About Uisoftbank
We gather useful software and tips to save your time and money for your business.
7 Gantt Chart Alternative Tools: Better Options for Project Management
A Gantt chart is a great way to track your projects. But it is not perfect, that is why there are so many Gantt chart alternative tools. Here, we will introduce the Gantt chart and commonly used Gantt chart alternatives. So you can pick the one you need after checking.
The Gantt chart is a very popular tool. It is mostly used in project management to maintain an organized approach. But it has some lackings in some cases. One may use alternative tools of Gantt charts for more flexibility. In this article, we’ve collected 7 Gantt chart alternatives and discussed their overall features. Choose the Gantt chart alternative that best helps you organize the project information and manage your project team.
What is a Gantt Chart?
The Gantt chart is a modern project management tool. It breaks a big project into small chunks. The tool is extremely handy and super easy to use. You can specify complex task sequences and perform them one after another. Project managers use this visual tool for management and control purposes. It helps them to illustrate project planning and track progress. It displays all the info through a bar chart. A Gantt chart includes project tasks, progress, timeline, individual roles, and deadline.
A Gantt chart offers the flexibility of editing schedules and tasks at any time. It can also sync with the team’s digital calendar and provide reminders about important updates.
For personal or professional reasons, the objectives and deadline of the project may change. This disruption may eventually change the working procedure, task assignment, and timeline. In such a situation, you may need to observe the dependencies of how one task depends on another and coordinate them in a systematic manner.
When is the Gantt Chart not Suitable for Use?
45% of project managers say the Gantt chart is their most-used management tool. The Gantt chart is undoubtedly a great tool, but it is not a tool that can work for all projects.
A project manager has to face some challenges using Gantt charts. He or she may have to remain very sharp in setting up all the assignments, objectives, resources, evaluations, timelines, and deadlines. With too much information, a Gantt chart can become messy and exhausting to maintain.
The Gannt chart is simple for progress tracking with time. It lets you follow a well-developed plan. But the tool is not suitable to be used in complex projects. It’s difficult to detect dependencies in the planning. Any unprecedented delay or change in plan can affect other tasks. But Gantt chart doesn’t show these dependencies. This may eventually halt the whole process. So, the Gantt chart makes it difficult for you to manage complex projects.
Moreover, it doesn’t show you the percentage of the amount of the job done. It doesn’t give a simplistic view of data. So, following the progress and assigning the next task will become difficult.
Gantt chart is not preferred for any frequently changing project as well. If the project objectives, resource availability, and requirements change every once in a while, it gets tricky to collaborate on all the deadlines, the debugging, and the assigned tasks.
As the Gantt chart has its own drawbacks and cannot meet all your needs, you need to seek Gantt chart alternatives. Here, we’ve listed our top picks of Gantt chart alternatives. If you are feeling a lack of flexibility using Gantt charts, these Gantt alternatives can be a great choice for you.
7 Best Gantt Chart Alternatives
Timeline
The tool lets you create a simplified approach to solving a complex project. You can create a straightforward step-by-step approach to solve any multilayer problem. It allows team collaboration where every one of your team can see the current stare of the project and fulfill their role.
Pros:
- Easy to understand.
- Quick to update.
- Have a clear view of the starting point and end point of the specific tasks.
Cons:
- Only can work for a short time and a simple project.
- It is not good for assigning tasks.
When to Use: If you know the main steps to complete the project, ‘Timeline can be a great Gantt project alternative for you. You can divide your project into small steps and perform each of them efficiently. The creative interface of ‘Timeline’ will ensure an easier managing experience.
Table
You may call it a modern version of the spreadsheet. The user-friendly tool has become one of the good alternatives to a Gantt chart due to its simplicity in assigning and managing tasks within a timeline.
Pros:
- Easy to access data and assign tasks.
- Simple interface. Easy to learn.
Cons:
- Not suitable to have an overall view of the projects.
- Can’t handle dependencies very well.
When to Use: If your managerial tasks revolve mostly around spreadsheets, you will feel at home using ‘Table’. Suitable for simple and static projects.
Kanban Boards
It can be both physical and abstract. It consists of cards and columns indicating tasks to be completed. You can move the cards with a drag and drop configuration. It will show you different columns for ongoing and waiting tasks.
Pros:
- Straightforward interference. Easy to understand.
- Heavily customizable.
