Project Planning -- Gannt Charts

Project planning is widely used in the software and construction industries.  It is a way of breaking a large project into smaller manageable tasks.  A project that might take more than one day is analysed by its different tasks.  One way of visualizing this planning is to use a Gannt chart.

Gannt charts are named after their inventor.  They have been used in industry for more than 100 years.  The development of personal computers in the 1980's lead to the widespread use of these charts.  The computer version of the Gannt chart was easily edited.  Google docs and Excel are both used to create Gannt charts.  The chart illustrated here is one that was used to develop a remotely controlled vehicle.

 

 

Tasks and Activities

  1. What is a Gannt chart?
  2. Look at the model car on your desk?  Estimate how long it would take to build?  Give an estimate in hours.
  3. Looking at the Gannt example here, what is one thing that a Gannt chart shows?
  4. Think about your STEM project.  Break it down into at least 4 separate tasks.
  5. Would a Gannt chart help you with your project? Why/Why not?

Don't forget to email your choices/answers to Mr. Widmer by the end of this week.  Keep a copy of that email in your Google Docs folder.