Gantt charts have traditionally been widely used in project and product management since the early 1900s, long before the first project management software was ever created. Today, Gantt charts are a staple in virtually every business that handles multiple projects on a regular basis. The method has simply become a crucial component in any project management process. It was, and still is, one of the most effective ways to show tasks and/or events against time through visualization.
With the advent of the digital age, it really isn’t surprising to see this concept being transformed into digital form. This is where we see the Gantt chart software and the myriad of online Gantt chart software systems beginning to emerge and gain popularity among businesses across multiple industries.
However, most Gantt chart software solutions don’t often come as a standalone product. Generally speaking, they are usually offered as a feature of a comprehensive project management software solution, along with other useful tools and functionalities that project managers, team leaders, decision-makers and any team member will find invaluable in completing tasks and projects on or before their due dates.
On the other hand, there are online Gantt chart software products that are offered as a standalone service. However, these solutions generally still offer more than just the ability to create Gantt charts online. These cloud-based solutions don’t simply just supply you with the tools to create and assign tasks to everyone in your team, as they can offer much more than Gantt chart templates and other basic features.
GanttPRO offers an online Gantt chart solution that helps users ranging from individuals to large enterprises with the planning, creation, and management of tasks and schedules, while simplifying the entire process.
Today, one of the most common functions of Gantt chart software is project schedule tracking. Project managers can use the software to visually monitor project schedules and see how the project is progressing, when certain aspects of the project should/will be completed, as well as if the project is poised to make the deadline. It is a basic function but it is what the concept was originally designed to do and it’s very effective.
Online Gantt chart software solutions can also help to facilitate efficient task and resource management. Managing tasks and company resources is crucial when you’re dealing with any kind of project, especially when you have multiple team members working on different aspects of the project.
There are plenty of online Gantt chart software solutions available right now. Asana, Monday.com and GanttPro are just a few examples. GanttPro is an example of a cloud-based software service marketed as an online project management solution that is based on the Gantt chart concept. As such, it’s not just a tool solely for creating Gantt charts and provides a fully-featured project management solution that enables you to maintain a simple and efficient project plan, create tasks for every team member, and keep everyone engaged and involved with the project, including your clients.
Some of the common tools and features you will find in most top-tier Gantt chart software solutions include multiple project support, easy drag-and-drop scheduling, progress tracking, team and resource management, Gantt chart maker tool with different preset templates, task management, collaborative tools, time tracking and more.
With an online Gantt chart software solution, you can create as many different project plans as necessary. You will have the ability to use a variety of workspaces for team projects, individual tasks and personal milestones. The platform also provides you with the capability of delegating project management processes to team members, ensuring only authorized personnel will have access to a specific project plan, data or resource.
Drag-and-drop features are a staple in many software solutions. Whatever software or business process solution you’re currently using, if it doesn’t have drag-and-drop functionality, it can feel somewhat tedious and outdated. You can assign tasks, move schedules, delegate resources, share files and other important information with drag-and-drop features. This function, as basic as it may be, will make things a lot easier for you and every team member working on a project.
Team management and progress tracking are also common features that you will find in many Gantt chart software solutions. With a full-featured platform, you will have the tools you need to effectively manage your team and track the progress of your projects as well as every individual team member working on them.
With the various features and tools offered by Gantt chart software, you can more efficiently plan projects, create a digital workspace for your team, set roles for each team member, create and assign tasks, keep track of project progress, and even add attachments and useful comments keep the team engaged and focused on the task at hand. You may also allow access to your client/clients to keep them in the loop.
Online Gantt chart software solutions let you see almost every aspect of your project, including the linked tasks assigned to different members of your team, dependencies and resource allocation, work progress and due dates. The platform also shows you the allotted time it takes to complete assigned tasks and the team member responsible for each aspect of the project.
While the Gantt chart itself is specifically designed to provide visual representations of different aspects of a particular project, the features and tools available in many Gantt chart software solutions are equally beneficial to most businesses and organizations dealing with multiple projects. The resource management feature, for example, will help you manage your resources more effectively and therefore save precious time and money.
Time tracking tools will help you manage the time spent on specific tasks and make sure workloads are distributed evenly among team members. The Gantt chart templates provided will help ensure you don’t waste any more time necessary on creating Gantt charts. With the professionally made templates, you can hit the ground running as soon as you deploy the platform, wasting no time and effort.
The bottom line is that Gantt chart software is a great addition to your business process solutions, especially if you manage multiple projects regularly. If you’re already using a project management software solution with a built-in Gantt chart feature, then you might not need a standalone online Gantt chart solution. And you are probably already aware of the true value of implementing the Gantt chart method into your project development process.