A Few Reasons That Support Using Gantt Charts in a Project

Created by Henry Gantt during the 1910s, Gantt charts are an excellent tool that companies have been using for a very long time to plan and monitor projects. The tool shows the amount of work done during a certain period of time in comparison to what was planned for that period.

The key aspect of these charts is that they offer a visual and intuitive understanding of the project which other reporting tools and monitoring methods lack.

Below you will get to know several reasons why using this chart is highly recommended for every project manager -

• You need visual aid to understand information - Humans are visual creatures. We best understand things when they are presented in the form of pictures and visuals. A project is a pool of information, data, records and what not! For a manager and team members to make sense of an abundance of data, they need a system that could lay all the cards in a visual form. An online gantt chart tool does exactly that. It sums up all the crucial data in an easily comprehensible manner. It answers the questions like when a task starts and ends, how many tasks are spread across project timeline, what is the estimated duration for various tasks, and lots more. 
• Reports are not enough to connect all the dots - Companies can use as many reporting tools as they wish. But, the way Gantt charts connect all the dots in a project irrespective of its nature is quite exceptional. Even till date, no other tool has come close to presenting information in such an easy to understand form, the way Gantt charts do. Deriving meaningful conclusions and monitoring the progress is so easy that even a newbie can analyse and understand the information contained in these charts.
• It’s tough to create mental notes - How are two tasks connected? What type of relationship they share? When does a task end before another could be put into motion? To answer such questions, you need a mind-map like tool. Human mind has a limit to the amount of data it can process at a time and organize it. An online Gantt chart tool can be compared to a mind-map that organizes information and answers all the questions related to a project. The project could be as simple as planning a birthday party, or it could be something as sophisticated as managing production in a factory. 
• Tasks with overlapping dates may need some fixing - Sometimes two tasks are part of a sequential process where they cannot be performed simultaneously. Meaning they cannot share the same start and end date. But, there's always a possibility that a manager could accidentally assign same dates to those two sequential tasks. Gantt charts come handy in finding out what all sequential tasks share overlapping dates. That knowledge comes handy in making the required changes in the timeline and workflow. 

Gantt charts are very easy to get started with. They do not take very long before you could fully understand them and start using in your project.