/month you think you project will take<br /> * Plot in your activities with horizontal bars with the length of the duration of the activity<br /> * If a task cannot be started before another one is completed, show this by starting the second task when the first is completed.<br /> You can use color coding to &quot;sort&quot; the activities, and connect them with arrows to show the interdependencies.<br /> <br /> <br /> Below video is a guide on how to create a Gantt Chart &lt;ref name=&quot;Mind&quot;&gt; ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;:<br /> {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRNOXVKN9J0&amp;feature=youtu.be}}<br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> As with any other tool the Gantt Chart also has its limitations. Some of these limitations has been identified here.<br /> <br /> * The Gantt Chart requires the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to have been done (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]] for more information on this topic). Before this it makes absolutely no sense to try and create a Gantt Chart because you do not know which activities should be put into the chart.<br /> * There is a risk the the Gantt Chart can become complex and be confusing to look at for big projects. If you use a computer and the Gantt Chart takes up more space than a single screen it can be confusing to get the needed overview of all the activities. <br /> * Costs is not taking into consideration when using the Gantt Chart. Costs is usually what most companies tend to focus on and it is therefore a weakness that the Gantt chart is completely ignorant when it comes to costs.<br /> * The amount of work needed for each activity is not specified. It is just an estimation of the time span. Even though the amount of work needed has been calculated and estimated it is only the time estimation which is presented in the Gantt Chart. <br /> * It does not see the weak links between the different stages in the project. The Gantt Chart can show the links between activities but it has no information in regards to how sensitive these links are.<br /> * The Gantt Chart does not include information about the location of the work that has to be carried out. For information regarding a method that includes the location of the work see [[Location Based Scheduling]] (LBS).<br /> <br /> The biggest limitation of the Gantt Chart though must be that alone the Gantt Chart is nothing more than a blunt tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating a Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> This section covers a list of software that can be used to create a Gantt Chart. There are many more &quot;pay to use&quot; programs than listed here and it is probably possible to find more &quot;free to use&quot; programs at well but the two listed here are the ones who I found to me most trustworthy.<br /> * Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref name=&quot;dream&quot;&gt; ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * GanttProject - Free to use program. There is an instructional video on the webpage. &lt;ref name=&quot;Source&quot;&gt; ''http://sourceforge.net/projects/ganttproject/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> * Microsoft Excel - If you have the Microsoft Office package you will also have excel. <br /> * MindView - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Smartsheet - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Microsoft Project - Very expensive but also very professional tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> If you need a tool that can give you an overview of the time span of your activities and how they are dependent on one another then the Gantt Chart will be a fine choice. If your project is a small project the Gantt Chart might be one of the best tools you can use. However, if your project is big with many different activities and interrelations between these activities the Gantt Chart might not be the best solution as it tends to become too complex to get an easy overview. <br /> Before you begin with the Gantt Chart it is important that you have done the pre-work like making a project plan (see [[Program evaluation and review technique (PERT)]]), WBS (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]])etc. as the Gantt Chart will not be able to do this for you and if something is left out the Gantt Chart will not inform you of this. Remember, to make a Gantt Chart is not the first thing you do when you start a project.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> * '''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory''' - This article gives a great overall explanations of the different aspects of the Gantt Chart. It also discusses something about risk mitigation which has not been mentioned in this wiki article.<br /> <br /> * '''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm''' - If you need more information regarding what a Gantt chart is, how to create a Gantt Chart or what software to use both for creating Gantt charts but also for project management in general then this page is a good place to start.<br /> <br /> * '''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on''' - This article talks about project management in general and looks at other ways of managing projects than by the use of a Gantt Chart. The article seems very critical about the Gantt Chart and brings another perspective to the topic. <br /> <br /> * '''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;''' - This paper describe the history of the Gantt Chart from the beginning of the 19th century. It is a very interesting read if you want to know more about the development of the Gantt Chart from then to now. It also provides a view on how Gantt Charts is used now since it regained its use after the 1960's.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=14411 2015-09-25T19:50:06Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, providing a simple example of the use of a Gantt Chart as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866). Approximately 15 years later, it was also created independently by an American engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861) &lt;ref&gt;[''www.gantt.com''] ''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;. It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be confusing to create a Gantt Chart through the use of different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. It is also important to remember that <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chart was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and is today known as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Already from the mid 1920's the Gantt Charts were acknowledged as a production planning tool. &lt;ref&gt;[''Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation''] ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Though the Gantt Chart were a popular tool from the beginning, it encountered some problems with the limited handling of information and it was speculated that computers would replace the Gantt Charts. Then in the 1950's and 1960's the Gantt Chart lost its popularity as the large scale production complexity were considered too complex. &lt;ref&gt;[''Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation''] ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; Today we have the technological advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen. &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> Even though this quote is 14 years old, it reminds us that exaggerating something whether if it is new technology or something else, can turn out to be disadvantageous. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another. There are several types of dependencies and Allan Orr &lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; identifies three of them as:<br /> <br /> * '''Finish to Start''' - This means that one activity must be finished before another one can start.<br /> * '''Start to Start''' - This means that the activities has to start at the same time but not necessarily finish at the same time.<br /> * '''Finish to Finish''' - This means that the activities has to finish at the same time but not necessarily start at the same time.<br /> <br /> There are however more types of dependencies. One that is missing from the dependencies that Allan Orr has identified is:<br /> <br /> *'''Start to Finish''' - This means that one activity has to start before another one can finish &lt;ref&gt;[''http://www.gantter.com''] ''http://www.gantter.com/help/task-dependencies/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In addition to the above mentioned dependencies there is a term known as slack or float&lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Float is the buffer between when an activity can be completed and when it has to be completed. An activity that is on the critical path (see [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]]) has no float. In addition to float there a sub-term called free float which is the amount of time an activity's start date can be postponed before it will delay its successor activity's start date. More on what a successor activity is in the section &quot;The Gantt Chart in practice&quot;.<br /> <br /> An example to show dependencies could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need. Otherwise, buying the light bulb would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed. This means that buying the light bulb and installing the lamp can begin at the same time to save time (Start to Start).<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain percentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref name=&quot;uncharted&quot;&gt; ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One of the most important things to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that, alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of future plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning.&lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practice==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is crucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore you need to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. In Figure 1 and 2 it is hard to see exactly which activities are dependent on one another. However, it is assumed that one activity starts as soon as possible when its predecessor has been completed and that the planning of each activity does not inflict with the different dependencies. One way to help get an overview of the activities is through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can be seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Microsoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practice to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. As mentioned more details can be put into a Gantt Chart i.e. the way activities are dependent on each other. In order to see the interdependencies of activities in the project, arrows between the activities can be added to visualize which activities are connected. A simple illustration of this can be seen in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> '''Figure 3''' illustrates that an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. A predecessor activity is an activity that needs to be completed before you can start on the next activity (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, buying the lamp is a predecessor to installing the lamp. A successor activity is an activity that cannot start until the current activity has been completed (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, turning on the switch is the successor activity to both installing the lamp '''and''' buying the light bulb. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project (See [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]] for more information on this topic).<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and you have a good overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> Because the Gantt Chart visually presents a projects information in regards to what needs to be done at what time, it is practically applicable in almost any situation where you need an overview of your activities and their time span though it might become quite complex to use for big projects.<br /> <br /> '''A short step-by-step guide on how to create a Gantt Chart'''<br /> * List all the activities that needs to be completed<br /> * Write down the earliest start date for each activity<br /> * Write down the duration of each activity<br /> * Write down if any activities are dependent on other activities to be completed<br /> * Make a column where you list every activity<br /> * Make a column for each day/week/month you think you project will take<br /> * Plot in your activities with horizontal bars with the length of the duration of the activity<br /> * If a task cannot be started before another one is completed, show this by starting the second task when the first is completed.<br /> You can use color coding to &quot;sort&quot; the activities, and connect them with arrows to show the interdependencies.<br /> <br /> <br /> Below video is a guide on how to create a Gantt Chart &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;:<br /> {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRNOXVKN9J0&amp;feature=youtu.be}}<br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> As with any other tool the Gantt Chart also has its limitations. Some of these limitations has been identified here.<br /> <br /> * The Gantt Chart requires the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to have been done (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]] for more information on this topic). Before this it makes absolutely no sense to try and create a Gantt Chart because you do not know which activities should be put into the chart.<br /> * There is a risk the the Gantt Chart can become complex and be confusing to look at for big projects. If you use a computer and the Gantt Chart takes up more space than a single screen it can be confusing to get the needed overview of all the activities. <br /> * Costs is not taking into consideration when using the Gantt Chart. Costs is usually what most companies tend to focus on and it is therefore a weakness that the Gantt chart is completely ignorant when it comes to costs.<br /> * The amount of work needed for each activity is not specified. It is just an estimation of the time span. Even though the amount of work needed has been calculated and estimated it is only the time estimation which is presented in the Gantt Chart. <br /> * It does not see the weak links between the different stages in the project. The Gantt Chart can show the links between activities but it has no information in regards to how sensitive these links are.<br /> * The Gantt Chart does not include information about the location of the work that has to be carried out. For information regarding a method that includes the location of the work see [[Location Based Scheduling]] (LBS).<br /> <br /> The biggest limitation of the Gantt Chart though must be that alone the Gantt Chart is nothing more than a blunt tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating a Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> This section covers a list of software that can be used to create a Gantt Chart. There are many more &quot;pay to use&quot; programs than listed here and it is probably possible to find more &quot;free to use&quot; programs at well but the two listed here are the ones who I found to me most trustworthy.<br /> * Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.dreamspark.com''] ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * GanttProject - Free to use program. There is an instructional video on the webpage. &lt;ref&gt;[''sourceforge.net''] ''http://sourceforge.net/projects/ganttproject/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> * Microsoft Excel - If you have the Microsoft Office package you will also have excel. <br /> * MindView - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Smartsheet - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Microsoft Project - Very expensive but also very professional tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> If you need a tool that can give you an overview of the time span of your activities and how they are dependent on one another then the Gantt Chart will be a fine choice. If your project is a small project the Gantt Chart might be one of the best tools you can use. However, if your project is big with many different activities and interrelations between these activities the Gantt Chart might not be the best solution as it tends to become too complex to get an easy overview. <br /> Before you begin with the Gantt Chart it is important that you have done the pre-work like making a project plan (see [[Program evaluation and review technique (PERT)]]), WBS (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]])etc. as the Gantt Chart will not be able to do this for you and if something is left out the Gantt Chart will not inform you of this. Remember, to make a Gantt Chart is not the first thing you do when you start a project.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> * '''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory''' - This article gives a great overall explanations of the different aspects of the Gantt Chart. It also discusses something about risk mitigation which has not been mentioned in this wiki article.<br /> <br /> * '''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm''' - If you need more information regarding what a Gantt chart is, how to create a Gantt Chart or what software to use both for creating Gantt charts but also for project management in general then this page is a good place to start.<br /> <br /> * '''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on''' - This article talks about project management in general and looks at other ways of managing projects than by the use of a Gantt Chart. The article seems very critical about the Gantt Chart and brings another perspective to the topic. <br /> <br /> * '''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;''' - This paper describe the history of the Gantt Chart from the beginning of the 19th century. It is a very interesting read if you want to know more about the development of the Gantt Chart from then to now. It also provides a view on how Gantt Charts is used now since it regained its use after the 1960's.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=14404 2015-09-25T19:32:14Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, providing a simple example of the use of a Gantt Chart as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866). Approximately 15 years later, it was also created independently by an American engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861) &lt;ref&gt;[''www.gantt.com''] ''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;. It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be confusing to create a Gantt Chart through the use of different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. It is also important to remember that <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chart was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and is today known as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Already from the mid 1920's the Gantt Charts were acknowledged as a production planning tool. &lt;ref&gt;[''Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation''] ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Though the Gantt Chart were a popular tool from the beginning, it encountered some problems with the limited handling of information and it was speculated that computers would replace the Gantt Charts. Then in the 1950's and 1960's the Gantt Chart lost its popularity as the large scale production complexity were considered too complex. &lt;ref&gt;[''Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation''] ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; Today we have the technological advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen. &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> Even though this quote is 14 years old, it reminds us that exaggerating something whether if it is new technology or something else, can turn out to be disadvantageous. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another. There are several types of dependencies and Allan Orr &lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; identifies three of them as:<br /> <br /> * '''Finish to Start''' - This means that one activity must be finished before another one can start.<br /> * '''Start to Start''' - This means that the activities has to start at the same time but not necessarily finish at the same time.<br /> * '''Finish to Finish''' - This means that the activities has to finish at the same time but not necessarily start at the same time.<br /> <br /> There are however more types of dependencies. One that is missing from the dependencies that Allan Orr has identified is:<br /> <br /> *'''Start to Finish''' - This means that one activity has to start before another one can finish &lt;ref&gt;[''http://www.gantter.com''] ''http://www.gantter.com/help/task-dependencies/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In addition to the above mentioned dependencies there is a term known as slack or float&lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Float is the buffer between when an activity can be completed and when it has to be completed. An activity that is on the critical path (see [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]]) has no float. In addition to float there a sub-term called free float which is the amount of time an activity's start date can be postponed before it will delay its successor activity's start date. More on what a successor activity is in the section &quot;The Gantt Chart in practice&quot;.<br /> <br /> An example to show dependencies could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need. Otherwise, buying the light bulb would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed. This means that buying the light bulb and installing the lamp can begin at the same time to save time (Start to Start).<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain percentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One of the most important things to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that, alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of future plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning.&lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practice==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is crucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore you need to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. In Figure 1 and 2 it is hard to see exactly which activities are dependent on one another. However, it is assumed that one activity starts as soon as possible when its predecessor has been completed and that the planning of each activity does not inflict with the different dependencies. One way to help get an overview of the activities is through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can be seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Microsoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practice to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. As mentioned more details can be put into a Gantt Chart i.e. the way activities are dependent on each other. In order to see the interdependencies of activities in the project, arrows between the activities can be added to visualize which activities are connected. A simple illustration of this can be seen in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> '''Figure 3''' illustrates that an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. A predecessor activity is an activity that needs to be completed before you can start on the next activity (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, buying the lamp is a predecessor to installing the lamp. A successor activity is an activity that cannot start until the current activity has been completed (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, turning on the switch is the successor activity to both installing the lamp '''and''' buying the light bulb. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project (See [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]] for more information on this topic).<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and you have a good overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> Because the Gantt Chart visually presents a projects information in regards to what needs to be done at what time, it is practically applicable in almost any situation where you need an overview of your activities and their time span though it might become quite complex to use for big projects.<br /> <br /> '''A short step-by-step guide on how to create a Gantt Chart'''<br /> * List all the activities that needs to be completed<br /> * Write down the earliest start date for each activity<br /> * Write down the duration of each activity<br /> * Write down if any activities are dependent on other activities to be completed<br /> * Make a column where you list every activity<br /> * Make a column for each day/week/month you think you project will take<br /> * Plot in your activities with horizontal bars with the length of the duration of the activity<br /> * If a task cannot be started before another one is completed, show this by starting the second task when the first is completed.<br /> You can use color coding to &quot;sort&quot; the activities, and connect them with arrows to show the interdependencies.<br /> <br /> <br /> Below video is a guide on how to create a Gantt Chart &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;:<br /> {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRNOXVKN9J0&amp;feature=youtu.be}}<br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> As with any other tool the Gantt Chart also has its limitations. Some of these limitations has been identified here.<br /> <br /> * The Gantt Chart requires the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to have been done (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]] for more information on this topic). Before this it makes absolutely no sense to try and create a Gantt Chart because you do not know which activities should be put into the chart.<br /> * There is a risk the the Gantt Chart can become complex and be confusing to look at for big projects. If you use a computer and the Gantt Chart takes up more space than a single screen it can be confusing to get the needed overview of all the activities. <br /> * Costs is not taking into consideration when using the Gantt Chart. Costs is usually what most companies tend to focus on and it is therefore a weakness that the Gantt chart is completely ignorant when it comes to costs.<br /> * The amount of work needed for each activity is not specified. It is just an estimation of the time span. Even though the amount of work needed has been calculated and estimated it is only the time estimation which is presented in the Gantt Chart. <br /> * It does not see the weak links between the different stages in the project. The Gantt Chart can show the links between activities but it has no information in regards to how sensitive these links are.<br /> * The Gantt Chart does not include information about the location of the work that has to be carried out. For information regarding a method that includes the location of the work see [[Location Based Scheduling]] (LBS).<br /> <br /> The biggest limitation of the Gantt Chart though must be that alone the Gantt Chart is nothing more than a blunt tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating a Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> This section covers a list of software that can be used to create a Gantt Chart. There are many more &quot;pay to use&quot; programs than listed here and it is probably possible to find more &quot;free to use&quot; programs at well but the two listed here are the ones who I found to me most trustworthy.<br /> * Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.dreamspark.com''] ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * GanttProject - Free to use program. There is an instructional video on the webpage. &lt;ref&gt;[''sourceforge.net''] ''http://sourceforge.net/projects/ganttproject/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> * Microsoft Excel - If you have the Microsoft Office package you will also have excel. <br /> * MindView - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Smartsheet - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Microsoft Project - Very expensive but also very professional tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> If you need a tool that can give you an overview of the time span of your activities and how they are dependent on one another then the Gantt Chart will be a fine choice. If your project is a small project the Gantt Chart might be one of the best tools you can use. However, if your project is big with many different activities and interrelations between these activities the Gantt Chart might not be the best solution as it tends to become too complex to get an easy overview. <br /> Before you begin with the Gantt Chart it is important that you have done the pre-work like making a project plan (see [[Program evaluation and review technique (PERT)]]), WBS (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]])etc. as the Gantt Chart will not be able to do this for you and if something is left out the Gantt Chart will not inform you of this. Remember, to make a Gantt Chart is not the first thing you do when you start a project.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> * '''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory''' - This article gives a great overall explanations of the different aspects of the Gantt Chart. It also discusses something about risk mitigation which has not been mentioned in this wiki article.<br /> <br /> * '''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm''' - If you need more information regarding what a Gantt chart is, how to create a Gantt Chart or what software to use both for creating Gantt charts but also for project management in general then this page is a good place to start.<br /> <br /> * '''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on''' - This article talks about project management in general and looks at other ways of managing projects than by the use of a Gantt Chart. The article seems very critical about the Gantt Chart and brings another perspective to the topic. <br /> <br /> * '''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;''' - This paper describe the history of the Gantt Chart from the beginning of the 19th century. It is a very interesting read if you want to know more about the development of the Gantt Chart from then to now. It also provides a view on how Gantt Charts is used now since it regained its use after the 1960's.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=14402 2015-09-25T18:50:53Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, providing a simple example of the use of a Gantt Chart as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866). Approximately 15 years later, it was also created independently by an American engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861) &lt;ref&gt;[''www.gantt.com''] ''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;. It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be confusing to create a Gantt Chart through the use of different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. It is also important to remember that <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chart was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and is today known as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Already from the mid 1920's the Gantt Charts were acknowledged as a production planning tool. &lt;ref&gt;[''Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation''] ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Though the Gantt Chart were a popular tool from the beginning, it encountered some problems with the limited handling of information and it was speculated that computers would replace the Gantt Charts. Then in the 1950's and 1960's the Gantt Chart lost its popularity as the large scale production complexity were considered too complex. &lt;ref&gt;[''Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation''] ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; Today we have the technological advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen. &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> Even though this quote is 14 years old, it reminds us that exaggerating something whether if it is new technology or something else, can turn out to be disadvantageous. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another. There are several types of dependencies and Allan Orr &lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; identifies three of them as:<br /> <br /> * '''Finish to Start''' - This means that one activity must be finished before another one can start.<br /> * '''Start to Start''' - This means that the activities has to start at the same time but not necessarily finish at the same time.<br /> * '''Finish to Finish''' - This means that the activities has to finish at the same time but not necessarily start at the same time.<br /> <br /> There are however more types of dependencies. One that is missing from the dependencies that Allan Orr has identified is:<br /> <br /> *'''Start to Finish''' - This means that one activity has to start before another one can finish &lt;ref&gt;[''http://www.gantter.com''] ''http://www.gantter.com/help/task-dependencies/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> An example to show dependencies could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need. Otherwise, buying the light bulb would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed. This means that buying the light bulb and installing the lamp can begin at the same time to save time (Start to Start).<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain percentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One of the most important things to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that, alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of future plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning.&lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practice==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is crucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore you need to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. In Figure 1 and 2 it is hard to see exactly which activities are dependent on one another. However, it is assumed that one activity starts as soon as possible when its predecessor has been completed and that the planning of each activity does not inflict with the different dependencies. One way to help get an overview of the activities is through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can be seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Microsoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practice to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. As mentioned more details can be put into a Gantt Chart i.e. the way activities are dependent on each other. In order to see the interdependencies of activities in the project, arrows between the activities can be added to visualize which activities are connected. A simple illustration of this can be seen in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> '''Figure 3''' illustrates that an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. A predecessor activity is an activity that needs to be completed before you can start on the next activity (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, buying the lamp is a predecessor to installing the lamp. A successor activity is an activity that cannot start until the current activity has been completed (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, turning on the switch is the successor activity to both installing the lamp '''and''' buying the light bulb. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project (See [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]] for more information on this topic).<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and you have a good overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> Because the Gantt Chart visually presents a projects information in regards to what needs to be done at what time, it is practically applicable in almost any situation where you need an overview of your activities and their time span though it might become quite complex to use for big projects.<br /> <br /> '''A short step-by-step guide on how to create a Gantt Chart'''<br /> * List all the activities that needs to be completed<br /> * Write down the earliest start date for each activity<br /> * Write down the duration of each activity<br /> * Write down if any activities are dependent on other activities to be completed<br /> * Make a column where you list every activity<br /> * Make a column for each day/week/month you think you project will take<br /> * Plot in your activities with horizontal bars with the length of the duration of the activity<br /> * If a task cannot be started before another one is completed, show this by starting the second task when the first is completed.<br /> You can use color coding to &quot;sort&quot; the activities, and connect them with arrows to show the interdependencies.<br /> <br /> <br /> Below video is a guide on how to create a Gantt Chart &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;:<br /> {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRNOXVKN9J0&amp;feature=youtu.be}}<br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> As with any other tool the Gantt Chart also has its limitations. Some of these limitations has been identified here.<br /> <br /> * The Gantt Chart requires the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to have been done (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]] for more information on this topic). Before this it makes absolutely no sense to try and create a Gantt Chart because you do not know which activities should be put into the chart.<br /> * There is a risk the the Gantt Chart can become complex and be confusing to look at for big projects. If you use a computer and the Gantt Chart takes up more space than a single screen it can be confusing to get the needed overview of all the activities. <br /> * Costs is not taking into consideration when using the Gantt Chart. Costs is usually what most companies tend to focus on and it is therefore a weakness that the Gantt chart is completely ignorant when it comes to costs.<br /> * The amount of work needed for each activity is not specified. It is just an estimation of the time span. Even though the amount of work needed has been calculated and estimated it is only the time estimation which is presented in the Gantt Chart. <br /> * It does not see the weak links between the different stages in the project. The Gantt Chart can show the links between activities but it has no information in regards to how sensitive these links are.<br /> * The Gantt Chart does not include information about the location of the work that has to be carried out. For information regarding a method that includes the location of the work see [[Location Based Scheduling]] (LBS).<br /> <br /> The biggest limitation of the Gantt Chart though must be that alone the Gantt Chart is nothing more than a blunt tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating a Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> This section covers a list of software that can be used to create a Gantt Chart. There are many more &quot;pay to use&quot; programs than listed here and it is probably possible to find more &quot;free to use&quot; programs at well but the two listed here are the ones who I found to me most trustworthy.<br /> * Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.dreamspark.com''] ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * GanttProject - Free to use program. There is an instructional video on the webpage. &lt;ref&gt;[''sourceforge.net''] ''http://sourceforge.net/projects/ganttproject/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> * Microsoft Excel - If you have the Microsoft Office package you will also have excel. <br /> * MindView - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Smartsheet - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Microsoft Project - Very expensive but also very professional tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> If you need a tool that can give you an overview of the time span of your activities and how they are dependent on one another then the Gantt Chart will be a fine choice. If your project is a small project the Gantt Chart might be one of the best tools you can use. However, if your project is big with many different activities and interrelations between these activities the Gantt Chart might not be the best solution as it tends to become too complex to get an easy overview. <br /> Before you begin with the Gantt Chart it is important that you have done the pre-work like making a project plan (see [[Program evaluation and review technique (PERT)]]), WBS (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]])etc. as the Gantt Chart will not be able to do this for you and if something is left out the Gantt Chart will not inform you of this. Remember, to make a Gantt Chart is not the first thing you do when you start a project.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> * '''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory''' - This article gives a great overall explanations of the different aspects of the Gantt Chart. It also discusses something about risk mitigation which has not been mentioned in this wiki article.<br /> <br /> * '''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm''' - If you need more information regarding what a Gantt chart is, how to create a Gantt Chart or what software to use both for creating Gantt charts but also for project management in general then this page is a good place to start.<br /> <br /> * '''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on''' - This article talks about project management in general and looks at other ways of managing projects than by the use of a Gantt Chart. The article seems very critical about the Gantt Chart and brings another perspective to the topic. <br /> <br /> * '''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;''' - This paper describe the history of the Gantt Chart from the beginning of the 19th century. It is a very interesting read if you want to know more about the development of the Gantt Chart from then to now. It also provides a view on how Gantt Charts is used now since it regained its use after the 1960's.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=14401 2015-09-25T18:49:14Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, providing a simple example of the use of a Gantt Chart as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866). Approximately 15 years later, it was also created independently by an American engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861) &lt;ref&gt;[''www.gantt.com''] ''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;. It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be confusing to create a Gantt Chart through the use of different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. It is also important to remember that <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chart was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and is today known as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Already from the mid 1920's the Gantt Charts were acknowledged as a production planning tool. &lt;ref&gt;[''Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation''] ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Though the Gantt Chart were a popular tool from the beginning, it encountered some problems with the limited handling of information and it was speculated that computers would replace the Gantt Charts. Then in the 1950's and 1960's the Gantt Chart lost its popularity as the large scale production complexity were considered too complex. &lt;ref&gt;[''Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation''] ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; Today we have the technological advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen. &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> Even though this quote is 14 years old, it reminds us that exaggerating something whether if it is new technology or something else, can turn out to be disadvantageous. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another. There are several types of dependencies and Allan Orr &lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; identifies three of them as:<br /> <br /> * '''Finish to Start''' - This means that one activity must be finished before another one can start.<br /> * '''Start to Start''' - This means that the activities has to start at the same time but not necessarily finish at the same time.<br /> * '''Finish to Finish''' - This means that the activities has to finish at the same time but not necessarily start at the same time.<br /> <br /> There are however more types of dependencies. One that is missing from the dependencies that Allan Orr has identified is:<br /> <br /> *'''Start to Finish''' - This means that one activity has to start before another one can finish &lt;ref&gt;[''http://www.gantter.com''] ''http://www.gantter.com/help/task-dependencies/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> An example to show dependencies could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need. Otherwise, buying the light bulb would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed. This means that buying the light bulb and installing the lamp can begin at the same time to save time (Start to Start).