Gantt Chart

You are given a large project with a ton of smaller tasks. Like, you work for a cotton candy factory and you're in charge of launching a new flavor. You have to run marketing surveys to discover the flavor most people want. Then you have to work out the chemical formula to make the flavor. Then you have to buy supplies, hire management, staff up the flavor production line, etc.

Lots to do. Some things have to be completed before other things can start. A lot to keep in your mind at once.

Meanwhile, your boss is hounding you for status reports. You are getting overwhelmed and can’t figure out where to begin.

So you break it down in graphic form. You make a list of things you need to do, and their deadlines. You line them up so you can see which things need to start when. You focus on one task at a time as it shows up on your list. You mark down how long it took you to do each task, so when you have to launch the next flavor, you have a chart telling you how long it should take for you to finish the project.

You're impressed with how you handled the organization. You give yourself a big pat on the back. You figure you've just invented an amazing method of project management and want to publish your technique.

Bad news, though. It already exists. You've accidentally reinvented the Gantt chart.

The process, developed by Henry Gantt in the 1910s, consists of a pictorial representation of a project schedule. Each task in the project is represented by a horizontal bar. Basically, you build a timeline of the project, allowing you to see which tasks needs to be completed when.