Constructing a Gantt Chart

Gantt Charts are useful Project Management tools for analysing and planning more complex projects. They:

  • Help you to plan out the tasks that need to be completed
  • Give you a basis for scheduling when these tasks will be carried out
  • Allow you to plan the allocation of resources needed to complete the project, and

Help you to work out the critical path for a project where you must complete it by a particular date. When a project is under way, Gantt Charts help you to monitor whether the project is on schedule. If it is not, it allows you to pinpoint the action necessary to put it back on schedule.

Sequential and parallel activities:
An essential concept behind project planning (and Critical Path Analysis) is that some activities are dependent on other activities being completed first. As a shallow example, it is not a good idea to start building a bridge before you have designed it!

These dependent activities need to be completed in a sequence, with each stage being more-or-less completed before the next activity can begin. We can call dependent activities ‘sequential’.

Other activities are not dependent on completion of any other tasks. These may be done at any time before or after a particular stage is reached. These are nondependent or ‘parallel’ tasks.

 How to construct a Gantt Chart

The basic procedure must be followed to build a Gantt chart.

  1. Identify the steps or activities needed to complete the project.
  2. Identify milestones within the project.
  3. Identify the expected time required to complete each task.
  4. Identify the sequence of tasks and the order of precedence of tasks.
  5. Identify who is to perform each task
  6. Draw a horizontal time axis on the bottom of a page.
  7. Select a proper time scale to represent the length of tasks. You may wish to add contingency times to certain tasks to ensure that the project runs to time or alternatively run ‘dummy tasks’ that can soak up any overruns from previous activities.
  8. Prepare a column on the left side of the paper; write down each activity and milestone of the project in their corresponding order of occurrence.
  9. Activities or milestones that occur at a specific point in time represent them using a diamond under the time the activity must happen.
  10. Try to break the project down to specific ‘stages’ and list the completion of these as milestones. This allows you to drive project activities towards the completion of a stage rather than for the whole project. Important if the project runs over a considerable time and you wish to avoid project complacency.
  11. Activities that occur over a determined period of time draw horizontal bars, or an empty rectangle starting from the first day the activity will take place and finishing the day the activity ends. Do not fill inside the rectangle.
  12. Ensure you have indicated on the Gantt chart activities that are dependent on each other so that you are able to plan the appropriate time to complete each one and not cause project delay
  13. Each activity or tasks must be listed in the Gantt chart.
  14. Fill up the diamond or the rectangle as each activity is being performed.

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Project Planning for non-Project Managers

One-day open course

Managing projects is not easy, but it is a crucial task in the workplace. Our Project Management training course will present delegates with useful strategies that will assist them with:

  • organising projects
  • improving project management skills
  • managing projects effectively
  • project planning
  • becoming a great project manager

With ever-increasing workloads and deadlines, the ability to manage our time has never been more important. Project management is a crucial factor in work and our project management courses are created to ensure that delegates can make their work based projects as efficient and effective as possible. We do this by supplying a project management training course that is full of tools and tips for improving project planning, time planning, delegation, organisation and management strategies, managing meetings, as well as handling and using time effectively. Our time management course will cover subjects such as goal setting, improving organisation skills and managing time successfully. Our seminars are packed with useful tips and techniques that allow you to become a better project manager instantly.

The course is designed to help delegates organise their workload while planning a project. This is done with the aid of Gantt charts and project management templates, tools and techniques. This course is also a great option if you seek project management for junior staff in the workplace as it will informatively aid staff in planning successful projects.

There are many benefits of being a project manager such as; better task management; increased self esteem; the ability to negotiate more effectively and reduce the stress which results from a lack of effective planning.

Course Dates

Who will benefit from the course?

Anyone who needs to master the principles and practices of effective project management. From senior managers/directors to administrative and technical staff, in fact anyone who needs to find solutions to the following challenges:

  • I don’t always feel in control of my projects
  • I need to manage others in a clear and productive way
  • I need to increase my own productivity and task completion
  • I have to juggle a multitude of tasks continuously
  • I’d love to have more time to enjoy managing projects

The Benefits of our project planning for non-project managers’ course

The skills, if used consistently, will enable delegates to:

  • increase work effectiveness and productivity
  • manage deadlines more effectively
  • communicate more effectively with project stakeholders
  • feel more in control of their projects

Course objectives

Delegates will learn skills which will improve planning, establishing project priorities, decision making, people management skills and communication skills. They will have the skills to manage their priorities; manage themselves to get things done on time; co-ordinate meetings, be assertive with colleagues and learn how to say ‘no’; gain sufficient time to complete their most important tasks; prioritise and schedule tasks; learn to allocate time to each task in its order of priority; enhance team productivity and performance.

The Training Course Covers

  • Defining the project and developing a project strategy
  • Monitoring and control
  • Understanding and using project planning tools
  • Effective leadership
  • Delegation and motivation
  • Post implementation review
  • Effective and professional ‘Tips and Tricks’ of the trade

Why choose Total Success for your training?

  • our lead trainers have over 18 years experience in training
  • a maximum of 8 delegates means more time spent on individual needs
  • we guarantee to run the course and will never cancel at the last moment
  • free subscription to our monthly training newsletter

All open courses are trained in Central London at the St Giles Hotel.

Each delegate receives a comprehensive training workbook that doubles as an open course manual. Courses run from 9.30-5.30 with lunch and refreshments provided.

In-Company Courses

Total Success have developed a series of in-house training modules. These are designed so that an organisation can pick the training which is more applicable to its own needs and budget. Please call us to discuss your specific requirements