- Add comments to cards.
- Include priority, tags, and subtags with cards.
Cons:
- It may seem overwhelmed with cards and customization options.
- Comparatively difficult to maintain deadlines.
- No progress tracking.
When to Use: The ‘Kanban Board is perfect for projects that have fewer concerns with dependency. An amusing Gantt chart alternative for projects of every size and time frame as long it doesn’t have to deal with dependencies. ‘Kanban Boards’ can also be a good choice if you don’t want to get too involved in the development process but want to keep an eye on the regular processing.
Scrum Board
It is very similar to the ‘Kanban Board’ but more organized. It arranges the tasks by ‘sprints’. A sprint is a time-based process where the team performs a definite task. Scrum board adapts perfectly to change. Team members have a saying in choosing the ‘sprint goal’.
Pros:
- Every team member is active and obliged to complete their assigned tasks within due time.
- An organized step-by-step approach to a big project.
- Keep track of current sprint progress.
- Improved communication and efficiency.
- Drag-and-drop functionality.
Cons:
- Not a preferred Gantt chart alternative for an imbalanced team. If each member of the team is not dedicated and skilled enough, the whole system fails to give an efficient output. The laziness of a single individual can halt the whole process.
- Requires a smart project manager for better results.
- Not recommended for any inexperienced managers or an unmotivated team.
When to Use: If you are looking for a super flexible tool as your Gantt chart alternative, ‘Scrum Board’ is the one. There are projects that start without determining any fixed plan and procedure. The plan develops along the way and all team members must be informed about their respective duties. ‘Scrum Board’ is an extremely handy tool in this kind of case.
Checklist
A basic to-do list tool. It holds all the required procedures and completes all the tasks on the list to finish the project. This simplicity makes it a good Gantt chart alternative for short and precise projects.
Pros:
- Easy to learn and use.
- Simple interface.
- Progress dashboard.
- Different statuses for incomplete, running, and completed tasks with colorful marking settings.
Cons:
- Doesn’t have a time frame. Not suitable for lengthy projects where you need to observe progress regularly.
- Doesn’t show who is responsible for which task. Not recommended for big teams.
When to Use: Suitable for short projects. Better to be used by a dedicated small team where everyone knows one another. ‘Checklist’ will just show the tasks required to perform and each member will complete their assigned roles with responsibility.
Calendar
It is a basic tool for maintaining a regular schedule and makes your schedule organized beforehand considering resource availability and timeline.
Pros:
- Have an overall view of the project.
- Easy to track the process.
Cons:
- Can’t sort events by priority, colors, or tags.
When to Use: The simple tool can be a Gantt chart alternative for simple and straightforward projects. Recommended for personal use or a small team.
Flowchart
It turns a complicated working procedure into a simple diagram and visualizes how the project will be completed. You can define the task in step-by-step or grid form.
Pros:
- The best way to understand the project process.
Cons:
- Limited flexibility. Difficult to handle changes in plan.
- Easy to understand but a bit difficult to maintain for the manager.
When to Use: It gives the team a clear overall view of the execution of the project. Everyone can have a clear idea about their approach. It is recommended for those kinds of projects where every team member contributes to all the sections of the project. So that everyone can have a clear idea. For big and complicated projects, the cross-functional flowchart is an excellent alternative to a Gantt chart.
Bonus Tips: Powerful Tools for Project Management
If you are looking for project management tools with Gantt chart and Gantt chart alternatives, here are two tools for you.
ClickUp is an all-in-one cloud-based project management tool with different views such as Gantt, Timeline, Kanban, and more. It performs the role of document processing, task & time management, communication, collaboration, to-do-list, and progress tracking software all at the same time. You can set up your team and control access to various tasks and subtasks. It can Integrate with a lot of third-party software for enhanced performance.
Another great project management tool is Monday.com. It offers an intuitive UI that is simple to understand and utilize. Same to ClickUp, it also offers a table, timeline, Gantt, Kanban, and more views. You can track and manage the project easily with automation, integrations, and dashboard features. You can use the free version if you only use it for personal work. It also provides a 14-day free trial version. You can test it before buying it.
Conclusion:
In order to provide a good service to your customers, you need solid planning from manufacturing to sales. Gantt chart and Gantt chart alternatives help businesses develop a strong plan and regulate the production process. It is crucial to pick the right ones that fit your needs.
