The bar chart is one of the oldest and most recognised project reporting models. Also called the Gantt chart after Henry Gantt, who first used it in 1917 for a US Navy project, it is a simple, flexible illustration combining graphical information and text that is easy to create and understand -- which is why it became so popular.
The text portion is straightforward: Columns showing different information about the project and its activities. In the example shown, the columns are description, duration, start, finish, and resource. The first column in the diagram shows an activity identification (ID) for each of the bar chart rows. The ID and description refer to the project components.
To be managed properly, a project must be broken down into manageable elements by dividing the project into phases until the "activity" level.
In the bar chart shown, the project is broken down into the design, build, and test phases. For simplicity, these were broken down into activities without any identification of components. The design phase, for example, consists of two activities: Mechanical and electrical design, while the build phase requires three: Mechanical, electrical, and assembly.
The components' indentations reveal the different levels of the breakdown.
For each project activity, the columns show the duration, start and finish dates, and resources required for the activity. Resources can be people, equipment, or material.
Looking at the graphical section, there is a time scale on top. The project start and finish dates are November 1st, and December 30th, respectively. The diamond shapes are for "Project Start" and "Project Completion." This symbol is usually reserved for important project milestones.
There is much more that can be shown on a bar chart. For example, lines connecting their beginnings and endings can represent the relationship between the project activities. For example, "Assemble components" cannot start until "Build Electrical" and "Build Mechanical" are completed.
Another important feature of the bar chart is that it allows the display of progress. Notice the dashed line drawn along the date November 28th. This line is called "data date" or "time now"-- the date at which the information was valid. The bar chart here represents progress on the project as of November 28th.
The bars representing activities, or work, completed before this date are shown with a solid black line in the middle, representing completed work. In the diagram, it is clear that the "design" phase activities are finished, the "build mechanical" activity is complete, while "build electrical" is still in progress.
If drawn in full colour, or displayed on screen, red means an activity is on the "critical path." This means that the activity will delay the whole project. In the sample bar chart, activities 4, 5, 8, 9, and 12 are on the critical path.
A good way to use bar charts is to show a comparison between the agreed upon plan (baseline) and the current project plan. This is not shown in the diagram, but can easily be done by adding a bar for each activity showing the "baseline start" and "baseline finish" of each activity.
A bar chart is a favourite reporting tool for managers and team members alike as it communicates project progress in a clear and simple fashion. Huddling over a bar chart helps integrate team members and forms a good basis for focused reviews of the project status for management.
There is a lot of project management software to create bar charts. One of the more common and user-friendly ones is Microsoft Project. It is also possible to draw bar charts using Microsoft Visio and Power Point.
By Ammar W. Mango
© Jordan Times 2005
