How to Plan a Project with a Gantt Chart?
The Gantt chart is a tool for visualizing a project’s tasks over time. It is indispensable to managers and is now part of the features offered by online solutions.
In this article, we’ll walk you through creating your own Gantt chart step by step. To access this function, you must go to your project’s home page, then click on the “GANTT” tab. The diagram is empty if you haven’t added any tasks to your project. However, rest assured: no task will escape your sight after creating your diagram!
Divide the Project into Tasks
The first step in project planning, and not the least, is to divide your project into chronological phases. Then, from these phases, list the tasks to be accomplished in your Gantt chart by clicking “+ TASK” and then complete the requested information.
Let’s take the example of a marketing project. Your client, a publishing house, calls on your team to promote the release of a book. What are the actions to put in place to make this product known? Depending on your client’s needs and budget, there are many possibilities like social networks, influencers, public launch, etc.
Once you have agreed with your client on the action plan, you can then break the plan down into tasks. For example, if you are going ahead with a launch, several tasks are to be considered. It includes renting the room, writing the invitation to journalists, hiring a caterer, and more! The important thing is that your plan be as detailed as possible.
Set Start and Write End Dates for Each Task
Now that you’ve listed all the tasks on your Gantt chart, you need to figure out when you can tackle each of those tasks. If you start too soon, your actions may produce a different effect than you seek. On the other hand, starting too late will have repercussions on the other tasks.
You should also set a deadline for each task, i.e., an end date that determines when the project starts to fall behind schedule. To use the previous example, if your book launch takes place on November 30 and you want to invite journalists, it is suggested that you contact them about 7 to 10 days before the event. Your task to send invitations will have November 18 and 23 as their start and end dates.
Assign Your Team Members to Tasks
Also, from your Gantt chart, you can designate the members of your team responsible for each task. For example, for the book launch, you entrust Nick with the task of contacting journalists. To do this, you must go to your task list and select the task to complete. Note that this action can also be done directly from your diagram by clicking on the icon. Next, click on the person icon. Enter Nick’s full name in the new window, then click “ASSIGN”. The icon representing it will then appear to the right of the task. On a Gantt chart, this feature facilitates communication between teammates.
Define Dependencies Between Tasks
Everyone knows it very well; for a project to work, all team members must participate in carrying out the tasks. In such a situation, some tasks will depend on others. In the example of the book launch, for Nick to be able to contact the journalists, he must receive the invitation written by Natalia.
When creating your Gantt chart, it is possible to create dependencies between tasks. To get started, go to your diagram. From the first task (e.g., writing the invitation), click on the small circle to the right of the task, then drag to the circle to the left of the second task (e.g., contacting the journalists). When you release your click, a gray arrow between the tasks indicates a dependency.
Monitor the Project Progress (Adjust if Needed)
So that your project runs smoothly, following up regularly with your team is important. See with each member of your team if everything is going well in carrying out their tasks. And if there is the slightest problem, adjust your Gantt chart as needed.
Be ready to adapt to the least unexpected. Going back to our promotion example, if the printing of the book is postponed, it could affect its launch. In your diagram, it is possible to adjust your tasks’ start and end dates. To adjust the start date, click on the three small dots to the left of the task to modify and drag your cursor to the new date. The same process applies for the end date, but by clicking on the three small dots on the right. If you prefer to keep the same interval of days spent on the task, click on the task and drag it from right to left or from left to right.
You now know how to plan a project with a Gantt chart! And this, thanks to our online solution Wiselancer!
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