Benefits of Using a Gantt Chart Tool

A Gantt chart tool is no alien concept to those in the field of project management. They prove to be of immense help in mapping out the details of a project in a full-fledged manner; provided you use them intelligently. So, what are the ways in which these tools can help you in better planning and management?

Here’s how - 

1. Visualize project plan against a time period - Every project has a start and an end date. All the tasks that make it up have to be carried out during that particular duration only. But, in order to make the most of the available time, managers have to map out the task details by spreading it across a calendar. That’s where Gantt charts prove helpful. They let you see all the tasks across the calendar. So, you can visualize how things should ideally move ahead and plan things accordingly.
2. See how tasks are dependent - Some tasks can only be completed only after its precursor tasks have been carried out. Meaning, they are dependent upon each other. But, exactly how are all tasks linked to each other? This tool answers that for you and actually shows it to you. When you use a gantt chart online tool, You can assign deadlines to various tasks and keep linking them with one another. That way, every department remains aware of when their responsibilities will end, so that other departments could pick up from there and follow-up with the rest of the plan.
   
   Also Read: How Do Project Management Tools Work
   
3. Discern the critical path - Critical path is the chain of all the most crucial tasks in a project that must be completed in a sequential manner. Any failure in completing those tasks ahead of the schedule can cause major setbacks. That’s why it’s important to know the critical path, and stick with it. A Gantt chart tool helps you visualize that critical path. Any deviations from this chain gets reflected in the tool and you can correct things well in advance so that project does not get affected.
4. Gives easily comprehensible data - That’s the best part about using a Gantt chart software. It compresses the data and presents it in a more understandable form. You are not left dealing with a huge pile of documents. You are escaped from wasting hours navigating through endless files and folders. All the important details related to the project can be summed-up for easy briefing. This is why a Gantt chart is supposed to be of great help to managers. 
5. Simplest way to track progress - As the teams make progress, you must stop and check things occasionally. It’s called monitoring, which is essential to be sure that everything is going as planned. This is important to assess any deviations at the earliest possible. A Gantt chart is the best tool when it comes to tracking progress. You can see how many tasks are completed successfully and how many are taking longer than expected, and accordingly make necessary changes.

What other benefits do you think Gantt charts offer? If you would like to add anything, be sure to let us know in the comments section!