Gantt Charts and Agile
I don’t have much use for Gantt charts; if you’ve determined the tasks in enough detail and far enough out to really see the critical path, you’ll be wrong in 24-48 hours. If you don’t put in that much detail, it’s a pretty picture, but not enough information to manage the project. (Of course, Gantt charts are used by people other than the project manager and the project team–but mostly for nefarious purposes 
Tate Stuntz in The demise of the Gantt Chart in Agile Software Projects has a great article about why Gantts are not useful in Agile projects.
Aside: I’m happy to report there are no Gantt charts in Manage It! Your Guide to Modern, Pragmatic Project Management
Labels: Manage It, project management
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In my experience, Gantt charts are an excellent tool to identify the critical path and dependencies, track progress, and communicate these things to various stakeholders. I have used them extensively and with consistently good results.
They are a poor tool to manage day-to-day work. As with any tool, misuse is a bad thing.
By Kenneth P. Katz on 08.06.07 2:49 pm
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