Using Gantt Charts for Small Business Projects
Have you heard how project management tools can help your small business?
Well, if you’ve been thinking about implementing one for your small business, it could really help you stay organised and on track with your projects.
But isn’t it a lot of work to set up? And won’t it take up even more time to use it?
It does take some effort to set it up initially, but it can actually save you time in the long run.
By having all of your project information in one place, you won’t have to spend as much time searching for documents or trying to remember details.
And it can help you avoid miscommunication and mistakes by making sure everyone is on the same page.
But what about managing changes to your projects, how does a project management tool help with that?
A project management tool can really help you to streamline your change management process.
For example, you can set up a change pipeline. A change pipeline is a way you can manage reviewing and approving changes to your projects. This way, you can make sure that any changes are carefully considered and that everyone is aware of them.
But people are resistant to change. Won’t it be a hassle to get everyone to follow the change pipeline?
It might take some time for everyone to get used to it, but once everyone gets the hang of it, it will actually make things easier. By having a clear process in place, your team can avoid confusion and delays. And it will help you stay on top of any changes so you can make sure they don’t impact the overall the project.
A project management tool and a change pipeline could be really beneficial for your small business.
It might take some effort to get everything set up, but in the long run, it will be worth it. You’ll be able to work more efficiently and effectively, which will ultimately help your business grow.
What’s a Gantt Chart?
A Gantt chart is a great way to visualise your project, and it’s a great way to communicate with your team, to show they’re on track. They’re like those bar charts that show the progress of a project.
They’re a really useful tool for managing projects.
A gantt chart gives us a clear visual representation of the tasks involved in a project and how they fit together. It helps you see the big picture and understand the dependencies between different tasks.
But how does it help you and your business?
Imagine you manage an architecture business, you’d probably have many projects going on at the same time, and it can be tough to keep track of everything.
A gantt chart can help you see which tasks need to be completed first, which ones can be done at the same time, and which ones are dependent on others being finished. This way, you can make sure that you’re using our resources efficiently and that you’re making progress on all of our projects.
But won’t it be a lot of work to set up a gantt chart for each project?
It does take some effort to set it up initially, but once it’s done, it’s easy to update and maintain.
Or you can use a tool like Monday which automatically creates Gantt charts using your project tasks.
Having a gantt chart can actually save you time in the long run by helping you stay on track.
So how do we go about setting up a gantt chart?
There are a few different ways to do it. We could use a spreadsheet program like Excel or Google Sheets, or we could use specialised project management software like Asana or Trello.
Monday is another tool which can automatically create a Gantt charts, and it’s free to get started.
It might take some time to get everything set up, but it will be worth it in the long run.
You’ll be able to work more efficiently and effectively, which will ultimately help our business grow.
What are some other tool?
There’s tonnes of great tools that can help you manage and collaborate on projects.
Here’s our top picks:
- Productive.io — Manage your agency in one place, end-to-end.
- Project Express App — Over 35,000 people worldwide trust Project Express to manage projects, at work and at home.
- Monday.com — Highly effective teams choose monday.com to manage their work.
- Teamwork — At last, easy-to-use project management software you won’t outgrow
- asana — Asana organises work so teams are clear about what to do, why it matters, and how to get it done.
- Trello — From high rises to the home office, the way your team works is unique—accomplish it all with Trello.
- Hive — The tool for productive teams. Thousands of companies all over the world are moving faster with Hive.
- Wrike — Only Wrike’s work management platform gives your team full visibility and control over all your tasks and projects.
- nTask — Project management software that enables your teams to collaborate, plan, analyze and manage everyday tasks.
- Adobe Workfront — Connect, collaborate, and simplify workflows using Adobe Workfront to launch campaigns and deliver personalized experiences at scale.
- Accelo — Accelo is a cloud-based software platform that helps businesses manage their projects, clients, and teams.
- JIRA — JIRA is a project management and issue tracking software developed by Atlassian.
- ProjectLibre — ProjectLibre is an open source project management software that provides users with a comprehensive suite of tools to help them manage their projects.
- ProofHub — ProofHub is a project planning software with every tools your team needs to get work done faster, together. No per user fee. Free trial. No learning curve.
- Workfront — Workfront is a cloud-based project management and work collaboration platform designed to help teams and organizations manage their work more efficiently.
- FreeAgent CRM — #1 User-Rated Alternative to Salesforce
- Rock.so — Create a space for 1:1s, group conversations or projects. Add anyone, inside or outside your organization, to a space so they can participate in a conversation, work on tasks, read notes and access any file they need.
- Redbooth — Redbooth helps teams manage tasks and communication so projects get completed faster and easier.
- CobbleStone Systems — Cobblestone Systems is a software development company that specializes in creating custom software solutions for businesses. They provide services such as web and mobile app development, software integration, and cloud computing. Their team of experienced developers and designers work together to create innovative solutions that meet the needs of their clients.
- Basecamp — Trusted by millions, Basecamp puts everything you need to get work done in one place.
- HubSpot — HubSpot’s free CRM powers your customer support, sales, and marketing with easy-to-use features like live chat, meeting scheduling, and email tracking.
- Vendasta — From agency to enterprise, the Vendasta platform is the only end-to-end management software for selling digital solutions to local businesses.
- Slack — Slack is a new way to communicate with your team. It’s faster, better organised, and more secure than email.
- Adam.ai — One place for teams to run efficient meetings, create collaborative agendas, record decisions, and assign tasks.
- ContractZen — ContractZen corporate governance software is ideal for contract management, board meeting management, entity management, e-signature & virtual data room (VDR).
- Todoist — Join 25 million people and teams that organize, plan, and collaborate on tasks and projects with Todoist.
- ClickUp™ — ClickUp’s mission is to make the world more productive – Tasks, Docs, Goals, and Chat.
- Microsoft To-Do — Microsoft To Do
- 20NINE CRM — An alternative to cumbersome CRM for small businesses. Manage clients, sales, communication & documents from the mobile and computer!
- TickTick — Join millions of people to capture ideas, manage to-dos and make the most of your life with TickTick.
- Process Street — Process Street is a simple, free and powerful way to manage your team’s recurring checklists and procedures.
- Smartsheet — Smartsheet enables teams to manage projects, automate processes & scale programs in one powerful platform.
- Flock — Flock, the best team communication app and online collaboration platform, comes with team messaging, project management and other great features that improve productivity and boost speed of execution.
- PeerBie Inc — Transform the way you and your team works with one super app for everyone and everything you need to get work done.
- Sembly AI — Sembly records, transcribes and generates smart meeting summaries with meeting minutes.
- TimeCamp — Increase project profitability with time tracking by TimeCamp.
- Citrix Podio — Build powerful low-code business solutions to customize work and communication. Start for free.
- Miro — Scalable, secure, cross-device, and enterprise-ready team collaboration whiteboard for distributed teams. Join 45M+ users from around the world.
- Paymo — Manage projects, track work time, bill your clients, and measure profitability from the same platform.
- SmartSuite — Plan, track, and manage any type of work.
- Evernote — Remember everything and tackle any project with your notes, tasks, and schedule all in one place, with Evernote.
- Airtable — Airtable is a low-code platform for building collaborative apps. Customize your workflow, collaborate, and achieve ambitious outcomes. Get started for free.
- FreeAgent — FreeAgent’s powerful and easy-to-use accounting software for UK businesses brings everything together – from invoices and expenses to Self Assessment tax returns, payroll and MTD-compliant VAT filing. Take a free trial today!
- Notion — We’re more than a doc. Or a table. Customize Notion to work the way you do.
- Paytm — Send money with UPI using any bank account. Recharge mobile and pay bills.