5 Ways Gantt Charts Give You Project Management Superpowers
Transcript of 5 Ways Gantt Charts Give You Project Management Superpowers
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5 WAYS GANTT CHARTS G IVE YOU PROJECT MANAGEMENT
SUPERPOWERS
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When you’re put in charge of the success of a project, you have a lot to KEEP YOU UP AT NIGHT.
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Will everyone do their part? Will the project be done on time?
What happens IF IT’S NOT?
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It’s a lot of RESPONSIBILITY
…and a lot of STRESS.
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And so you end up pestering your team for UPDATES.
?
??
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Maybe you don’t really know HOW LATE THINGS ARE until you’ve blown through the deadline.
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GANTT CHARTS can’t manage your project for you…
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...but they can give you the PROJECT MANAGEMENT
SUPERPOWERS you need to see the project through
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(and get a good night’s sleep while you’re at it)
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What is a Gantt Chart?
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A Gantt chart is a CLASSIC PROJECT
MANAGEMENT TOOL, developed over a hundred years ago.
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For many years, GANTT CHARTS were limited to project management experts.
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Some people draw progress charts on whiteboards or create complicated spreadsheets. THAT’S A LOT OF WORK!
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But it’s worth it...because Gantt charts are amazing tools for
VISUAL PROJECT PLANNING.
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At Redbooth, we decided to build an AUTOMATIC GANTT CHART CREATOR
right into our project management software, and include it with all
subscriptions.
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It’s called “TIMELINE VIEW.”
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But what you’ll see today applies to ANY KIND of Gantt charts.
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SUPERPOWER #1:
See Everything at Once
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A Gantt chart gives you an amazing bird’s-eye view of an
ENTIRE PROJECT from start to finish over time.
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This is INCREDIBLY VALUABLE for planning.
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Not only can you get your mind around the ENTIRE SCOPE of
the project, but you have a visual guide
to share with others.
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Build in START and END DATES for each piece of the project.
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Assign SPECIFIC TASKS to team members or contractors.
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Rest easy knowing that you have a CRYSTAL-CLEAR, SHAREABLE PLAN for the project’s success.
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Clear Project HurdlesSUPERPOWER #2:
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Most project leaders find out about bottlenecks
AFTER THE FACT.
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In the weekly progress meeting, they ask, “HEY,
WHERE’S THE REPORT?”
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Then the TRUTH comes out…
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It’s running WAY BEHIND.
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Yikes.
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With a Gantt chart that UPDATES AUTOMATICALLY, you don’t have to ask about bottlenecks.
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You can spot them in a SINGLE GLANCE.
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See what’s overdue immediately so you can TAKE ACTION:
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Allocate more resources, divide up the work, or pitch in yourself to GET IT DONE before it
holds up the whole project.
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Get Project ESPSUPERPOWER #3:
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This project is important — but what about the NEXT ONE?
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And the one AFTER THAT?
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By using Gantt charts for planning, tracking, and execution, you’ll get better and better at a CRUCIAL SKILL:
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Estimating your PROJECT SCOPE, TIMELINE, and RESOURCES.
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With easy-to-understand visual records of your
project to refer back to, your estimates will become
INCREASINGLY ACCURATE.
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Before you know it, you’ll be known as the PROJECT LEAD…
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...with an UNCANNY sense for planning.
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Banish DistractionsSUPERPOWER #4:
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Planning and PROCESS
OPTIMIZATION are powerful.
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But sometimes it just comes down to making sure your talented team has time to actually DO THE WORK.
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Every time your team gets distracted by a flurry of emails
about a change to the plan, they’re being PULLED AWAY
from the work.
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But YOU can prevent this!
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KEEP YOUR TEAM AWAY from tedious, time-consuming
updates and administrivia.
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Let it be known that the most up-to-date plan is ALWAYS the
Gantt chart.
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Simple as that.
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Back away from the email, team. We need you to FOCUS!
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Keep your equilibriumSUPERPOWER #5:
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LIFE happens.
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Deadlines CHANGE.
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People win the lottery and move to TROPICAL ISLANDS.
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Many project leads have started out with BEAUTIFULLY
DESIGNED PLANS…
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...only to FALL APART when something unplanned
happens.
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Armed with your GANTT
CHART, though, you can be the opposite:
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A project lead who warmly WELCOMES CHANGES to the plan.
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View every change as a way to learn something
new or to challenge your team to WORK SMARTER.
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It helps if you’re using a Gantt chart GENERATOR
like Redbooth’s:
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Just enter your new changes, and watch your Gantt chart
UPDATE AUTOMATICALLY.
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And make sure your team knows that sticking precisely to the original plan isn’t as important as your TOP PRIORITY:
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ACHIEVING PROJECT SUCCESS — on time, on budget — together.
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Ready for your project management
superpowers?
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Redbooth project management software — including Timeline view — is designed to help you and your team COLLABORATE AND
GET MORE DONE.