<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain percentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One of the most important things to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that, alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of future plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning.&lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practice==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is crucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore you need to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. In Figure 1 and 2 it is hard to see exactly which activities are dependent on one another. However, it is assumed that one activity starts as soon as possible when its predecessor has been completed and that the planning of each activity does not inflict with the different dependencies. One way to help get an overview of the activities is through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can be seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Microsoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practice to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. As mentioned more details can be put into a Gantt Chart i.e. the way activities are dependent on each other. In order to see the interdependencies of activities in the project, arrows between the activities can be added to visualize which activities are connected. A simple illustration of this can be seen in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> '''Figure 3''' illustrates that an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. A predecessor activity is an activity that needs to be completed before you can start on the next activity (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, buying the lamp is a predecessor to installing the lamp. A successor activity is an activity that cannot start until the current activity has been completed (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, turning on the switch is the successor activity to both installing the lamp '''and''' buying the light bulb. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project (See [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]] for more information on this topic).<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and you have a good overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> Because the Gantt Chart visually presents a projects information in regards to what needs to be done at what time, it is practically applicable in almost any situation where you need an overview of your activities and their time span though it might become quite complex to use for big projects.<br /> <br /> '''A short step-by-step guide on how to create a Gantt Chart'''<br /> * List all the activities that needs to be completed<br /> * Write down the earliest start date for each activity<br /> * Write down the duration of each activity<br /> * Write down if any activities are dependent on other activities to be completed<br /> * Make a column where you list every activity<br /> * Make a column for each day/week/month you think you project will take<br /> * Plot in your activities with horizontal bars with the length of the duration of the activity<br /> * If a task cannot be started before another one is completed, show this by starting the second task when the first is completed.<br /> You can use color coding to &quot;sort&quot; the activities, and connect them with arrows to show the interdependencies.<br /> <br /> <br /> Below video is a guide on how to create a Gantt Chart &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;:<br /> {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRNOXVKN9J0&amp;feature=youtu.be}}<br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> As with any other tool the Gantt Chart also has its limitations. Some of these limitations has been identified here.<br /> <br /> * The Gantt Chart requires the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to have been done (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]] for more information on this topic). Before this it makes absolutely no sense to try and create a Gantt Chart because you do not know which activities should be put into the chart.<br /> * There is a risk the the Gantt Chart can become complex and be confusing to look at for big projects. If you use a computer and the Gantt Chart takes up more space than a single screen it can be confusing to get the needed overview of all the activities. <br /> * Costs is not taking into consideration when using the Gantt Chart. Costs is usually what most companies tend to focus on and it is therefore a weakness that the Gantt chart is completely ignorant when it comes to costs.<br /> * The amount of work needed for each activity is not specified. It is just an estimation of the time span. Even though the amount of work needed has been calculated and estimated it is only the time estimation which is presented in the Gantt Chart. <br /> * It does not see the weak links between the different stages in the project. The Gantt Chart can show the links between activities but it has no information in regards to how sensitive these links are.<br /> * The Gantt Chart does not include information about the location of the work that has to be carried out. For information regarding a method that includes the location of the work see [[Location Based Scheduling]] (LBS).<br /> <br /> The biggest limitation of the Gantt Chart though must be that alone the Gantt Chart is nothing more than a blunt tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating a Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> This section covers a list of software that can be used to create a Gantt Chart. There are many more &quot;pay to use&quot; programs than listed here and it is probably possible to find more &quot;free to use&quot; programs at well but the two listed here are the ones who I found to me most trustworthy.<br /> * Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.dreamspark.com''] ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * GanttProject - Free to use program. There is an instructional video on the webpage. &lt;ref&gt;[''sourceforge.net''] ''http://sourceforge.net/projects/ganttproject/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> * Microsoft Excel - If you have the Microsoft Office package you will also have excel. <br /> * MindView - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Smartsheet - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Microsoft Project - Very expensive but also very professional tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> If you need a tool that can give you an overview of the time span of your activities and how they are dependent on one another then the Gantt Chart will be a fine choice. If your project is a small project the Gantt Chart might be one of the best tools you can use. However, if your project is big with many different activities and interrelations between these activities the Gantt Chart might not be the best solution as it tends to become too complex to get an easy overview. <br /> Before you begin with the Gantt Chart it is important that you have done the pre-work like making a project plan (see[[Program evaluation and review technique (PERT)]]), WBS (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]])etc. as the Gantt Chart will not be able to do this for you and if something is left out the Gantt Chart will not inform you of this. Remember, to make a Gantt Chart is not the first thing you do when you start a project.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> * '''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory''' - This article gives a great overall explanations of the different aspects of the Gantt Chart. It also discusses something about risk mitigation which has not been mentioned in this wiki article.<br /> <br /> * '''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm''' - If you need more information regarding what a Gantt chart is, how to create a Gantt Chart or what software to use both for creating Gantt charts but also for project management in general then this page is a good place to start.<br /> <br /> * '''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on''' - This article talks about project management in general and looks at other ways of managing projects than by the use of a Gantt Chart. The article seems very critical about the Gantt Chart and brings another perspective to the topic. <br /> <br /> * '''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;''' - This paper describe the history of the Gantt Chart from the beginning of the 19th century. It is a very interesting read if you want to know more about the development of the Gantt Chart from then to now. It also provides a view on how Gantt Charts is used now since it regained its use after the 1960's.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=13929 2015-09-24T19:37:58Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, providing a simple example of the use of a Gantt Chart as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866. Approximately 15 years later, it was also created independently by an American engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861) &lt;ref&gt;[''www.gantt.com''] ''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;. It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be confusing to create a Gantt Chart through the use of different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chart was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and is today known as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Already from the mid 1920's the Gantt Charts were acknowledged as a production planning tool. &lt;ref&gt;[''Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation''] ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Though the Gantt Chart were a popular tool since the beginning it encountered some problems with the limited handling of information and it was speculated that computers would replace the Gantt Charts. Then in the 1950's and 1960's the Gantt Chart lost its popularity as the large scale production complexity were considered too complex. &lt;ref&gt;[''Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation''] ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; Today we have the technological advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen. &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> Even though this quote is 14 years old, it reminds us that exaggerating something whether if it is new technology or something else, can turn out to be disadvantageous. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another. There are several types of dependencies and Allan Orr &lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; identifies three of them as:<br /> <br /> * '''Finish to Start''' - This means that one activity must be finished before another one can start.<br /> * '''Start to Start''' - This means that the activities has to start at the same time but not necessarily finish at the same time.<br /> * '''Finish to Finish''' - This means that the activities has to finish at the same time but not necessarily start at the same time.<br /> <br /> There are however more types of dependencies. One that is missing from the dependencies that Allan Orr has identified is:<br /> <br /> *'''Start to Finish''' - This means that one activity has to start before another one can finish &lt;ref&gt;[''http://www.gantter.com''] ''http://www.gantter.com/help/task-dependencies/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> An example to show dependencies could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need. Otherwise, buying the light bulb would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed. This means that buying the light bulb and installing the lamp can begin at the same time to save time (Start to Start).<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain percentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One of the most important things to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that, alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of future plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning.&lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practice==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is crucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore you need to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. In Figure 1 and 2 it is hard to see exactly which activities are dependent on one another. However, it is assumed that one activity starts as soon as possible when its predecessor has been completed and that the planning of each activity does not inflict with the different dependencies. One way to help get an overview of the activities is through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can be seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Microsoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practice to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. As mentioned more details can be put into a Gantt Chart i.e. the way activities are dependent on each other. In order to see the interdependencies of activities in the project, arrows between the activities can be added to visualize which activities are connected. A simple illustration of this can be seen in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> '''Figure 3''' illustrates that an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. A predecessor activity is an activity that needs to be completed before you can start on the next activity (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, buying the lamp is a predecessor to installing the lamp. A successor activity is an activity that cannot start until the current activity has been completed (Finish to Start dependency). In the example with the light, turning on the switch is the successor activity to both installing the lamp '''and''' buying the light bulb. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project (See [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]] for more information on this topic).<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and you have a good overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> Because the Gantt Chart visually presents a projects information in regards to what needs to be done at what time, it is practically applicable in almost any situation where you need an overview of your activities and their time span though it might become quite complex to use for big projects.<br /> <br /> '''A short step-by-step guide on how to create a Gantt Chart'''<br /> * List all the activities that needs to be completed<br /> * Write down the earliest start date for each activity<br /> * Write down the duration of each activity<br /> * Write down if any activities are dependent on other activities to be completed<br /> * Make a column where you list every activity<br /> * Make a column for each day/week/month you think you project will take<br /> * Plot in your activities with horizontal bars with the length of the duration of the activity<br /> * If a task cannot be started before another one is completed, show this by starting the second task when the first is completed.<br /> You can use color coding to &quot;sort&quot; the activities, and connect them with arrows to show the interdependencies.<br /> <br /> <br /> Below video is a guide on how to create a Gantt Chart &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;:<br /> {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRNOXVKN9J0&amp;feature=youtu.be}}<br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> As with any other tool the Gantt Chart also has its limitations. Some of these limitations has been identified here.<br /> <br /> * The Gantt Chart requires the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to have been done (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]] for more information on this topic). Before this it makes absolutely no sense to try and create a Gantt Chart because you do not know which activities should be put into the chart.<br /> * It can get very complicated for big projects. Especially if it is on a computer where you have multiple pages of tasks etc. The more information the more bars, connecting lines, color codings etc. has to be put into the Gantt Chart. If you use a computer and the Gantt Chart takes up more space than a single screen it is quite easy to lose the overview thus making the Gantt Chart very hard to decipher. <br /> * Costs is not taking into consideration when using the Gantt Chart. Costs is usually what most companies tend to focus on and it is therefore a weakness that the Gantt chart is completely ignorant when it comes to costs.<br /> * The amount of work needed for each activity is not specified. It is just an estimation of the time span. Even though the amount of work needed has been calculated and estimated it is only the time estimation which is presented in the Gantt Chart. <br /> * It does not see the weak links between the different stages in the project. The Gantt Chart can show the links between activities but it has no information in regards to how sensitive these links are.<br /> <br /> <br /> The biggest limitation of the Gantt Chart though must be that alone the Gantt Chart is nothing more than a blunt tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating a Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> This section covers a list of software that can be used to create a Gantt Chart. There are many more &quot;pay to use&quot; programs than listed here and it is probably possible to find more &quot;free to use&quot; programs at well but the two listed here are the ones who I found to me most trustworthy.<br /> * Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.dreamspark.com''] ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * GanttProject - Free to use program. There is an instructional video on the webpage. &lt;ref&gt;[''sourceforge.net''] ''http://sourceforge.net/projects/ganttproject/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> * Microsoft Excel - If you have the Microsoft Office package you will also have excel. <br /> * MindView - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Smartsheet - There is a free trial period of 30 days.<br /> * Microsoft Project - Very expensive but also very professional tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> If you need a tool that can give you an overview of the time span of your activities and how they are dependent on one another then the Gantt Chart will be a fine choice. If your project is a small project the Gantt Chart might be one of the best tools you can use. However, if your project is big with many different activities and interrelations between these activities the Gantt Chart might not be the best solution as it tends to become too complex to get an easy overview. <br /> Before you begin with the Gantt Chart it is important that you have done the pre-work like making a project plan, WBS, time estimation etc. as the Gantt Chart will not be able to do this for you and if something is left out the Gantt Chart will not inform you of this. Remember, to make a Gantt Chart is not the first thing you do when you start a project.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> * '''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory''' - This article gives a great overall explanations of the different aspects of the Gantt Chart. It also discusses something about risk mitigation which has not been mentioned in this wiki article.<br /> <br /> * '''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm''' - If you need more information regarding what a Gantt chart is, how to create a Gantt Chart or what software to use both for creating Gantt charts but also for project management in general then this page is a good place to start.<br /> <br /> * '''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Management Moving on''' - This article talks about project management in general and looks at other ways of managing projects than by the use of a Gantt Chart. The article seems very critical about the Gantt Chart and brings another perspective to the topic. <br /> <br /> * '''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;''' - This paper describe the history of the Gantt Chart from the beginning of the 19th century. It is a very interesting read if you want to know more about the development of the Gantt Chart from then to now. It also provides a view on how Gantt Charts is used now since it regained its use after the 1960's.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=13450 2015-09-23T20:24:50Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, providing a simple example of the use of a Gantt Chart as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866. Approximately 15 years later, it was also created independantly by an american engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861) &lt;ref&gt;[''www.gantt.com''] ''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;. It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be confusing to create a Gantt Chart through the use of different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chartt was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and is today known as &quot;the Gant Chart&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Already from the mid 1920's the Gantt Charts were acknowledged as a production planning tool. &lt;ref&gt;[''Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation''] ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Though the Gantt Chart were a popular tool since the beginning it encountered some problems with the limited handling of information and it was speculated that computers would replace the Gantt Charts. Then in the 1950's and 1960's the Gantt Chart lost its popularity as the large scale production complexity were considered too complex. &lt;ref&gt;[''Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation''] ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; Today we have the technological advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen. &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another which means that one activity may not begin before another activity has finished. This '''does not''' mean that multiple activities can not be worked on at the same time it merely means that some activities might be connected. <br /> <br /> An example could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need otherwise this task would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed.<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain percentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One of the most important things to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that, alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of future plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning.&lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practice==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is grucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore you need to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. In Figure 1 and 2 it is hard to see exactly which activities are dependent on one another. However, it is assumed that one activity starts as soon as possible when its predecessor has been completed. One way to help get an overview of the activities is through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can be seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Microsoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practice to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. As mentioned more details can be put into a Gantt Chart i.e. the way activities are dependent on each other. In order to see the interdependencies of activities in the project, arrows between the activities can be added to visualize which activities are connected. A simple illustration of this can be seen in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> '''Figure 3''' illustrates that an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. A predecessor activity is an activity that needs to be completed before you can start on the next activity. In the example with the light, buying the lamp is a predecessor to installing the lamp. A successor activity is an activity that cannot start until the current activity has been completed. In the example with the light, turning on the switch is the successor activity to both installing the lamp '''and''' buying the light bulb. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project (See [[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]] for more information on this topic).<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and you have a good overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> Because the Gantt Chart visually presents a projects information in regards to what needs to be done at what time, it is practically applicable in almost any situation where you need an overview of your activities and their time span though it might become quite complex to use for big projects.<br /> <br /> '''A short step-by-step guide on how to create a Gantt Chart'''<br /> * List all the activities that needs to be completed<br /> * Write down the earliest start date for each activity<br /> * Write down the duration of each activity<br /> * Write down if any activities are dependent on other activities to be completed<br /> * Make a column where you list every activity<br /> * Make a column for each day/week/month you think you project will take<br /> * Plot in your activities with horizontal bars with the length of the duration of the activity<br /> * If a task cannot be started before another one is completed, show this by starting the second task when the first is completed.<br /> You can use color coding to &quot;sort&quot; the activities, and connect them with arrows to show the interdependencies.<br /> <br /> <br /> Below video is a guide on how to create a Gantt Chart &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;:<br /> {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRNOXVKN9J0&amp;feature=youtu.be}}<br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> As with any other tool the Gantt Chart also has its limitations. Some of these limitations has been identified here.<br /> <br /> * The Gantt Chart requires the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to have been done (see [[Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]] for more information on this topic). Before this it makes absolutely no sense to try and create a Gantt Chart because you do not know which activities should be put into the chart.<br /> * It can get very complicated for big projects. Especially if it is on a computer where you have multiple pages of tasks etc. The more information the more bars, connecting lines, color codings etc. has to be put into the Gantt Chart. If you use a computer and the Gantt Chart takes up more space than a single screen it is quite easy to lose the overview thus making the Gantt Chart very hard to decipher. <br /> * Costs is not taking into consideration when using the Gantt Chart. Costs is usually what most companies tend to focus on and it is therefore a weakness that the Gantt chart is completely ignorant when it comes to costs.<br /> * The amount of work needed for each activity is not specified. It is just an estimation of the time span. Even though the amount of work needed has been calculated and estimated it is only the time estimation which is presented in the Gantt Chart. <br /> * It does not see the weak links between the different stages in the project. The Gantt Chart can show the links between activities but it has no information in regards to how sensitive these links are.<br /> <br /> <br /> The biggest limitation of the Gantt Chart though must be that alone the Gant Chart is nothing more than a blunt tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating a Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> This section covers a list of software that can be used to create a Gantt Chart. There are many more &quot;pay to use&quot; programs than listed here and it is probably possible to find more &quot;free to use&quot; programs at well but the two listed here are the ones who I found to me most trustworthy.<br /> * Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.dreamspark.com''] ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * GanttProject - Free to use program. There is an instructional video on the webpage. &lt;ref&gt;[''sourceforge.net''] ''http://sourceforge.net/projects/ganttproject/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> * Microsoft Excel - If you have the Microsoft Office package you will also have excel. <br /> * MindView - There is a free trial period of 30 days <br /> * Smartsheet - There is a free trial period of 30 days<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> If you need a tool that can give you an overview of the time span of your activities and how they are dependent on one another then the Gantt Chart will be a fine choice. If your project is a small project the Gantt Chart might be one of the best tools you can use. However, if your project is big with many different activities and interrelations between these activities the Gantt Chart might not be the best solution as it tends to become too complex to get an easy overview. <br /> Before you begin with the Gantt Chart it is important that you have done the pre-work like making a project plan, WBS, time estimation etc. as the Gantt Chart will not be able to do this for you and if something is left out the Gantt Chart will not inform you of this. Remember, to make a Gantt Chart is not the first thing you do when you start a project.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> * '''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory''' - This article gives a great overall explanations of the different aspects of the Gantt Chart. It also discusses something about risk mitigation which has not been mentioned in this wiki article.<br /> <br /> * '''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm''' - If you need more information regarding what a Gantt chart is, how to create a Gantt Chart or what software to use both for creating Gantt charts but also for project management in general then this page is a good place to start.<br /> <br /> * '''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on''' - This article talks about project management in general and looks at other ways of managing projects than by the use of a Gantt Chart. The article seems very critical about the Gantt Chart and brings another perspective to the topic. <br /> <br /> * '''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;''' - This paper describe the history of the Gantt Chart from the beginning of the 19th century. It is a very interesting read if you want to know more about the development of the Gant Chart from then to now. It also provides a view on how Gant Charts is used now since it regained its use after the 1960's.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=File:Gantt_Visio.png&diff=13438 2015-09-23T19:04:24Z

<p>S103183: S103183 uploaded a new version of &amp;quot;File:Gantt Visio.png&amp;quot;: Reverted to version as of 08:26, 21 September 2015</p> <hr /> <div>Example of a Gantt Chart made in Visio</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=File:Gantt_Visio.png&diff=13437 2015-09-23T19:01:24Z

<p>S103183: S103183 uploaded a new version of &amp;quot;File:Gantt Visio.png&amp;quot;: Reverted to version as of 18:59, 23 September 2015</p> <hr /> <div>Example of a Gantt Chart made in Visio</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=File:Gantt_Visio.png&diff=13436 2015-09-23T19:01:02Z

<p>S103183: S103183 uploaded a new version of &amp;quot;File:Gantt Visio.png&amp;quot;: This is an example of a Gantt Chart made in visio</p> <hr /> <div>Example of a Gantt Chart made in Visio</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=File:Gantt_Visio.png&diff=13435 2015-09-23T18:59:21Z

<p>S103183: S103183 uploaded a new version of &amp;quot;File:Gantt Visio.png&amp;quot;</p> <hr /> <div>Example of a Gantt Chart made in Visio</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Talk:Management_of_Project_Change&diff=12952 2015-09-22T19:18:44Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>Mette: I like your idea. It seems like you want to look at different theories, model and methods in your article for have to manage project changes, but maybe you should consider to just focus on one or two model/method. This way it is possible to go deeper with the chosen model(s) and to discuss the differens between the use of the models.<br /> <br /> ==s150799 reviewer nr.1==<br /> ===Overall impression:=== <br /> * The article has a good structure, correct use of the Wiki-style. There is a good balance of the different topics.<br /> * Good use of examples, it makes it easy to understand the concept. <br /> * Good explanation too graphical illustration in the text, this gives a good overall appearance and is highly effective. <br /> * “Management of Project Change” is an interesting project management tool, and the text explain it so it is easily understood.<br /> <br /> ===Improvement areas: ===<br /> * There are some grammatical errors. Mostly spelling and some sentences that are missing words like “the, are, is”. To increase the flow for the reader this should be corrected. For example :”… very difficult thing master.,” where “to” is missing to complete the sentence. <br /> *To me the reference list is not easy to understand, but it is most likely not completed. <br /> *There is no annotated bibliography or description of limitation of this tool before the conclusion. <br /> <br /> ===Suggestion of improvement:===<br /> *The reference list should maintain name of the author, the name of the page the article is collected and sometimes the date it is read. This is so that it is easier to quickly see where the source is from, and if it is legit. <br /> *The pictures are a little small; the text can be hard to read. So adjusting them up would improve the quality. <br /> *I would suggest to make a own section about limitation of the tool, so that there is more discussion and not just explanation of theories.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> '''s103183, Reviewer 3:'''<br /> <br /> * Overall a very nice article. It easy to understand and follow the flow of the article.<br /> * You have some nice models and you explain them well. However you might want to change ”Model 2” to ”Model 3” in the section ”The value for money (value and cost) phase).<br /> * Some places the wording is a bit weird or some words are missing like ”the changes not will result”. It is also called the fourth and fifth where you mention the activities from Model 2. I think these mistakes are a typo but try to read the article again in a day or two and pay attention as it can be disturbing when reading the article.<br /> * One of the things I feel like is missing from the article is a Limitation section where you discuss some of the limitations regarding the topic.<br /> * It seems as something went wrong with the reference list. Maybe take a look at some of the other articles and see how they have used their references. I would also like if you could put in references for the models you use.<br /> * I would recommend adding an ”Annotated Bibliography” as it is expected according to the guidelines for the articles.</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Talk:Risk_Profile_in_Turnkey_Projects&diff=12951 2015-09-22T19:17:32Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>Review 1:<br /> *Good work. <br /> *Nice abstract. It comes around the article in a good way and you stick to the guideline from the abstract all the way. Only recommendation about the context in the abstract is to change your sentences so they don’t start with BUT, it’s not great. (there are two BUT-sentences in the first subparagraph)<br /> *After a few times reading the definitions it made sense. Maybe read it again with focus on making it very logical and clear. Take the reader by the hand; he/she should be able to understand it first time reading it. <br /> *It would have been nice with a few more references through the first few paragraphs about benefits and limitations.<br /> *Try to find a way maybe with “dots” or with smaller letters to clarify that the three aspects in risk are subtitles; right now they have the same size as the titles.<br /> *Again missing references later in the article.<br /> *Maybe write a conclusion to sum up the article.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> '''s103183, Reviewer 2:'''<br /> <br /> * There is a good structure in the article. There is a nice flow and I like that you introduce the two topics individually before mixing them together.<br /> * It feel that the use of 8 different references show that you have investigated the topic of the article.<br /> * There are some mistakes in the wording such as: ”do not have to proper technical knowledge” and then this sentence is a bit hard to understand for me ”to complete the work as fast as cheap as possible to achieve their financial goals this might collide with the quality of the finished project.” Try to read the article again in a day or two and pay attention to the wording.<br /> * I would maybe make the titles for the three aspects of risk profiling smaller. For me it is not so clear that they are part of the ”Structure” part of the article.<br /> * There are no references for the figures and they are all named figure 1 which is kinda confusing.<br /> * I would like just a bit more description of the 2nd and 3rd figure.<br /> * You mention Ling (2005) in the section ”Use of risk profile in turnkey projects) but there is no reference.<br /> * You mention risk factors in the construction industry, do these apply to other industries as well and maybe you could mention some risk factors from other industries?<br /> * I would suggest adding an example of how to use the three aspects of risk profiling as I feel this is something I am missing. <br /> * The parts ”capacity of risk” and ”required risk” are a bit short and you could maybe benefit from adding a bit more in these sections.<br /> * As a final note the ”Annotated Bibliography” is missing which I recommend not to forget.</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Talk:The_Critical_Path_Method_(CPM)&diff=12949 2015-09-22T19:15:47Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>Anna: <br /> Very nice topic that focuses on a specific tool. <br /> It seems that you have a good grasp on the structure and that you will follow the requirements stated.<br /> <br /> <br /> '''Review 2, Nannats'''<br /> * I think it is nice that you have linked to some of the other wiki articles – you are good at doing that through the entire article :-)<br /> * I think that the language through the article is good, and easy to understand.<br /> * In my opinion, the section ‘Guidance on use’, is long and with a lot of text. You could consider making a subsection with either the ‘challenges’ that you mention or the ‘Fast Tracking or Crashing’ part.<br /> * In my point of view, I miss something (maybe a guidance) on how to find the critical path, maybe with an example. The section with the ‘Tool and Method’ does not quite seem to be finish? <br /> * The discussion part on the limitations is good, it seems like you touch a lot of different aspects. <br /> * Under ‘Additional reading’ you write something about ''&quot;more information on the Cynefin Framework&quot;'' – I think that must be a mistake? :-)<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> '''s103183, Reviewer 1:'''<br /> <br /> *'''!!!!!I Made this review just before class today, but just noticed that a lot has changed since then!!!!!'''<br /> * I like the overall structure of the article and the introduction and that the introduction to CPM is no to detailed and hard to follow. <br /> * The first thing I notice however is that the article is not yet finished as several parts are missing. <br /> * A good thing is that you seem to have a lot of different references which shows that you have reseached the topic even though the article is far from finished.<br /> * I would recommend to put in an example of how to use it or somehow show how to use the method when you finish the article.<br /> * An idea could be to give a short description of the additional reading, what it contains etc. <br /> * As a last comment I would recommend to change the text in the ”Additional reading part” from ”the Cynefin Framework” to something like ”The Critical Path Method”.</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=11142 2015-09-21T18:40:57Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, providing a simple example of the use of a Gantt Chart as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866) but was later also created independantly by an american engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861) &lt;ref&gt;[''www.gantt.com''] ''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;. It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be very confusing to create a Gantt Chart by using different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chartt was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and is today known as &quot;the Gant Chart&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Already from the mid 1920's the Gantt Charts were acknowledged as a production planning tool. &lt;ref&gt;[''Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation''] ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Though the Gantt Chart were a popular tool since the beginning it encountered some problems with the limited handling of information and it was speculated that computers would replace the Gantt Charts. Then in the 1950's and 1960's the Gantt Chart lost its popularity as the large scale production complexity were considered too complex. &lt;ref&gt;[''Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation''] ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; Today we have the technology advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen. &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another which means that one activity may not begin before another activity has finished. This '''does not''' mean that multiple activities can not be worked on at the same time it merely means that some activities might be connected. <br /> <br /> An example could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need otherwise this task would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed.<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain oercentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One of the most important things to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that, alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of future plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning.&lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practise==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is grucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore you need to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to easily get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. One way to help get an overview of the activities is through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can bee seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Micosoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practise to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. There are as mentioned ealier more details that can be put into a Gantt Chart. To better see the interdependencies of the activities in the project one can add these links between the activities graphically to the Gantt Chart by using arrows as shown in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> As can be seen in '''Figure 3''' an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project.<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and you have a good overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> Because the Gantt Chart visually presents a projects information in regards to what needs to be done at what time, it is practically applicable in almost any situation where you need an overview of your activities and their time span though it might become too complex to use for big projects.<br /> <br /> <br /> Below video is a guide on how to create a Gantt Chart &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;:<br /> {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRNOXVKN9J0&amp;feature=youtu.be}}<br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> As with any other tool the Gantt Chart also has its limitations. Some of these limitations has been identified here.<br /> <br /> * The Gantt Chart requires the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to have been done. Before this it makes absolutely no sense to try and create a Gantt Chart because you do not know which activities should be put into the chart.<br /> * It can get very complicated for big projects. Especially if it is on a computer where you have multiple pages of tasks etc. The more information the more bars, connecting lines, color codings etc. has to be put into the Gantt Chart. If you use a computer and the Gantt Chart takes up more space than a single screen it is quite easy to lose the overview thus making the Gantt Chart very hard to decipher. <br /> * Costs is not taking into consideration when using the Gantt Chart. Costs is usually what most companies tend to focus on and it is therefore a weakness that the Gantt chart is completely ignorant when it comes to costs.