Business Franchise Australia

How Gantt Chart Can Help Small Business Owners

A company is made up of processes and tasks. From financial control—noting each expense—to customer service, there are a series of details that need to be observed so that operations work correctly and generate the desired results. Organizations often adopt different tools to optimize this work, streamlining certain procedures (usually manual) and boosting productivity. 

 

Even the simplest tools make all the difference in managing a business, helping to organize demands, information, and ideas and making life easier for the professionals involved. It’s no surprise that uncomplicated methods like Kanban are so widely adopted, whether in professional or personal life.  

 

And one of the best-known and most-used tools is the Gantt chart. Also called a Gantt diagram, it is a visual representation that helps in monitoring the tasks of a project, allowing professionals to see the progress and completion of each activity. 

 

As the name suggests, this tool forms the design of a graph or diagram: on the vertical axis is the list of tasks that must be performed, while on the horizontal axis is the schedule of these activities. 

In practice, the design looks like this:

– On the right side, vertically, is the description of the tasks that need to be performed. A company anniversary sales campaign or a stock clearance sale, for example;

– Above, horizontally: the dates and period in which the activity will take place. The month of May, or between the months of December and January, for example. 

 

Thus, a simple spreadsheet is created, but it helps leaders and employees list all the demands they have and organize them in a format that makes it easier to view and understand the information and priorities. 

Thus, a schedule of activities is basically designed, but it is also possible to add other details such as the start and end dates, the dependency between tasks, milestones involved and those responsible for the actions. 

This tool was created by Henry Gantt in the 20th century, but it has undergone adaptations and remains relevant to this day. As basic as it may seem, there are a series of positive impacts that adopting the Gantt chart on a team can generate. 

 

Why use the Gantt Chart?

It is no surprise that this tool continues to be adopted, even decades after its creation. There are several reasons to use this method, whether in the company or for particular demands:

 

Simplicity

While there are some complex productivity and project organization tools that can end up complicating and discouraging users, the Gantt Chart is a simple and easy method to adopt for any project or demand. There is no need for further preparation or sophisticated systems to apply this method; a spreadsheet and good will will do the job. 

Therefore, this tool is very accessible—both for different people to use it on a daily basis or for companies to avoid investing time, effort and essential resources in this strategy. 

 

Clear information

The simplicity of the method also helps to make communication clearer; after all, it is difficult for anyone to have problems understanding the information displayed in the graph or diagram. Instead of doubts and misunderstandings, the data is presented in a transparent and accessible way, avoiding noise in communication. 

This is even more important when projects are carried out collectively, where overlooked information can make all the difference in the results achieved (and the internal climate in the organization and department). 

 

Improved communication

In this sense, the use of simple tools such as the Gantt Chart can help to improve communication and synergy within the team. Problems in information flows can generate friction in relationships between colleagues and even with leadership. Using clear methods to strengthen this dynamic is essential to avoid wear and tear that will harm the organizational climate, productivity and quality of service.

 

Organization of demands

The biggest benefit of this tool is that it helps to organize project tasks. Lack of control can lead to several problems: missed deadlines, loss of important information, noise in communication with the team, rework, and conflicts between others.

Thus, instead of having to deal with more challenges when carrying out activities—in addition to the usual ones for any company and action—the lives of leaders and employees are made easier by implementing organization, communication and project management tools.

 

Low investment

Maintaining a company is not cheap. Therefore, when possible, it is interesting to adopt tools that are more economical or develop processes to reduce expenses.

The Gantt Chart is a solution that requires a low investment: you can create this control in a spreadsheet, roadmap or purchase specific software to make this operation even more automated. Compared to other ideas, the costs of implementing them are not as significant.

 

A perfect tool for companies: one hand on the wheel and the other on technology.

All these and other reasons make the Gantt Chart an interesting option for companies of all sizes and market segments, helping to facilitate the management of the most varied projects and tasks.

Therefore, it is important that organizations are aware of other tools that can generate even more benefits in their daily lives. Some of these positive impacts are: helping to optimize processes; organizing tasks; improving the flow of information; improving the customer experience; engaging employees; increasing productivity, quality and business results, among many others.

The right tools can help transform the performance of a sector and the entire company. However, there is always that question: which strategies to invest in? What solutions should we acquire so as not to end up wasting time, resources and efforts on inefficient actions?