Gantt Chart
Official Definition:
A bar chart used in project management to illustrate a project schedule, showing the start and finish dates of elements within the project.
Layman's Definition:
A visual timeline of the project with tasks laid out in order so you can see what happens when and how things overlap.
Examples:
• Healthcare – Facility Upgrade: Visualising equipment procurement and installation over 8 months.
• Education – Curriculum Rollout: Tracking milestones for training, materials and term launch.
• IT – System Development: Mapping sprints, test cycles, and release.
When to use:
• Useful in almost any project where time, task order, and dependencies need to be visualised and communicated clearly.
What it might look like in practice:
• Horizontal bars showing duration of tasks with dependencies linked (e.g., Task B starts after Task A).
• Milestones marked with diamond symbols.
• Software like Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or even Excel used to generate the chart.