<br /> * The amount of work needed for each activity is not specified. It is just an estimation of the time span. Even though the amount of work needed has been calculated and estimated it is only the time estimation which is presented in the Gantt Chart. <br /> * It does not see the weak links between the different stages in the project. The Gantt Chart can show the links between activities but it has no information in regards to how sensitive these links are.<br /> <br /> <br /> The biggest limitation of the Gantt Chart though must be that alone the Gant Chart is nothing more than a blunt tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating a Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> This section covers a list of software that can be used to create a Gantt Chart. There are many more &quot;pay to use&quot; programs than listed here and it is probably possible to find more &quot;free to use&quot; programs at well but the two listed here are the ones who I found to me most trustworthy.<br /> * Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.dreamspark.com''] ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * GanttProject - Free to use program. There is an instructional video on the webpage. &lt;ref&gt;[''sourceforge.net''] ''http://sourceforge.net/projects/ganttproject/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> * Microsoft Excel - If you have the Microsoft Office package you will also have excel. <br /> * MindView - There is a free trial period of 30 days <br /> * Smartsheet - There is a free trial period of 30 days<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> If you need a tool that can give you an overview of the time span of your activities and how they are dependent on one another then the Gantt Chart will be a fine choice. If your project is a small project the Gantt Chart might be one of the best tools you can use. However, if your project is big with many different activities and interrelations between these activities the Gantt Chart might not be the best solution as it tends to become too complex to get an easy overview. <br /> Before you begin with the Gantt Chart it is important that you have done the pre-work like making a project plan, WBS, time estimation etc. as the Gantt Chart will not be able to do this for you and if something is left out the Gantt Chart will not inform you of this. Remember, to make a Gantt Chart is not the first thing you do when you start a project.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> * '''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory''' - This article gives a great overall explanations of the different aspects of the Gantt Chart. It also discusses something about risk mitigation which has not been mentioned in this wiki article.<br /> <br /> * '''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm''' - If you need more information regarding what a Gantt chart is, how to create a Gantt Chart or what software to use both for creating Gantt charts but also for project management in general then this page is a good place to start.<br /> <br /> * '''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on''' - This article talks about project management in general and looks at other ways of managing projects than by the use of a Gantt Chart. The article seems very critical about the Gantt Chart and brings another perspective to the topic. <br /> <br /> * '''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;''' - This paper describe the history of the Gantt Chart from the beginning of the 19th century. It is a very interesting read if you want to know more about the development of the Gant Chart from then to now. It also provides a view on how Gant Charts is used now since it regained its use after the 1960's.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=11110 2015-09-21T18:34:52Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, providing a simple example of the use of a Gantt Chart as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866) but was later also created independantly by an american engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861) &lt;ref&gt;[''www.gantt.com''] ''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;. It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be very confusing to create a Gantt Chart by using different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chartt was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and is today known as &quot;the Gant Chart&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Already from the mid 1920's the Gantt Charts were acknowledged as a production planning tool. &lt;ref&gt;[''Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation''] ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Though the Gantt Chart were a popular tool since the beginning it encountered some problems with the limited handling of information and it was speculated that computers would replace the Gantt Charts. Then in the 1950's and 1960's the Gantt Chart lost its popularity as the large scale production complexity were considered too complex. &lt;ref&gt;[''Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation''] ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; Today we have the technology advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen. &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another which means that one activity may not begin before another activity has finished. This '''does not''' mean that multiple activities can not be worked on at the same time it merely means that some activities might be connected. <br /> <br /> An example could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need otherwise this task would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed.<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain oercentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One of the most important things to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that, alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of future plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning. &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practise==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is grucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore you need to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to easily get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. One way to help get an overview of the activities is through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can bee seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Micosoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practise to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. There are as mentioned ealier more details that can be put into a Gantt Chart. To better see the interdependencies of the activities in the project one can add these links between the activities graphically to the Gantt Chart by using arrows as shown in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> As can be seen in '''Figure 3''' an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project.<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and you have a good overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> Because the Gantt Chart visually presents a projects information in regards to what needs to be done at what time, it is practically applicable in almost any situation where you need an overview of your activities and their time span though it might become too complex to use for big projects.<br /> <br /> <br /> Below video is a guide on how to create a Gantt Chart &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;:<br /> {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRNOXVKN9J0&amp;feature=youtu.be}}<br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> As with any other tool the Gantt Chart also has its limitations. It is important to note that these limitations are for the Gantt Chart itself.<br /> <br /> * The Gantt Chart requires the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to have been done. Before this it makes absolutely no sense to try and create a Gantt Chart because you do not know which activities should be put into the chart.<br /> * It can get very complicated for big projects. Especially if it is on a computer where you have multiple pages of tasks etc. The more information the more bars, connecting lines, color codings etc. has to be put into the Gantt Chart. If you use a computer and the Gantt Chart takes up more space than a single screen it is quite easy to lose the overview thus making the Gantt Chart very hard to decipher. <br /> * Costs is not taking into consideration when using the Gantt Chart. Costs is usually what most companies tend to focus on and it is therefore a weakness that the Gantt chart is completely ignorant when it comes to costs.<br /> * The amount of work needed for each activity is not specified. It is just an estimation of the time span. Even though the amount of work needed has been calculated and estimated it is only the time estimation which is presented in the Gantt Chart. <br /> * It does not see the weak links between the different stages in the project. The Gantt Chart can show the links between activities but it has no information in regards to how sensitive these links are.<br /> <br /> <br /> The biggest limitation of the Gantt Chart though must be that alone the Gant Chart is nothing more than a blunt tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating a Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> This section covers a list of software that can be used to create a Gantt Chart. There are many more &quot;pay to use&quot; programs than listed here and it is probably possible to find more &quot;free to use&quot; programs at well but the two listed here are the ones who I found to me most trustworthy.<br /> * Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.dreamspark.com''] ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * GanttProject - Free to use program. There is an instructional video on the webpage. &lt;ref&gt;[''sourceforge.net''] ''http://sourceforge.net/projects/ganttproject/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> * Microsoft Excel - If you have the Microsoft Office package you will also have excel. <br /> * MindView - There is a free trial period of 30 days <br /> * Smartsheet - There is a free trial period of 30 days<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> If you need a tool that can give you an overview of the time span of your activities and how they are dependent on one another then the Gantt Chart will be a fine choice. If your project is a small project the Gantt Chart might be one of the best tools you can use. However, if your project is big with many different activities and interrelations between these activities the Gantt Chart might not be the best solution as it tends to become too complex to get an easy overview. <br /> Before you begin with the Gantt Chart it is important that you have done the pre-work like making a project plan, WBS, time estimation etc. as the Gantt Chart will not be able to do this for you and if something is left out the Gantt Chart will not inform you of this.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> * '''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory''' - This article gives a great overall explanations of the different aspects of the Gantt Chart. It also discusses something about risk mitigation which has not been mentioned in this wiki article.<br /> <br /> * '''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm''' - If you need more information regarding what a Gantt chart is, how to create a Gantt Chart or what software to use both for creating Gantt charts but also for project management in general then this page is a good place to start.<br /> <br /> * '''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on''' - This article talks about project management in general and looks at other ways of managing projects than by the use of a Gantt Chart. The article seems very critical about the Gantt Chart and brings another perspective to the topic. <br /> <br /> * '''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;''' - This paper describe the history of the Gantt Chart from the beginning of the 19th century. It is a very interesting read if you want to know more about the development of the Gant Chart from then to now. It also provides a view on how Gant Charts is used now since it regained its use after the 1960's.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=11064 2015-09-21T18:25:41Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, providing a simple example of the use of a Gantt Chart as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866) but was later also created independantly by an american engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861) &lt;ref&gt;[''www.gantt.com''] ''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;. It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be very confusing to create a Gantt Chart by using different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chartt was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and is today known as &quot;the Gant Chart&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;. Already from the mid 1920's the Gantt Charts were acknowledged as a production planning tool. &lt;ref&gt;[''Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation''] ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Though the Gantt Chart were a popular tool since the beginning it encountered some problems with the limited handling of information and it was speculated that computers would replace the Gantt Charts. Then in the 1950's and 1960's the Gantt Chart lost its popularity as the large scale production complexity were considered too complex. &lt;ref&gt;[''Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation''] ''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;, ''European Journal of Operational Research 149 (2003) 430-437'' '' &lt;/ref&gt; Today we have the technology advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen. &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another which means that one activity may not begin before another activity has finished. This '''does not''' mean that multiple activities can not be worked on at the same time it merely means that some activities might be connected. <br /> <br /> An example could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need otherwise this task would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed.<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain oercentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One of the most important things to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that, alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of future plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning. &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practise==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is grucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore you need to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to easily get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. One way to help get an overview of the activities is through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can bee seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Micosoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practise to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. There are as mentioned ealier more details that can be put into a Gantt Chart. To better see the interdependencies of the activities in the project one can add these links between the activities graphically to the Gantt Chart by using arrows as shown in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> As can be seen in '''Figure 3''' an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project.<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and you have a good overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> Because the Gantt Chart visually presents a projects information in regards to what needs to be done at what time, it is practically applicable in almost any situation where you need an overview of your activities and their time span though it might become too complex to use for big projects.<br /> <br /> <br /> Below video is a guide on how to create a Gantt Chart &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;:<br /> {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRNOXVKN9J0&amp;feature=youtu.be}}<br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> As with any other tool the Gantt Chart also has its limitations. It is important to note that these limitations are for the Gantt Chart itself.<br /> <br /> * The Gantt Chart requires the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to have been done.<br /> * It can get very complicated for big projects. Especially if it is on a computer where you have multiple pages of tasks etc.<br /> * Cost is not taking into consideration when using the Gantt Chart.<br /> * The amount of work needed for each activity is not specified. It is just an estimation of the time span.<br /> * It does not see the weak links between the different stages in the project. <br /> <br /> <br /> The biggest limitation of the Gantt Chart though must be that alone the Gant Chart is nothing more than a blunt tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating a Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> This section covers a list of software that can be used to create a Gantt Chart. There are many more &quot;pay to use&quot; programs than listed here and it is probably possible to find more &quot;free to use&quot; programs at well but the two listed here are the ones who I found to me most trustworthy.<br /> * Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.dreamspark.com''] ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * GanttProject - Free to use program. There is an instructional video on the webpage. &lt;ref&gt;[''sourceforge.net''] ''http://sourceforge.net/projects/ganttproject/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> * Microsoft Excel - If you have the Microsoft Office package you will also have excel. <br /> * MindView - There is a free trial period of 30 days <br /> * Smartsheet - There is a free trial period of 30 days<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> If you need a tool that can give you an overview of the time span of your activities and how they are dependent on one another then the Gantt Chart will be a fine choice. If your project is a small project the Gantt Chart might be one of the best tools you can use. However, if your project is big with many different activities and interrelations between these activities the Gantt Chart might not be the best solution as it tends to become too complex to get an easy overview. <br /> Before you begin with the Gantt Chart it is important that you have done the pre-work like making a project plan, WBS, time estimation etc. as the Gantt Chart will not be able to do this for you and if something is left out the Gantt Chart will not inform you of this.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> * '''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory''' - This article gives a great overall explanations of the different aspects of the Gantt Chart. It also discusses something about risk mitigation which has not been mentioned in this wiki article.<br /> <br /> * '''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm''' - If you need more information regarding what a Gantt chart is, how to create a Gantt Chart or what software to use both for creating Gantt charts but also for project management in general then this page is a good place to start.<br /> <br /> * '''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on''' - This article talks about project management in general and looks at other ways of managing projects than by the use of a Gantt Chart. The article seems very critical about the Gantt Chart and brings another perspective to the topic. <br /> <br /> * '''Wilson, James M. (2003) &quot;Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation&quot;''' - This paper describe the history of the Gantt Chart from the beginning of the 19th century. It is a very interesting read if you want to know more about the development of the Gant Chart from then to now. It also provides a view on how Gant Charts is used now since it regained its use after the 1960's.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=10870 2015-09-21T17:12:54Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, providing a simple example of the use of a Gantt Chart as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866) but was later also created independantly by an american engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861) &lt;ref&gt;[''www.gantt.com''] ''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;. It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be very confusing to create a Gantt Chart by using different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chartt was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and it became very polular which is why it is known today as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;. In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Today we have the technology advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen. &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another which means that one activity may not begin before another activity has finished. This '''does not''' mean that multiple activities can not be worked on at the same time it merely means that some activities might be connected. <br /> <br /> An example could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need otherwise this task would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed.<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain oercentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One of the most important things to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that, alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of future plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning. &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practise==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is grucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore you need to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to easily get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. One way to help get an overview of the activities is through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can bee seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Micosoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practise to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. There are as mentioned ealier more details that can be put into a Gantt Chart. To better see the interdependencies of the activities in the project one can add these links between the activities graphically to the Gantt Chart by using arrows as shown in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> As can be seen in '''Figure 3''' an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project.