The reason why some projects ultimately fail, is often due to the lack of project management. This makes the project manager role and his planning more important. This, however, is easier said than done. In practice numerous external circumstances and requirements influence the project and can change several times during the project. The project goal then feels like a long way off.
And project planning involves several challenges – at least if the project has to be completed on time and within the planned budget. Correctly coordinating tasks that are interlinked, assigning employees according to their availability and qualifications, and at the same time keeping track of deadlines, milestones and costs is complex. In addition, scheduling and dependencies make clear project management difficult.
What is a Gantt chart actually for?
“Transparency” is an important keyword in project planning. Because without a central overview, it is hardly possible to complete a complex project with various tasks and employees in a target-oriented manner. You need a central platform to record the different processes in the project. Solutions that display the different timelines in a Gantt chart are ideal for this purpose. With the help of a Gantt chart, the chronological sequence of activities can be graphically displayed using bars. Long-term projects with many dynamic subtasks are thus clearly visualized, and time-critical tasks or milestones become directly visible. Nevertheless, extensions such as Gantt charts for Qlik Sense, Power BI etc. are missing possibility and flexibility to make changes in the project directly in the software.
Write! Gantt provides an overview
Extensions for project planning such as Write! Gantt, for example, take data analytics tools such as Qlik and extend them with the ability to display the data directly as a Gantt chart, edit it in the interface and track changes directly. Project managers in a wide range of industries such as pharmaceuticals, marketing or healthcare benefit from this. Especially in the case of frequent changes during the project, it is important to be able to recognize these and their effects on the project plan directly.
In addition to the central visualization of timelines and deadlines of tasks, upcoming events and activities, it is crucial that hierarchies and dependencies are also clear underneath. Here, for example, conspicuous and clear coloring supports. The individual coloring of projects, tasks, milestones or links enables direct feedback on changes. Direct editing in the solution simplifies and accelerates planning.
Closing Thoughts
Gantt charts make project planning easier for project managers in different industries. The result is a project plan that shows you at a glance how you should set your priorities in order to successfully complete the project on time. Enjoy a transparent overview of what your colleagues are working on and add a note if there may be a need for further support if tasks are stagnating.
Do you know the difficulties of clear project management? Do you already use a solution with Gantt chart in planning?
