Summary
A Gantt Chart is a step-by-step graphical representation of a proposed project. The most basic parts of a Gantt Chart include the timeline table, timeline bar chart, Gantt bar, current date line, time scale, and milestones. When creating and using a Gantt chart, keep the following in mind:
- List all your tasks, then place them in order from first to last.
- Break a task down into subtasks. It is easier to estimate time requirements for a subtask. The length of time for the main task is from the start of the first subtask to the end of the last subtask.
- Don't be afraid to update your Gantt Chart periodically.
- Try to schedule some slack time for each task. For example, if you know a task will take a maximum of three days, then schedule the task for three or more days.
- Determine which tasks can occur at the same time or can partially overlap each other and which tasks must occur sequentially.
- Think back to similar tasks you did in the past. Try to remember how long they took in order to allocate appropriate amounts of time.
