Gantt Chart Maker Open App

Guides to Gantt charts & project scheduling

Plain-English explanations of the ideas behind a good plan — what a Gantt chart is, how dependencies and the critical path work, how to estimate, and how to keep a schedule honest. Free to read, no signup.

Gantt chart basics

Start here. What a Gantt chart is, how to read one, and how to build your first.

8 Gantt chart examples 9 min read Eight real Gantt charts, phase by phase — software, marketing, renovation, wedding, thesis, and more.
PM methodologies field guide 10 min read What Waterfall, Agile, Scrum, Kanban, Lean, PRINCE2, and two scheduling methods actually do.
Gantt chart vs Kanban 5 min read A time-based plan versus a flow of work — what each is for, and why it is often both.
Gantt chart vs PERT 5 min read One shows the network of dependencies, the other puts it on a calendar. A pair, not rivals.
History of the Gantt chart 5 min read A Polish engineer drew it first, an American got the name, and two wars spread it.
How to make a Gantt chart 7 min read Seven steps from a blank page to a working schedule, and the decisions that matter.
What is a Gantt chart? 5 min read What a Gantt chart shows, how to read one, and when it earns its place.

Scheduling techniques

The methods behind a good plan — dependencies, the critical path, estimating, and slack.

RACI matrix 9 min read Who does what, who signs off, who's consulted, and who's just kept informed.
Resource leveling vs smoothing 9 min read Over-allocation, and the two different ways to fix it: leveling and smoothing.
What is scope creep? 8 min read Why projects quietly balloon past their plan, and how to keep them from it.
Critical path method explained 6 min read The longest chain of dependent work sets your earliest finish — how to find it and use it.
How to estimate task durations 6 min read Why estimates run optimistic, and the techniques that make them less wrong.
Lead time vs lag time 6 min read The two dials that turn a raw dependency into a realistic schedule, and where each belongs.
Milestones vs tasks 5 min read What milestones are really for, what makes a good one, and the mistakes that drain their meaning.
Slack and float explained 6 min read The spare time in a schedule: total vs free float, and which delays are actually safe.
Task dependencies explained 4 min read The four ways one task waits on another, when to use each, and what to avoid.
What is a project baseline? 6 min read The saved snapshot you measure against, and when re-baselining is honest versus hiding slippage.

How-to guides

Practical, step-by-step walkthroughs for planning real projects.

Project kickoff checklist 9 min read What to prep, how to run the agenda, and six things to nail down first.
Handling schedule slippage 6 min read Detect it early, work out if it matters, and pick the right recovery move.
How to plan a project 7 min read The nine stages that turn a vague idea into a plan you can run and track.
Present a plan to stakeholders 6 min read Pitch at the right altitude, lead with the story, and earn real buy-in.
Work breakdown structure 6 min read Decompose a big goal into manageable work without forgetting whole branches.

Comparisons & tools

How Gantt charts stack up against the alternatives, and which tool fits your team.

Agile vs Waterfall 9 min read What each approach does well, where it struggles, and which one fits your project.
Gantt chart in Excel 8 min read The stacked bar chart method, step by step, plus when to outgrow it.
Do you need MS Project? 6 min read What MS Project is great at, where it is overkill, and the lighter alternatives.
Free Gantt tools compared 6 min read Spreadsheets, free desktop apps, free SaaS tiers, browser tools — honest pros, cons, and who each suits.

Where to start

New to Gantt charts? Start with what a Gantt chart is, then how to make one. Those two guides cover the vocabulary every other guide uses: tasks, durations, dependencies and milestones.

Already planning a project? The guides on task dependencies, the critical path and estimating durations explain the mechanics behind a schedule that still holds when something slips.

Once the plan exists, the hard part is keeping it honest. The guides on milestones, baselines and schedule slippage show how to notice early when a project drifts, and what to do about it.

Each guide stands on its own and links to the next one when a topic needs it. They are free to read, with no signup and no paywall, and you can try every technique straight away in the free editor.

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