<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and you have a good overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> Because the Gantt Chart visually presents a projects information in regards to what needs to be done at what time, it is practically applicable in almost any situation where you need an overview of your activities and their time span though it might become too complex to use for big projects.<br /> <br /> <br /> Below video is a guide on how to create a Gantt Chart &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;:<br /> {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRNOXVKN9J0&amp;feature=youtu.be}}<br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> As with any other tool the Gantt Chart also has its limitations. It is important to note that these limitations are for the Gantt Chart itself.<br /> <br /> * The Gantt Chart requires the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to have been done.<br /> * It can get very complicated for big projects. Especially if it is on a computer where you have multiple pages of tasks etc.<br /> * Cost is not taking into consideration when using the Gantt Chart.<br /> * The amount of work needed for each activity is not specified. It is just an estimation of the time span.<br /> * It does not see the weak links between the different stages in the project. <br /> <br /> <br /> The biggest limitation of the Gantt Chart though must be that alone the Gant Chart is nothing more than a blunt tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating a Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> This section covers a list of software that can be used to create a Gantt Chart. There are many more &quot;pay to use&quot; programs than listed here and it is probably possible to find more &quot;free to use&quot; programs at well but the two listed here are the ones who I found to me most trustworthy.<br /> * Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.dreamspark.com''] ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * GanttProject - Free to use program. There is an instructional video on the webpage. &lt;ref&gt;[''sourceforge.net''] ''http://sourceforge.net/projects/ganttproject/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> * Microsoft Excel - If you have the Microsoft Office package you will also have excel. <br /> * MindView - There is a free trial period of 30 days <br /> * Smartsheet - There is a free trial period of 30 days<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> If you need a tool that can give you an overview of the time span of your activities and how they are dependent on one another then the Gantt Chart will be a fine choice. If your project is a small project the Gantt Chart might be one of the best tools you can use. However, if your project is big with many different activities and interrelations between these activities the Gantt Chart might not be the best solution as it tends to become too complex to get an easy overview. <br /> Before you begin with the Gantt Chart it is important that you have done the pre-work like making a project plan, WBS, time estimation etc. as the Gantt Chart will not be able to do this for you and if something is left out the Gantt Chart will not inform you of this.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> * '''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory''' - This article gives a great overall explanations of the different aspects of the Gantt Chart. It also discusses something about risk mitigation which has not been mentioned in this wiki article.<br /> <br /> * '''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm''' - If you need more information regarding what a Gantt chart is, how to create a Gantt Chart or what software to use both for creating Gantt charts but also for project management in general then this page is a good place to start.<br /> <br /> * '''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on''' - This article talks about project management in general and looks at other ways of managing projects than by the use of a Gantt Chart. The article seems very critical about the Gantt Chart and brings another perspective to the topic. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=10443 2015-09-21T13:43:05Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, providing a simple example of the use of a Gantt Chart as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866) but was later also created independantly by an american engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861) &lt;ref&gt;[''www.gantt.com''] ''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;. It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be very confusing to create a Gantt Chart by using different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chartt was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and it became very polular which is why it is known today as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;. In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Today we have the technology advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen. &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another which means that one activity may not begin before another activity has finished. This '''does not''' mean that multiple activities can not be worked on at the same time it merely means that some activities might be connected. <br /> <br /> An example could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need otherwise this task would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed.<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain oercentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One of the most important things to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that, alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of future plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning. &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practise==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is grucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore you need to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to easily get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. One way to help get an overview of the activities is through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can bee seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Micosoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practise to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. There are as mentioned ealier more details that can be put into a Gantt Chart. To better see the interdependencies of the activities in the project one can add these links between the activities graphically to the Gantt Chart by using arrows as shown in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> As can be seen in '''Figure 3''' an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project.<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and you have a good overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> Because the Gantt Chart visually presents a projects information in regards to what needs to be done at what time, it is practically applicable in almost any situation where you need an overview of your activities and their time span though it might become too complex to use for big projects.<br /> <br /> <br /> Below video is a guide on how to create a Gantt Chart &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;:<br /> {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRNOXVKN9J0&amp;feature=youtu.be}}<br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> As with any other tool the Gantt Chart also has its limitations. It is important to note that these limitations are for the Gantt Chart itself.<br /> <br /> * The Gantt Chart requires the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to have been done.<br /> * It can get very complicated for big projects. Especially if it is on a computer where you have multiple pages of tasks etc.<br /> * Cost is not taking into consideration when using the Gantt Chart.<br /> * The amount of work needed for each activity is not specified. It is just an estimation of the time span.<br /> * It does not see the weak links between the different stages in the project. <br /> <br /> <br /> The biggest limitation of the Gantt Chart though must be that alone the Gant Chart is nothing more than a blunt tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating a Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> This section covers a list of software that can be used to create a Gantt Chart. There are many more &quot;pay to use&quot; programs than listed here and it is probably possible to find more &quot;free to use&quot; programs at well but the two listed here are the ones who I found to me most trustworthy.<br /> * Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.dreamspark.com''] ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * GanttProject - Free to use program. There is an instructional video on the webpage. &lt;ref&gt;[''sourceforge.net''] ''http://sourceforge.net/projects/ganttproject/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> * Microsoft Excel - If you have the Microsoft Office package you will also have excel. <br /> * MindView - There is a free trial period of 30 days <br /> * Smartsheet - There is a free trial period of 30 days<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> If you need a tool that can give you an overview of the time span of your activities and how they are dependent on one another then the Gantt Chart will be a fine choice. If your project is a small project the Gantt Chart might be one of the best tools you can use. However, if your project is big with many different activities and interrelations between these activities the Gantt Chart might not be the best solution as it tends to become too complex to get an easy overview. <br /> Before you begin with the Gantt Chart it is important that you have done the pre-work like making a project plan, WBS, time estimation etc. as the Gantt Chart will not be able to do this for you and if something is left out the Gantt Chart will not inform you of this.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> * '''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory''' - This article gives a great overall explanations of the different aspects of the Gantt Chart. It also discusses something about risk mitigation which has not been mentioned in this wiki article.<br /> <br /> * '''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm''' - If you need more information regarding what a Gantt chart is, how to create a Gantt Chart or what software to use both for creating Gantt charts but also for project management in general then this page is a good place to start.<br /> <br /> * '''<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=10420 2015-09-21T13:27:42Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, providing a simple example of the use of a Gantt Chart as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866) but was later also created independantly by an american engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861) &lt;ref&gt;[''www.gantt.com''] ''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;. It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be very confusing to create a Gantt Chart by using different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chartt was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and it became very polular which is why it is known today as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;. In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Today we have the technology advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen.<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another which means that one activity may not begin before another activity has finished. This '''does not''' mean that multiple activities can not be worked on at the same time it merely means that some activities might be connected. <br /> <br /> An example could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need otherwise this task would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed.<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain oercentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One of the most important things to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that, alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of future plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning. &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practise==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is grucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore you need to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to easily get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. One way to help get an overview of the activities is through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can bee seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Micosoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practise to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. There are as mentioned ealier more details that can be put into a Gantt Chart. To better see the interdependencies of the activities in the project one can add these links between the activities graphically to the Gantt Chart by using arrows as shown in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> As can be seen in '''Figure 3''' an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project.<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and you have a good overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> Because the Gantt Chart visually presents a projects information in regards to what needs to be done at what time, it is practically applicable in almost any situation where you need an overview of your activities and their time span though it might become too complex to use for big projects.<br /> <br /> <br /> Below video is a guide on how to create a Gantt Chart &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;:<br /> {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRNOXVKN9J0&amp;feature=youtu.be}}<br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> As with any other tool the Gantt Chart also has its limitations. It is important to note that these limitations are for the Gantt Chart itself.<br /> <br /> * The Gantt Chart requires the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to have been done.<br /> * It can get very complicated for big projects. Especially if it is on a computer where you have multiple pages of tasks etc.<br /> * Cost is not taking into consideration when using the Gantt Chart.<br /> * The amount of work needed for each activity is not specified. It is just an estimation of the time span.<br /> * It does not see the weak links between the different stages in the project. <br /> <br /> <br /> The biggest limitation of the Gantt Chart though must be that alone the Gant Chart is nothing more than a blunt tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating a Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> This section covers a list of software that can be used to create a Gantt Chart. There are many more &quot;pay to use&quot; programs than listed here and it is probably possible to find more &quot;free to use&quot; programs at well but the two listed here are the ones who I found to me most trustworthy.<br /> * Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.dreamspark.com''] ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * GanttProject - Free to use program. There is an instructional video on the webpage. &lt;ref&gt;[''sourceforge.net''] ''http://sourceforge.net/projects/ganttproject/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> * Microsoft Excel - If you have the Microsoft Office package you will also have excel. <br /> * MindView - There is a free trial period of 30 days <br /> * Smartsheet - There is a free trial period of 30 days<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> If you need a tool that can give you an overview of the time span of your activities and how they are dependent on one another then the Gantt Chart will be a fine choice. If your project is a small project the Gantt Chart might be one of the best tools you can use. However, if your project is big with many different activities and interrelations between these activities the Gantt Chart might not be the best solution as it tends to become too complex to get an easy overview. <br /> Before you begin with the Gantt Chart it is important that you have done the pre-work like making a project plan, WBS, time estimation etc. as the Gantt Chart will not be able to do this for you and if something is left out the Gantt Chart will not inform you of this.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=10417 2015-09-21T13:26:57Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, providing a simple example of the use of a Gantt Chart as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866) but was later also created independantly by an american engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861) &lt;ref&gt;[''www.gantt.com''] ''http://www.gantt.com/index.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;. It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be very confusing to create a Gantt Chart by using different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chartt was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and it became very polular which is why it is known today as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;. In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Today we have the technology advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen.<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another which means that one activity may not begin before another activity has finished. This '''does not''' mean that multiple activities can not be worked on at the same time it merely means that some activities might be connected. <br /> <br /> An example could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need otherwise this task would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed.<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain oercentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One of the most important things to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that, alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of future plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning. &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practise==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is grucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore you need to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to easily get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. One way to help get an overview of the activities is through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can bee seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Micosoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practise to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. There are as mentioned ealier more details that can be put into a Gantt Chart. To better see the interdependencies of the activities in the project one can add these links between the activities graphically to the Gantt Chart by using arrows as shown in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> As can be seen in '''Figure 3''' an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project.<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and you have a good overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> Because the Gantt Chart visually presents a projects information in regards to what needs to be done at what time, it is practically applicable in almost any situation where you need an overview of your activities and their time span though it might become too complex to use for big projects.<br /> <br /> <br /> Below video is a guide on how to create a Gantt Chart &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;:<br /> {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRNOXVKN9J0&amp;feature=youtu.be}}<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> As with any other tool the Gantt Chart also has its limitations. It is important to note that these limitations are for the Gantt Chart itself.<br /> <br /> * The Gantt Chart requires the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to have been done.<br /> * It can get very complicated for big projects. Especially if it is on a computer where you have multiple pages of tasks etc.<br /> * Cost is not taking into consideration when using the Gantt Chart.<br /> * The amount of work needed for each activity is not specified. It is just an estimation of the time span.<br /> * It does not see the weak links between the different stages in the project. <br /> <br /> <br /> The biggest limitation of the Gantt Chart though must be that alone the Gant Chart is nothing more than a blunt tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating a Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> This section covers a list of software that can be used to create a Gantt Chart. There are many more &quot;pay to use&quot; programs than listed here and it is probably possible to find more &quot;free to use&quot; programs at well but the two listed here are the ones who I found to me most trustworthy.<br /> * Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.dreamspark.com''] ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * GanttProject - Free to use program. There is an instructional video on the webpage. &lt;ref&gt;[''sourceforge.net''] ''http://sourceforge.net/projects/ganttproject/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> * Microsoft Excel - If you have the Microsoft Office package you will also have excel. <br /> * MindView - There is a free trial period of 30 days <br /> * Smartsheet - There is a free trial period of 30 days<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> If you need a tool that can give you an overview of the time span of your activities and how they are dependent on one another then the Gantt Chart will be a fine choice. If your project is a small project the Gantt Chart might be one of the best tools you can use. However, if your project is big with many different activities and interrelations between these activities the Gantt Chart might not be the best solution as it tends to become too complex to get an easy overview. <br /> Before you begin with the Gantt Chart it is important that you have done the pre-work like making a project plan, WBS, time estimation etc. as the Gantt Chart will not be able to do this for you and if something is left out the Gantt Chart will not inform you of this.