Charts are often used to illustrate the progress of a project or a business activity. Such a chart was first developed in the 19th century by Karol Adamiecki, a Polish engineer, naming it harmonogram. Yet, Gantt chart is named after Henry Gantt, an American engineer and consultant. Gantt’s chart became widely used in many countries. The Gantt chart is the most famous chart used in project management.

Gantt charts are mostly used to follow project schedules. Additional information about the various tasks or phases of the project is shown on the charts. One can observe how they relate to each other, the progress of the task, resources being used and all the data that needs to be followed. At first, Gantt charts were drawn by hand. Therefore, they had to be redone every time a change was to be made. So, as projects had to be constantly followed and charts updated their use was limited and time consuming.

However, since the introduction of computers in the business world this has become much easier. Due to the software that is now available, Gantt charts are created by computer applications, like Mavenlink, Wrike, Smartsheet, Sciforma, or AceProject, so they are now easily amended printed and shared with all parties concerned. Their use is gaining more ground among project managers as Internet has made them accessible and has helped increase collaboration. Such, collaborative software assists functions, such as task assignments, time-managing deadlines, and shared calendars.

Gantt charts are used to illustrate the stages and activities of a project. They are popular means of communicating project information as they are easily understood across the business world. A Gantt chart is a useful tool for small projects that fit in a single sheet or screen. For longer, more complex projects, Gantt charts may prove inconvenient for computer display.

Gantt charts deal mainly with schedule management, they do not show the size of the project or work elements involved. Providing a lot of information may end up in a confusing, incomprehensible chart. There may be some difficulty in reading a Gantt chart of a large project as the horizontal bars of the chart have a fixed height. Time –phased requirements of a project may be misread.

Before creating a Gantt chart you must have a detailed project plan. All the tasks that need to be carried out and in which particular order. Tasks need to be to be performed in a specific order. A Gantt chart allows you to link tasks so they depend on each other. Tasks are linked in a dependency, meaning that the first task you must end before the next task you select can start, and so on.

Project Managers use Gantt charts to show tasks against time. A list of activities is recorded on the left of the chart and along the top an appropriate time. Every activity is represented by a bar, its the length and the position shows the beginning, the duration, and the finish of the activity. Therefore, making it easy to observe the progress of various activities, how much time they require to be completed, their dependency, from start to end of the project. In general, a Gantt charts allows you to monitor what is required to be done in a project and the times that its phase of the project has to be completed.

Gantt Chart Example with Mavenlink

Mavenlink cloud-based project management software has dynamic Gantt charts designed to help its users collaborate and manage projects with ease. Mavenlink’s Gantt charts enable users to create a visual timeline of a project’s progress, optimize a team’s productivity, and quickly assess task dependencies. The charts allow them to get a quick snapshot of a project’s current progress, providing them the visibility to immediately be informed when a project is at risk of being late or go over budget.

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The Millennial generation, those born between 1982 and 2000, is the first generation to come of age this century and the last generation to remember life before the Internet. But this group brings more distinctions than this, many of which are affecting their reputation in the workplace. A recent […]

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New Perspectives on Millennials in the Workplace
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When it comes to what matters most in the workplace, are Millennials really that different from the rest of us?
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Whose Job Is It to Make Project Management Performance Stronger?
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Let’s face it… all projects begin in the “red” condition. Odds are they will not deliver what they are expected to deliver on time, or in budget. Everyone, all the way up to the CIO, needs to accept this fact as reality. Although this […]

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Sales Person, if defined in general is the man who represents not only the product company created, but the company as well (Could be vice versa). Out of a group of sales person any company hires, they have a handful (maybe one or two) who perform brilliantly outstanding While the rest look at them thinking about, what made them achiever?

These lacking behind group of individuals plan their schedule thoroughly and visit more client to hit the record deals, but fail to reach the level they are supposed to. Again the question arises, what makes them a better salesperson? Or say what the habits of an effective sales person are? Believe me,there isn’t any chemical formula behind or any nuclear physics theory. However, you’ll find 500 pages compilation tagged as ‘way to be an effective sales people are’ but we disagree, as for us, all you need is, these seven habits in you, that’ll make you the leading sales person. Let us have a look at them:

1. Know all you are supposed to

I’ll call this as a basic requirement and by ‘supposed to’ I mean everything that begins with your product/service and gets covered till your buyers/competitors. A successful sales person, not only keeps his personal company’s Knowledge or details about his product but also keeps himself well acknowledged about what his competitors offer and what his buyers need.

2. First impression

For a sales person the quote, ‘first impression is the last impression’ is like right hand thumb rule. Your appearance, communication skills, dressing sense and presenting the product and its details in front of potential buyers is what creates a healthy first impression. And type it in bold as your ‘to be fulfilled’ requirement.

3. Positive attitude

By positive attitude we mean each and every gesture and posture you portray from meeting your potential buyer till introducing the product/service and till you make your way out. An effective sales person must also be a good listener.

4. Keep your commitments

Never ever make any fake promise to make a sale. That might make you happy for the moment, but will hang you upside down in coming future. Stick to your promises and words.

5. Use pen and paper

Every salesman before leaving his office must keep a check of his diary and pen. These two stationery materials will help you stay updated especially with appointments. An on-time salesperson is always appreciated and trusted.

6. Be prepared for complaints

Learn the fact, ‘nothing is this world is perfect’. Not every person you meet will buy your product or for an instance presume will appreciate your product. You must always be prepared for the complaints related to your company or your product (make sure it isn’t you become a reason).

7. Don’t give up

Winning and losing is part of business, if you are having a bad day and first two appointments turned to be a disaster (in terms of sale), don’t get disappointed, you have a world ahead waiting for you.

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Many leaders don’t lead at all, they flit from this to that, from one crisis to another, from one priority to another. They don’t land on anything.
They don’t spend too long on any one issue because they want to avoid being pinned down for an opinion or […]

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The Essentials of Project-Centric Resource Execution for Improved Resource Management
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Resource management should start with resource planning. Prioritizing and scheduling people to ensure they are working on the right projects at the right time is critical because it does not matter if you are executing well, unless you are executing on the right things […]

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In 2006, the NBA introduced a new basketball made of synthetic material. Spalding designed the new ball to be easier to handle and bounce better on the court. Despite the upgrades, many NBA players began experiencing cut fingers and torn ligaments, and the ball was sticking to […]

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