The Gantt chart is likely to be the most used technique for visual project planning. That is why adding to Krock features was on the top of our agenda.
A quick recap for those not familiar with this technique: Gantt chart displays tasks compared to time. Each task represents a horizontal bar, where the length of the bar is the amount of time given to conclude the task. With the Gantt chart, you get a quick view to:
- The upcoming tasks
- How long each task will take
- When tasks need to start and be completed
- Any overlap between them
- Task dependencies
- Who is assigned to each task
Without any kind of project management software, you might need to use a tool like Excel to build and constantly update your Gantt chart – quite a time-consuming undertaking. But, while you are using Krock, you’ve got your Gantt chart synced every time you make any changes in your project’s timeline, team, or status.
Thus, you get a real-time Timeline view with no effort at all. Plus, you can modify views in a bunch of different ways: to see tasks by project or by member, by their status or tag. Check out more on the filters in our Gantt view here.
Let’s have a look at the nature of the Gantt chart in Krock
Gantt View in Krock
Now, what are the benefits of using the Gantt chart in media production projects?
1. Layout and improve your project schedule
Many would argue that a successful project differs from an unsuccessful one by planning. Especially if the amount of your projects is rising (which we wish for all of our users). Good planning that clearly explains every step for successful project delivery is the key.
You have to control a large number of activities to make sure everything is completed on schedule. And the delays often happen when you have to wait for the client’s feedback before moving to the next step of the project. Namely, if you are in a creative industry.
Gantt chart allows you to see all the tasks (even of all the projects) in one place, with their start/end date and dependencies on each other. You can see right away the task overlappings or dependencies you could improve and adjust your schedule accordingly.
2. Increase your team’s productivity
Krock’s Gantt chart gives your team live information on the project progress, what comes next, and which colleague to turn to if they have any questions related to the ongoing task. It gets everyone aligned on time and improves the team’s productivity substantially.
Moreover, it enables your team members to adopt transparency and accountability with ease. Gantt chart also uplifts the level of trust and encourages teammates to help each other.
3. Manage your resources better
Just like in the first point, spotting those overlaps and unnecessary dependencies at an early stage is crucial for well-oiled teamwork.
With the Gantt chart, you can instantly see which team member is likely to be overloaded with the tasks and who can help out with another project while waiting for the completion of the previous step. The animator can focus on another project’s task while waiting on the illustrations. And the sound director won’t really be able to do much before they see some initial shots.
By redistributing workload, you can create a roadmap and proper process to get things done most efficiently. You’ll save most of your time that previously went to waste.
4. Define the fastest path for project completion
One of the best reasons to use the Gantt chart is that it allows you to quickly pinpoint what kind of project pipeline would be the fastest to complete the project. Thus, you understand which tasks can’t afford to slip if you want to complete the project on time.
Plus, the Gantt chart can help you identify if and how your pipeline changes due to shifting timelines. This way, you can prioritize the most important tasks without accidentally emphasizing work that is no longer on the critical path.
5. Chunk down complex information
You can easily manage small projects on a piece of paper or excel sheets, but what about a complex project with hundreds of tasks?
Project management software will help you break down a complex undertaking into smaller steps. And an incorporated Gantt view will help you visualize and link all these small chunks in one place. This will help allocate the resources within the project more productively, save time and deliver the final faster.
Stay on track
Keeping all aspects of the project on track, and all the team members and other stakeholders informed is challenging. And the Gantt chart can definitely make your life easier here. Especially if you are using software where the Gantt view is automatically updated as your project progresses.
With Krock’s Gantt view, your team always knows what is in progress now and what’s coming next. And no update goes unnoticed as the Gantt chart is automatically synced every time someone makes a change in the project.
Try Krock for free for the whole 2 weeks and see for yourself that it gives you the flexibility to manage your projects without a ton of hassles. And if you have any doubts, book a demo call, and our team will be happy to demonstrate to you all the perks of using a tool with a built-in Gantt feature.