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=10385 2015-09-21T12:58:35Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, providing a simple example of the use of a Gantt Chart as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866) but was later also created independantly by an american engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861). It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be very confusing to create a Gantt Chart by using different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chartt was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and it became very polular which is why it is known today as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;. In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Today we have the technology advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen.<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another which means that one activity may not begin before another activity has finished. This '''does not''' mean that multiple activities can not be worked on at the same time it merely means that some activities might be connected. <br /> <br /> An example could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need otherwise this task would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed.<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain oercentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One of the most important things to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that, alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of future plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning. &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practise==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is grucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore you need to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to easily get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. One way to help get an overview of the activities is through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can bee seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Micosoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practise to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. There are as mentioned ealier more details that can be put into a Gantt Chart. To better see the interdependencies of the activities in the project one can add these links between the activities graphically to the Gantt Chart by using arrows as shown in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> As can be seen in Figure 3 an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project.<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and you have a good overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> Because the Gantt Chart visually presents a projects information in regards to what needs to be done at what time, it is practically applicable in almost any situation where you need an overview of your activities and their time span though it might become too complex to use for big projects.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> As with any other tool the Gantt Chart also has its limitations. It is important to note that these limitations are for the Gantt Chart itself.<br /> <br /> * The Gantt Chart requires the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to have been done.<br /> * It can get very complicated for big projects. Especially if it is on a computer where you have multiple pages of tasks etc.<br /> * Cost is not taking into consideration when using the Gantt Chart.<br /> * The amount of work needed for each activity is not specified. It is just an estimation of the time span.<br /> * It does not see the weak links between the different stages in the project. <br /> <br /> <br /> The biggest limitation of the Gantt Chart though must be that alone the Gant Chart is nothing more than a blunt tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating Gantt Charts==<br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.dreamspark.com''] ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> If you need a tool that can give you an overview of the time span of your activities and how they are dependent on one another then the Gantt Chart will be a fine choice. If your project is a small project the Gantt Chart might be one of the best tools you can use. However, if your project is big with many different activities and interrelations between these activities the Gantt Chart might not be the best solution as it tends to become too complex to get an easy overview. <br /> Before you begin with the Gantt Chart it is important that you have done the pre-work like making a project plan, WBS, time estimation etc. as the Gantt Chart will not be able to do this for you and if something is left out the Gantt Chart will not inform you of this.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=10337 2015-09-21T12:38:19Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, providing a simple example of the use of a Gantt Chart as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866) but was later also created independantly by an american engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861). It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be very confusing to create a Gantt Chart by using different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chartt was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and it became very polular which is why it is known today as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;. In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Today we have the technology advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen.<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another which means that one activity may not begin before another activity has finished. This '''does not''' mean that multiple activities can not be worked on at the same time it merely means that some activities might be connected. <br /> <br /> An example could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need otherwise this task would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed.<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain oercentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One of the most important things to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that, alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of future plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practise==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is grucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore you need to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to easily get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. One way to help get an overview of the activities is through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can bee seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Micosoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practise to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. There are as mentioned ealier more details that can be put into a Gantt Chart. To better see the interdependencies of the activities in the project one can add these links between the activities graphically to the Gantt Chart by using arrows as shown in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> As can be seen in Figure 3 an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project.<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and you have a good overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> Because the Gantt Chart visually presents a projects information in regards to what needs to be done at what time, it is practically applicable in almost any situation where you need an overview of your activities and their time span though it might become too complex to use for big projects.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> As with any other tool the Gantt Chart also has its limitations. It is important to note that these limitations are for the Gantt Chart itself.<br /> <br /> * The Gantt Chart requires the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to have been done.<br /> * It can get very complicated for big projects. Especially if it is on a computer where you have multiple pages of tasks etc.<br /> * Cost is not taking into consideration when using the Gantt Chart.<br /> * The amount of work needed for each activity is not specified. It is just an estimation of the time span.<br /> * It does not see the weak links between the different stages in the project. <br /> <br /> <br /> The biggest limitation of the Gantt Chart though must be that alone the Gant Chart is nothing more than a blunt tool.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating Gantt Charts==<br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.dreamspark.com''] ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=10133 2015-09-21T10:14:04Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, providing a simple example of the use of a Gantt Chart as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866) but was later also created independantly by an american engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861). It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be very confusing to create a Gantt Chart by using different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chartt was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and it became very polular which is why it is known today as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;. In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Today we have the technology advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen.<br /> <br /> Though the use of technology seems very tempting as it eases the manual work a lot, a project director of a large construction company commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another which means that one activity may not begin before another activity has finished. This '''does not''' mean that multiple activities can not be worked on at the same time it merely means that some activities might be connected. <br /> <br /> An example could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need otherwise this task would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed.<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain oercentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time. &lt;ref&gt;[''Uncharted Territory''] ''Orr, Alan (2003) &quot;Uncharted Territory&quot;, ''IEE Engineering management 2003'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One of the most important things to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that, alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of future plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The Gantt Chart in practise==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is grucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore you need to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities within the project and also see the start and finish of the project itself. It should also be possible to easily get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. One way to help get an overview of the activities is through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can bee seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Micosoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrates a simple way of using a Gantt Chart in practise to get an overview of the activities that has to be done. There are as mentioned ealier more details that can be put into a Gantt Chart. To better see the interdependencies of the activities in the project one can add these links between the activities graphically to the Gantt Chart by using arrows as shown in Figure 3.<br /> [[File:Gantt links.png|right|thumb|Figure 3: Example of dependencies between activities, Source: http://www.gantt.com/creating-gantt-charts.htm]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> As can be seen in Figure 3 an activity can have both a predecessor activity and a successor activity. Depending on the size of the project an activity might have several predecessor activities and several successor activities. By adding the linkage between the activities to the Gantt Chart it also becomes possible to identify the '''critical path''' in the project. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project.<br /> <br /> When the Gantt Chart has been made and you have a good overview of the project it is '''very important''' to keep it updated. When a change to the project happens it is very important that this change is somehow converted into information that can be put into the Gantt Chart and thereby update the Gantt Chart and see what effect the change has on the project. Some changes might not affect the timetable of the project but other changes might be crucial for the outcome of the project and change the timetable drastically. If these changes are not put into the Gantt Chart but the Gantt Chart still functions as an overview of the project it can have severe consequences. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.mindtools.com''] ''https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating Gantt Charts==<br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.dreamspark.com''] ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=File:Gantt_links.png&diff=10102 2015-09-21T09:23:49Z

<p>S103183: Small picture showing an example of the linkage between activities</p> <hr /> <div>Small picture showing an example of the linkage between activities</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=10096 2015-09-21T09:05:51Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, providing a simple example of the use of a Gantt Chart as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866) but was later also created independantly by an american engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861). It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be very confusing to create a Gantt Chart by using different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chartt was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and it became very polular which is why it is known today as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;. In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Today we have the technology advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another which means that one activity may not begin before another activity has finished. This '''does not''' mean that multiple activities can not be worked on at the same time it merely means that some activities might be connected. <br /> <br /> An example could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need otherwise this task would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed.<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain oercentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time.<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One of the most important things to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that, alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of future plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning. A project director of a large construction company has also commented that: &quot;I believe that computer-based project management has set the subject back 20 years&quot;.<br /> &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The use of a Gantt Chart in practise==<br /> [[File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif|635px|thumb|left|Figure 1: Example of a basic Gantt Chart, Source: http://www.ganttchart.com/BasicGanttExample.html]]<br /> [[File:Gantt Visio.png|630px|thumb|right|Figure 2: Example of a Gantt Chart created in Visio, Source: http://gioielleriaricci.it/gif/photos/index.php?p=26]]<br /> In order to use a Gantt Chart one must have a detailed plan for the project. It is grucial that the duration of each activity within in the project has been estimated and that the interdependencies has been identified. Furthermore you need to know what resources are able to perform the activities as the same resource is not able to perform several activities at once. When the data is put into the Gantt Chart it should be easy to see the start and finish of all activities and the project, and you be able to easily get an idea of which activities are dependent on each other. One way to help get an overview of the activities is through color coding.<br /> <br /> '''Figure 1''' illustrates the use of a simple Gantt Chart from a Security &amp; Access Control project. As it can bee seen in the figure, all activities are marked with a yellow triangle and a number to indicate the start date of the activity. Each activity is also marked with a green triangle and a number to indicate the planned end date of the activity. In the left column the name of each activity is written and in the right column the responsible sub contractor for each activity is listed. <br /> <br /> '''Figure 2''' is an example of how a Gantt Chart looks in Micosoft Visio which is a program that should be available for free for students at DTU. In this example it is very fast to see how long each activity takes and the planned start and end date for each activity. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> '''critical path'''. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that has to be completed in time for the project to be finished on the due date, or said in another way, it is the sequence of tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date of the project.<br /> ==Limitations==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating Gantt Charts==<br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.dreamspark.com''] ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=File:Gantt_Visio.png&diff=10087 2015-09-21T08:26:06Z

<p>S103183: Example of a Gantt Chart made in Visio</p> <hr /> <div>Example of a Gantt Chart made in Visio</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=File:Basic_Gantt_Chart.gif&diff=10083 2015-09-21T08:14:10Z

<p>S103183: Illustrates a simple Gantt Chart</p> <hr /> <div>Illustrates a simple Gantt Chart</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=10077 2015-09-21T07:39:46Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart by giving a basic introduction to the understanding of the Gantt Chart, providing a simple example of the use of a Gantt Chart as well as pointing out some of the limitations. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866) but was later also created independantly by an american engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861). It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be very confusing to create a Gantt Chart by using different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chartt was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and it became very polular which is why it is known today as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;. In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Today we have the technology advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another which means that one activity may not begin before another activity has finished. This '''does not''' mean that multiple activities can not be worked on at the same time it merely means that some activities might be connected. <br /> <br /> An example could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need otherwise this task would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed.<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain oercentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time.<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One of the most important things to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that, alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of future plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning.<br /> &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The use of a Gantt Chart in practise==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating Gantt Charts==<br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark for students at DTU. &lt;ref&gt;[''www.dreamspark.com''] ''https://www.dreamspark.com/'' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=10075 2015-09-21T07:32:40Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart how to use it in practise and how it can be combined with other tools or methods to improve its capabilities. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866) but was later also created independantly by an american engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861). It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be very confusing to create a Gantt Chart by using different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chartt was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and it became very polular which is why it is known today as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;. In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Today we have the technology advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another which means that one activity may not begin before another activity has finished. This '''does not''' mean that multiple activities can not be worked on at the same time it merely means that some activities might be connected. <br /> <br /> An example could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need otherwise this task would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed.<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain oercentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time.<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One of the most important things to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that, alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of future plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning.<br /> &lt;ref&gt;[''Beyond the Gantt Chart''] ''Maylor, Harvey (2001) &quot;Beyond the Gantt Chart: Project Mangement Moving on&quot;, ''European Management Journal Vol. 19'' '' &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The use of a Gantt Chart in practise==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating Gantt Charts==<br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark (https://www.dreamspark.com/) for students at DTU.<br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references /&gt;</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=10067 2015-09-20T20:18:03Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart how to use it in practise and how it can be combined with other tools or methods to improve its capabilities. