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Article Series - Using Gantt Charts
- Gantt, Earned Value, Critical Path, or Project Jazz?
- What Has the Gantt Chart Done for You Lately?
- How Are You Using Gantt Charts to Brief Project Teams?
- Don’t Give Up on Gantt Charts Yet
- Use a Gantt Chart as a Conversation Starter
- Visiting Gantt Again with Apologies to Glen
I'm preparing to write another e-Tip on Gantt charts. (I know, it's been quite some time since my last e-Tip.) The Agilists and the Leanies don't use Gantt charts for planning, managing, or controlling their projects. Yesterday, I asked, What Has the Gantt Chart Done for You Lately? Chet and Jerry both left comments saying they see value in using Gantt charts for communicating overall project status, particularly up the organization. I'd also like to know,
"How are Gantt charts being used to brief the project team?"
A Gantt chart can provide a contextual view of the project.
I have the sense that a Gantt chart can provide a contextual view of the project. At the same time, I've been working on some big projects — power station construction — where the only briefing of the project team is done verbally. How do you see Gantt charts could be used to keep a team focused on the project?
? Guy Kawasaki wrote, "Less is the new more." Easy to learn: symmetry, seduction, subtraction, and sustainability. Very valuable to do. Step 1: Read Matt's book!! just 140 keystrokes.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Actually, I recommend against using Gantt charts. I find they require some detailed analysis for even experienced people to interpret.
I think the reason they are used is because every project management system can produce them. Therefore they become familiar. People get used to the idea that the Gantt chart tells the story. They assume their own inability to see the story quickly and so do not complain about the chart.
It is ok to use the Gantt chart to show that you have a high level picture of the work, but if you want to communicate a problem you need better ways. Milestone Slip chart, network diagram, critical path diagram and others get people’s attention more rapidly.
Think carefully about the story you want to tell.
There is a problem
Here is the work you should expect to see happening next week.
Are we ready to do this work?
The Gantt chart can be used, but you will have to walk the audience through exactly how you interpret this chart to see the story you are telling. That takes time that not everyone will let you have.
Bob Ferguson
Gantt charts are expensive communication devices when you measure the amount of time it takes to first bring a team up to speed, then gather the feedback from the team as to how much as changed since the chart data was collected, and finally to get everyone back to work.
The chart, if it could be maintained programmartically and be updated with each delivery would be of some great communication value overall, but as long as we continue to drive for faster, and better, delivery in meeting customer needs, the ability of handcrafted communication tools to sustain value will diminish.
Although the Gantt chart is one of the most used techniques, it has serious drawbacks: there is no room for indicating margins, risks and assumptions (scenarios). A great discussion about this can be found here:
http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=000076&topic_id=1
And just putting all the disclaimers in a footnote or separate sheet is not going to cut it: people will “neglect” that info (have some blind spot for it or something). It has to be an integral part of the feedback mechanism (in your face).
Bas,
These lacking features probably depend on the formatting of the Gantt. Tufte certainly makes some good points and the PERT Chart Expert tool – when formatted in an IMP/IMS style with Events, Accomplishments, Criteria and Tasks can emulate his example.
Margins and Risk are easy to show with bar style formatting in MSFT Project or FastTrack. There are of course other ways to communicate, but Gantt provides some unique semantics
> Time sequencing
> Baseline and Off Target Baseline performance
> Hierarchy of activities in fairly dense space
> When used with a Monte Carlo tool (Risk+ or @Risk) the time nature of the Gantt can be augmented.
A combination of “hanging PERT” and Gantt covers most of the communication styles. What is imprtant to understands is an imformation rich channel is needed as the group size grows. I personally like graphical information – Hanging PERT is my favorite. By I work with people who like other forms, even list of work packages with start/finish, percent complete and Earned Value numbers in a spread sheet.
One tool I started using is http://herdingcats.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/12/msft_project_ch.html which has a variety of charts extractign data from MSFT Project.
I personnally find the gantt useful in the post project evaluations where by comparing the project schedule against the tracking gantt can identify where changes and correcttions to get back on track have been made. This is not ustilised enough in my opinion. A lot of Pm’s seem to dimiss the importance of comparing progress againts baseline.Although the performance of some planning software leaves a lot to be disired, the useful PM planning tools are those whereby soft touching(analysing) and mapping performance can you use the information to produce EV data, spreadsheets etc. Yes it may take expensive PM time and resources but in the long term I believe that what the gant has done for us is simplify project planning.
Glen.
I agree with Bob about the value of Milestone Slip Charts.
Unfortunately I haven’t found a good way to produce them from data in microsoft project yet, other than drawing them by hand. This site will draw simple ones but I would like to have one that I can just add to each month (preferably automatically).