tool

A General Note on Tools

Tools #1 and #3A have special due dates as noted.  Tools #4 and #7, plus two additional tools of the student's choosing must be completed just after the end of Module 4.  Five additional tools must be completed just after the end of Module 8.  Note: Tools #2, #3B, #13, #14, and #15 are restricted to the final third of the course.  The Course Calendar (see Syllabus page) is always the best source of information regarding due dates for tools -- do not rely on Canvas reminders.  Students should map out a plan for completing tools that fits well with their project strategies - keeping in mind the guidelines listed here.  If unsure when to complete a specific tool, please contact the instructor.

Tool Number Four: The Gantt Chart

Timing: Tool #4 must be completed and turned in during the initial third of the Service-Learning Project at Animal Friends and the Leadership Tools Marathon. See the Course Calendar for details. Examples used in the response to this tool must include information taken from your Service-Learning Project at Animal Friends. 

IMPORTANT NOTE:

The Gantt Chart described here must be sent by e-mail to the external client for his/her written approval. The instructor  MUST  be copied on this e-mail. Stated in other terms, the student looks for and verifies that the tasks underway are both necessary and sufficient to get the project done. Finally, the student must compare the set of written measures to evaluate the success of the effort (developed in Tool #3 Part A) to the Gantt Chart. He/She must make sure that the Gantt Chart is unique to the project and that it matches up in terms of the course and/or client expectations in the content for deliverables for the Service-Learning Project at Animal Friends and the Leadership Tools Marathon.

BACKGROUND ON THE GANTT CHART:

Gantt Charts are named after U.S. engineer and consultant Henry Gantt (1861-1919) who devised the technique in the 1910s. They are excellent models for scheduling and budgeting. They are also useful for reporting and/or presenting information. Gantt Charts communicate project plans and the individual’s progress easily and quickly. Gantt Charts are the most flexible and useful of all of the project management tools.

To construct a Gantt Chart, it is important to start by keeping each activity on a separate line, for clarity. A timeline can be created covering the duration of the project (the breakfast example in the next section and on Canvas shows minutes, but weeks and/or months can be used for long-term projects). The time blocks can be colored to denote a type of activity (for example, directly managed work or delegated work, etc.). Put review times, down times, and/or break points in a neutral color such as grey. Anticipated cost columns (optional) for each activity can be placed at the end of each line.

Over the course of the semester, the Gantt Chart can be used to keep track of the progress of each activity and its costs. (Costs are not relevant at Animal Friends.) The time blocks can also be changed to report on “actuals” versus the “planned,” to reschedule, and/or to create new plan updates. Cost columns can plan the actual costs and the variances as the data change. When needed, Gantt Charts can also calculate totals, averages, ratios, etc.

Setting up and/or maintaining Gantt Charts can keep all stakeholders on track. For more information on Gantt Charts, consult www.businessballs.com.

GANTT CHART EXAMPLE

An example of a Gantt Chart is included here to provide a quick reference of the format and style. This Gantt Chart covers “fixing breakfast,” perhaps at a restaurant, and comes from www.businessballs.com (Links to an external site.). (It is the same as the one provided under the Resources tab on Canvas.) Note that the column on the far left always covers the list of activities represented on the Gantt Chart. The columns on the far right, detailing costs, are omitted if assigning costs to each individual activity is not applicable.

Note: “CAP” is capital or supply costs and “REV” is revenue or labor costs. As would be expected, labor costs are often the biggest cost in doing a project. Dark black could be the times that require human input, whereas light gray could be times of waiting, i.e., the bacon is cooking, and then, must be flipped.

REQUIREMENTS:

This section should be no longer than four single-spaced pages in the written summary. Please note that each student must create a Gantt Chart -- where the content of the material on the chart is unique and appropriate for the project at hand.

In the Service-Learning Project at Animal Friends and the Leadership Tools Marathon, this tool can be used for detailed project management planning, task scheduling, and/or to document the end result of project management reporting. Although not typically required for this Service-Learning Project at Animal Friends, a Gantt Chart is also useful for costing, budgeting, and/or to document other financials. If these uses seem appropriate for the Service-Learning Project, feel free to utilize the additional columns for full financial information disclosure.

There is a Gantt Chart template that can be used at the bottom of this tool description. In addition, commercial software packages are available (often with free trial downloads on the Internet) for constructing a Gantt Chart. Students choosing to use these commercial software packages must import their finished figures and/or diagrams into WORD or PowerPoint before submitting them for evaluation since it is unlikely that the instructor will have all of the available software packages needed to view these files in their original format. Students may also choose to use WORD, EXCEL, PowerPoint, or other common Microsoft packages and a little ingenuity to create the required Gant Chart figures and/or diagrams from scratch. As an alternative, students may choose to hand-draw any required figures and/or diagrams and scan them for submission by uploading to Canvas. If scanned, only files of the type .tif, .jpeg, .gif, and .pdf are acceptable – all others will be returned to be re-sent. Please see the Computer Center for assistance if needed and/or e-mail the instructor with questions.

COMMON ERRORS: Among individuals who are new to the process of creating Gantt Charts, three errors are more typical than all others combined.

First, Gantt Charts must show the time interdependence of separate project activities – charts that show all activities beginning immediately at the left-hand side of the diagram are incorrect. Remember that some activities do not start until others have finished.

Second, those new to developing Gantt Charts often forget to put some form of time label across the top. Whether it is elapsed time in minutes or hours, or even dates from a calendar (examples of each are readily available in the literature), there must be some form of time designated across the top of the Gantt Chart.

Third, when completing Tool #4, be certain that the introductory material in the submitted response includes material equivalent to one to two pages introducing the Gantt Chart and/or to leadership planning, with a minimum of three references cited from the textbook and/or the literature. Suggested Lussier and Achua textbook chapters on leadership planning and other related topics include Chapters 5 and 7.