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866) but was later also created independantly by an american engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861). It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be very confusing to create a Gantt Chart by using different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chartt was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and it became very polular which is why it is known today as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;. In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Today we have the technology advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another which means that one activity may not begin before another activity has finished. This '''does not''' mean that multiple activities can not be worked on at the same time it merely means that some activities might be connected. <br /> <br /> An example could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need otherwise this task would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed.<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain oercentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time.<br /> <br /> The purpose of the Gantt Chart is to present a chart that simple and quickly provides the viewer with the information needed to analyze the project and give an overview of the time span of the project, the time span of the different activities within the project and show the interdependencies of the activities.<br /> <br /> One of the most important things to remember about the Gantt Chart however is that, alone the Gantt Chart is a blunt instrument. It is used as a presentation of future plans but the Gantt Chart itself does not cover '''why''' of the planning.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The use of a Gantt Chart in practise==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Combination of other tools or methods==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating Gantt Charts==<br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark (https://www.dreamspark.com/) for students at DTU.<br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=10040 2015-09-20T19:34:55Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart how to use it in practise and how it can be combined with other tools or methods to improve its capabilities. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866) but was later also created independantly by an american engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861). It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be very confusing to create a Gantt Chart by using different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chartt was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt who was born in 1861. This version of the Gantt Chart was created by Henry Gantt while he was working with the construction of Navy ships during World War One and it became very polular which is why it is known today as &quot;the Gantt Chart&quot;. In the beginning the Gantt Charts were created by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Today we have the technology advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The different activities can be dependent on one another which means that one activity may not begin before another activity has finished. This '''does not''' mean that multiple activities can not be worked on at the same time it merely means that some activities might be connected. <br /> <br /> An example could be a project where you need to turn on the light. It is not possible to turn on the light before a lamp has been purchased and installed so using the switch will have to wait until the lamp has been installed. If you need to buy a light bulb this can be done in advance if you know what type you need otherwise this task would have to wait until the lamp has been purchased but it would be possible to buy the light bulb before the lamp has been installed.<br /> <br /> There is also the case where an activity can begin after a certain oercentage of its predecessor activity has been completed. A situation could also arise where an activity has been completed but it is pending an approval or similar which results in the next activity not being able to start. This is called dependency with lag time.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The use of a Gantt Chart in practise==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Combination of other tools or methods==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating Gantt Charts==<br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark (https://www.dreamspark.com/) for students at DTU.<br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=10017 2015-09-20T19:07:19Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart how to use it in practise and how it can be combined with other tools or methods to improve its capabilities. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866) but was later also created independantly by an american engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861). It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be very confusing to create a Gantt Chart by using different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chartt was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt. This version of the Gantt Chart became very polular which is why it is known today as the Gantt Chart. In the beginning the Gantt Chart was made by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Today we have the technology advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart where the bars are represented in relation to a x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis represents the time which can be hours, days, weeks, months etc. depending on the timespan of the project. The y-axis represents the number of different activities or tasks that has to be performed in the project. The bars in the chart each represents an activity and the length of the bar is dependent on the amount of time estimated for that specific activity. The Gantt Chart os used to <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The use of a Gantt Chart in practise==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Combination of other tools or methods==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating Gantt Charts==<br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark (https://www.dreamspark.com/) for students at DTU.<br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Annotated Bibliography==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=9987 2015-09-20T18:30:12Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart how to use it in practise and how it can be combined with other tools or methods to improve its capabilities. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866) but was later also created independantly by an american engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861). It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be very confusing to create a Gantt Chart by using different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> The first version of the Gantt Chartt was created in the mid 1890's by the Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki who was born on March 18th 1866. The world known version that we know today was developed approximately 15 years later than the first version, by an American engineer and consultant called Henry Gantt. This version of the Gantt Chart became very polular which is why it is known today as the Gantt Chart. In the beginning the Gantt Chart was made by hand which caused a lot of re-work when a change in the current planning happened. Today we have the technology advantage of computers and a lot of different project managing software to help create a Gantt Chart which can be updated a lot easier than back in the days where it had to be done with a pen.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding of the Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The use of a Gantt Chart in practise==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Combination of other tools or methods==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating Gantt Charts==<br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark (https://www.dreamspark.com/) for students at DTU.<br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Discussion?==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=8611 2015-09-15T11:01:40Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart how to use it in practise and how it can be combined with other tools or methods to improve its capabilities. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866) but was later also created independantly by an american engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861). It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be very confusing to create a Gantt Chart by using different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding of the Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The use of a Gantt Chart in practise==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Combination of other tools or methods==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating Gantt Charts==<br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark (https://www.dreamspark.com/) for students at DTU.<br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Discussion?==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=8588 2015-09-15T09:12:13Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart how to use it in practise and how it can be combined with other tools or methods to improve its capabilities. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866) but was later also created independantly by an american engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861). It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be very confusing to create a Gantt Chart by using different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding of the Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The use of a Gantt Chart in practise==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Combination of other tools or methods==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating Gantt Charts==<br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark (https://www.dreamspark.com/) for students at DTU.<br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Discussion==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=8351 2015-09-13T19:37:53Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart how to use it in practise and how it can be combined with other tools or methods to improve its capabilities. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866) but was later also created independantly by an american engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861). It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Depending on how much information you put into the Gantt Chart the Gantt Chart can become increasingly complex to use. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be very confusing to create a Gantt Chart by using different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding of the Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The use of a Gantt Chart in practise==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Combination of other tools or methods==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating Gantt Charts==<br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark (https://www.dreamspark.com/) for students at DTU.<br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=8348 2015-09-13T19:33:36Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart how to use it in practise and how it can be combined with other tools or methods to improve its capabilities. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866) but was later also created independantly by an american engineer called Henry Gantt (born in 1861). It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be very confusing to create a Gantt Chart by using different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding of the Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The use of a Gantt Chart in practise==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Combination of other tools or methods==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating Gantt Charts==<br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark (https://www.dreamspark.com/) for students at DTU.<br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Articles_Fall_Term_2015&diff=8343 2015-09-13T19:22:06Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>Please complete this table with your name, user name and the title of your article.<br /> <br /> To create more lines in the table click '''Edit''' and use the following code to create more lines in the table and replace the example text with your own information:<br /> <br /> &lt;pre style=&quot;white-space: pre-wrap; <br /> white-space: -moz-pre-wrap; <br /> white-space: -pre-wrap; <br /> white-space: -o-pre-wrap; <br /> word-wrap: break-word;&quot;&gt;<br /> |Gkatzalas<br /> |Nikolaos<br /> |s141569<br /> |http://apppm.man.dtu.dk/index.php/The_Gantt_chart_and_the_usage_nowadays#Abstract<br /> |-<br /> <br /> Create a direct link by making square brackets around the title [[The Gantt chart and the usage nowadays]] (Case sensitive)<br /> <br /> The straight lines ( | ) create columns and the straight line with a dash ( |- ) creates a new row in the table.<br /> ( |} ) is only used at the very end to finish the coding for the table.<br /> &lt;/pre&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> =Overview of 2015 Wiki Articles=<br /> |Maria<br /> |Herreros<br /> |s142597<br /> |[[Early warning signals in project management]]<br /> <br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable sortable&quot;<br /> |+Fall 2015 Wiki Articles<br /> |-<br /> !Gkatzalas<br /> !Nikolaos<br /> !s141569<br /> ![[The Gantt chart and the usage nowadays]]<br /> |-<br /> |Filis<br /> |Charalampos<br /> |Ch.filis<br /> |[[Project Risk Management and Project Risk Management Processes]]<br /> |-<br /> |Larsen<br /> |Leonora<br /> |s112910<br /> |[[Gantt Charts as a Tool for Project Management]]<br /> |-<br /> |Sala Vilar<br /> |Lluís Ròmul<br /> |s141586<br /> |[[Portfolio Management in a Startup]]<br /> |-<br /> |Pitsavas<br /> |Konstantinos<br /> |Konspits<br /> |[[Modularisation: A modern process for project management]]<br /> |-<br /> |Kampianakis<br /> |Andreas<br /> |s150912<br /> |[[Financial Portfolio Optimization Methods]]'''<br /> |-<br /> |Penzes<br /> |Balint<br /> |s141943<br /> |[[Product development and portfolio management processes at LEGO]]<br /> |-<br /> |Hozmache<br /> |Mihaela<br /> |s146898<br /> |[[Risk Management]]'''<br /> |-<br /> |Le Corre<br /> |Damien<br /> |Damien<br /> |[[Game theory in project management]]'''<br /> |-<br /> |Bertrand<br /> |Fabien<br /> |150477<br /> |[[Multi project management]]'''<br /> |-<br /> |Cassel<br /> |Sara<br /> |Sarac<br /> |[[The benefits of systems engineering]]'''<br /> |-<br /> |Sergi<br /> |Gibaja Musachs<br /> |S141926<br /> |[[Rapid Application Development in Extreme Project Management]]'''<br /> |-<br /> |Poza<br /> |María<br /> |s150793<br /> |[[Integrated Cost and Schedule Control]]'''<br /> |-<br /> |Kulikova<br /> |Nataliia<br /> |s140767<br /> |SCRUM Method<br /> |-<br /> |Pekala<br /> |Adam<br /> |Adam.pekala<br /> |[[Critical Path Method in Construction Industry]]<br /> |-<br /> |Garnotel<br /> |Gaëtan<br /> |gaetangarnotel<br /> |[[V-Model]]<br /> |-<br /> |Ghanizada<br /> |Naweed<br /> |S103745<br /> |[[PRINCE2, A Project Management Methodology]]<br /> |-<br /> |Jacobsen<br /> |Martin<br /> |MistaJacob<br /> |[[Mindfulness and Cognitive Biases in Project Management]]<br /> |-<br /> |Ferraresi<br /> |Fabrizio<br /> |S150905<br /> |Projects in Controlled Environments, a process-based approach for project management<br /> |-<br /> |Tanghus<br /> |Bjarke<br /> |S113815<br /> |Location Based Scheduling<br /> |-<br /> |Højgaard Hindhede<br /> |Daniel <br /> |S143352 <br /> |[[ Critical path optimization in construction management]]<br /> |-<br /> |Gayot<br /> |Charles-Henri<br /> |s141074<br /> |[[Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RACI Matrix)]]<br /> |-<br /> |Thorp Sørensen<br /> |Anders<br /> |s103183<br /> |[[The Gantt Chart]]<br /> |-<br /> |Makris<br /> |Dimitrios<br /> |Dimak<br /> |Benchmarking in Project Management<br /> |-<br /> |Greiling<br /> |Lea<br /> |Lea<br /> |[[Lean in Project Management]]<br /> |-<br /> |Latorre Duque<br /> |Ana<br /> |Ana<br /> | [[Modularity and Black-Boxing]]<br /> |-<br /> |Almanzi<br /> |Stefano<br /> |S141530<br /> |[[ Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]]<br /> |-<br /> |Montagner<br /> |Giacomo<br /> |S150821<br /> |[[Scrum Metodology in the Agile Project Management]]<br /> |-<br /> |Ruiz Muñoz<br /> |Gustavo Adolfo<br /> |S150821<br /> | [[Lean 6 Sigma in project management]]<br /> |-<br /> |Kalmus<br /> |Thomas<br /> |S141938<br /> | [[Program evaluation and review technique (PERT) ]]<br /> |-<br /> |Gudmundsson<br /> |Arnar Gauti<br /> |S141543<br /> |Program management in change management<br /> |-<br /> |Jacobsen<br /> |Ian Thobias<br /> |S113735<br /> |[[Story Points Estimation]]<br /> |-<br /> |Gibaja Musachs<br /> |Sergi<br /> |S141926<br /> |Rapid Application Development in Extreme Project Management<br /> |-<br /> |Otiv<br /> |Peter<br /> |s145166<br /> |Managing Uncertainty and Risk in a Project<br /> |-<br /> |Boesgaard<br /> |Katrine<br /> |KB1991<br /> |[[Gantt Chart]]<br /> |-<br /> |Sorth-Olsen<br /> |Rasmus<br /> |Sorth90<br /> |[[Lean as a project management tool]]<br /> |-<br /> |Salling<br /> |Stephanie<br /> |StephSalling<br /> |[[Management in E. Pihl &amp; Søn A/S]]<br /> |-<br /> |Ruina<br /> |Jessica Linda<br /> |Jejenji <br /> |[[Scheduling techniques in Project Management]]<br /> |-<br /> |Gjerstrup<br /> |Jacob<br /> |s113440<br /> |[[Fault tree analysis]]<br /> |-<br /> |Lynge<br /> |Jane<br /> |s997303<br /> |Theory of Constraint in project management<br /> |-<br /> |Palmerini<br /> |Alessandro<br /> |alex161<br /> |[[Project Management Communication]] <br /> |-<br /> |Tvedt<br /> |Ida Marie<br /> |IMT<br /> |[[BREEAM - project management and sustainable development]]<br /> |-<br /> |Søndenaa<br /> |Mathilde Hanssen<br /> |s150621<br /> |[[Critical chain project management (CCPM)]]<br /> |-<br /> |Helassalo<br /> |Antti<br /> |s141506<br /> |[[Development phase of idea to project]]<br /> |-<br /> |Thorning-Schmidt<br /> |Nanna<br /> |Nannats<br /> |[[Earned Value Management]]<br /> |-<br /> |Rasmussen<br /> |Marie-Louise<br /> |DI2009<br /> |[[Cross cultural teamwork]]<br /> |-<br /> |-<br /> |Lara Hoces<br /> |Fernando<br /> |s131882<br /> |[[The Oticon Case]]<br /> |-<br /> |Christos<br /> |Stamatis<br /> |S145170<br /> |[[Olympic Games London 2012: When the client strives for innovation (The London model)]]'''<br /> |-<br /> |Moe<br /> |Elizabeth Lindhard<br /> |113129<br /> |[[Contracting as a PM]]<br /> |-<br /> |Lessis<br /> |Vasileios<br /> |lessisv<br /> |[[Rational Unified Process (RUP)]]<br /> |-<br /> |Klibo Buur<br /> |Christian<br /> |Buurbuur<br /> |[[Project Execution Model (PEM)]]<br /> |-<br /> |Bachmann<br /> |Thomas<br /> |s117318<br /> |[[Lean Tools in Project Management]]<br /> |-<br /> |Vilar Bustos<br /> |Alberto<br /> |s142581<br /> |[[Minimizing Risk and Uncertainties in Construction Projects]]<br /> |-<br /> |Trap Wiegandt<br /> |Sissel<br /> |s112195<br /> |[[The Critical Path Method (CPM)]]<br /> |-<br /> |Christensen<br /> |Britt Marie Lekven<br /> |brittmch<br /> |[[Lean in building and construction industry]]<br /> |-<br /> |Vestergaard Andersen<br /> |Andreas<br /> |AndreasAndersen<br /> |[[Management of Project Change ]]<br /> |-<br /> |Ann-Elise<br /> |Gustavsen<br /> |Alise<br /> |[[Stakeholder Analysis and Matrices ]]<br /> |-<br /> |Krogh<br /> |Daniel<br /> |DanielKrogh<br /> |[[Managing Uncertainty and Risk on the Project]]<br /> |-<br /> |Fabio<br /> |Labrini<br /> |s142911<br /> |[[Critical Chain Project Management to cope with uncertainty]]<br /> |-<br /> |Viig<br /> |Oliver Johannes<br /> |s102935<br /> |[[BIM as a project management tool on construction projects]]<br /> |-<br /> |Federico<br /> |Sbernini<br /> |s141573<br /> |[[The critical path method as input for quantitative schedule risk assessment]]<br /> |-<br /> |Augustin<br /> |Bouet<br /> |s142823<br /> |[[Metra Potential Method]]<br /> |-<br /> |Eva Schultz<br /> |Hansen<br /> |s112960<br /> |[[The Role of Boundary Objects in Project Management]]</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=7707 2015-09-10T11:30:02Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart how to use it in practise and how it can be combined with other tools or methods to improve its capabilities. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866). It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be very confusing to create a Gantt Chart by using different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding of the Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The use of a Gantt Chart in practise==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Combination of other tools or methods==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating Gantt Charts==<br /> ===Free to use (for DTU students)===<br /> Microsoft Visio - One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart, which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark (https://www.dreamspark.com/) for students at DTU.<br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==</div>

S103183 http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=The_Gantt_Chart&diff=7705 2015-09-10T10:54:26Z

<p>S103183: </p> <hr /> <div>This article will introduce the Gantt Chart how to use it in practise and how it can be combined with other tools or methods to improve its capabilities. The Gantt Chart was the first time created by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki (born March 18th 1866). It is a tool that is very commonly used in project management as it is great for displaying different activities against time. Because of todays technology it has become much easier to create a Gantt Chart and get an overview of the interdependencies of the different activities within a project as many different computer programs can help to create a Gantt Chart fast and easy. <br /> <br /> It can however be very confusing to create a Gantt Chart by using different computer programs as there are a lot of different informations that can be put into a Gantt Chart. So choosing the right program compared to how detailed you want it to be can be a hard choice. One of the easier tools to use if you need a simple Gantt Chart is Microsoft Visio which should be available from Microsoft Dreamspark (https://www.dreamspark.com/) for students at DTU.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==History of the Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Basic understanding of the Gantt Chart==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==The use of a Gantt Chart in practise==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Combination of other tools or methods==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Limitations==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Tools for creating Gantt Charts==<br /> ===Free to use===<br /> <br /> ===Pay to use===<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==</div>

S103183