Engineering Management

lecture 6

Assist Proff. Layla L. Alwan

 Gantt chart
A Gantt chart, commonly used in project management, is
one of the most popular and useful ways of showing
activities (tasks or events) displayed against time.

-On the left of the chart is a list of the activities and

along the top is a suitable time scale. Each activity is
represented by a bar; the position and length of the bar
reflects the start date, duration and end date of the
activity. This allows you to see :

 What the various activities are

 When each activity begins and ends
 How long each activity is scheduled to last
 Where activities overlap with other activities, and by
how much
 The start and end date of the whole project

To summarize, a Gantt chart shows you what has to be

done (the activities) and when (the schedule).

A simple Gantt chart

 Gantt charts can be used to show current schedule
status using percent-complete shadings and a
vertical "TODAY" line as shown here.
Although now regarded as a common charting technique, Gantt
charts were considered extremely revolutionary when first
introduced. This chart is also used in information technology to
represent data that has been collected
.

Example
In the following example there are seven tasks,
labeled A through G. Some tasks can be done concurrently
(A and B) while others cannot be done until their predecessor task
is complete (C cannot begin until A is complete). Additionally,
each task has three time estimates:

optimistic time estimate: (O)

normal time estimate: (M)
pessimistic time estimate :(P)
expected time (TE) = (O + 4M + P) ÷ 6
 Time estimates
Predecessor
Expected
Activity (Dependent time
on) Opt. Normal Pess.
(O) (M) (P)

A — 2 4 6 4.00

B — 3 5 9 5.33

C A 4 5 7 5.17

D A 4 6 10 6.33

E B, C 4 5 7 5.17

F D 3 4 8 4.50

G E 3 5 8 5.17

Once this step is complete, one can draw a Gantt chart or a network diagram.
A Gantt chart Note (1) the critical path is in red, (2) the slack is the black lines connected
to non-critical activities, (3) if Saturday and Sunday are not work days and are thus.
excluded from the schedule, some bars on the Gantt chart are longer if they cut through
a weekend

Why Use Gantt Charts?

When you set up a Gantt chart, you need:
- to think through all of the tasks involved in your project. As part of this
process, you'll work out who will be responsible for each task, how long each
task will take, and what problems your team may encounter.
-This detailed thinking helps you ensure that the schedule is workable, that
the right people are assigned to each task, and that you have workarounds
for potential problems before you start.
-Gantt charts also help you work out practical aspects of a project, such as
the minimum time it will take to deliver, and which tasks need to be
completed before others can start.
- Plus, you can use them to identify the critical path – the sequence of tasks
that must individually be completed on time if the whole project is to deliver
on time.
-Finally, you can use Gantt charts to keep your team and your sponsors
informed of progress. Simply update the chart to show schedule changes
and their implications, or use it to communicate that key tasks have been
completed.