|
|
You might be using an unsupported or outdated browser. To get the best possible experience please use the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge to view this website. |
Gantt charts are excellent project management tools. They use horizontal bars to denote the amount of work done in certain periods of time relative to the amount of work planned for those periods. Gantt chart software is project management software using Gantt charts that help track and manage tasks for any scheduled project.
The best Gantt chart software is easy to use, meaning it allows you to input projects and set up tasks intuitively. As needs and timelines change in the project, great Gantt chart software makes it easy to adjust tasks to keep the project organized and on track.
Forbes Advisor has put together a comprehensive collection of data to compare the best Gantt chart software and rate them on a five-star basis. Here are the best Gantt chart software options for 2023.
The Forbes Advisor Small Business team is committed to bringing you unbiased rankings and information with full editorial independence. We use product data, strategic methodologies and expert insights to inform all of our content and guide you in making the best decisions for your business journey.
We reviewed software providers using a detailed methodology to help you find the five best Gantt chart software options for small businesses. Our ratings considered many factors, including starting prices, the quality and depth of features available, customer reviews on third-party websites and a final rating by our team of experts. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
| Company | Forbes Advisor Rating | Starting Price | Free Version Available | LEARN MORE | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wrike |  |
4.7 |  |
$9.80 per user, per month | Yes | Learn More | Read Forbes' Review | |
| TeamGantt |  |
4.3 | |
$19 per user, per month (billed annually) | Yes | View More | ||
| GanttPRO |  |
4.2 |  |
$7.99 per user, per month (billed annually) | No | Learn More | Read Forbes' Review | |
| Smartsheet |  |
4.0 | |
$7 per user, per month | No | Learn More | On Smartsheet's Website | |
| Microsoft Project |  |
3.7 |  |
$10 per user, per month | No | View More |
To determine the best Gantt chart software for small businesses, Forbes Advisor researched the industry and several providers and plans across several categories of features against 14 different metrics that were weighted to favor features that small business owners find valuable in a software provider. Each company could earn a possible five points. This point system resulted in the rating that each company has received.
The four areas of study were pricing, general features, reviews and recognition and expert score.
First, we wanted to see if the Gantt chart software provider has a free plan available for users. From there, we rated the starting prices as excellent, good, fair, bad and terrible. Price accounts for a total of 20 percent of the overall score.
We wanted to see if the software was robust with all the amenities expected from a comprehensive Gantt chart software. We looked at whether the features were included at all plan levels and rated it based on always available, only available with a paid plan or not available at all. Some of the features we looked for as part of this software included offering ready-made Gantt chart templates and timelines, having some form of role assignment features, providing access to third-party software integrations and a mobile app version of the software and having other project management styles available within the software. Features accounted for 40 percent of the final point total.
We looked at whether the software had a rating of at least 3.5 on popular third-party websites Capterra and Trustpilot so that we could gauge the opinions of actual users of the software. Customer reviews accounted for 10 percent of the final tally.
This section is devoted to rating the company based on how well the software does in relation to competitors. We wanted to know if it was easy to use and was a good value for its money. We also considered whether or not its features met the demands of consumers, making it a popular choice or not, all of which was based on the opinion of our panel of experts. The expert score accounts accounted for 30 percent of the final rating.
Gantt charts are project management tools that use bars that are assigned to tasks along a timeline. Each bar represents a task in a project and is filled to depict how far into completion that task is. When looking at a Gantt chart, you can see what elements are needed to complete the project and assign tasks to relevant team members for completion.
The Gantt chart will give you an overview of everything that needs to be completed in the project by the project due date. It breaks the big picture into smaller tasks that get assigned and completed. Some tasks must be completed before other tasks can start, while some other tasks can be done simultaneously. Look at the Gantt chart to see if a project is on track to be completed by its due date and troubleshoot bottleneck areas that you may need to manage more directly.
Building a Gantt chart involves breaking the chart down into the steps and activities that need to be completed. Put them in order and then assign milestones to the project. There may be several steps to any given milestone, though a major step may have its own milestone. Forbes Advisor has created a Gantt chart template that you can download for free to try it out.
While you’ll assign a timeframe to complete each task, you need to be flexible to change this as the work gets done and you discover areas that need more or less time than anticipated. Lay these steps down on a horizontal axis that measures days, weeks or months to complete the project. Each step should be an empty bar that is filled in as the task progresses. Milestones are marked by a triangle after a step and are filled in upon completion. Adjust timelines as needed depending on resources and task completion.
Gantt charts provide project managers a high-level overview of what is needed to complete a project and where the project stands in completion. It breaks a project down into manageable tasks and helps to identify which tasks may create a bottleneck toward achieving the overall project goals.
Because Gantt charts are very complex in design, breaking projects into very small bite-sized chunks, they may not be practical to create. Many companies are moving toward an Agile project management system where small sprints are used to complete certain tasks and then the next set of tasks are evaluated when the sprint is done. Using a Gantt chart in this system would not always be practical.
If you have a large project, a Gantt chart can be useful in helping you achieve your goal. It helps to identify the resources needed, identify timelines for completion and helps to develop a plan to get it all done. Once you have the Gantt chart completed, it serves as a way to monitor progress and get a high-level overview of how the project is going.
Today’s leading Gantt chart software platforms offer standard security features, such as data encryption, secure credential tokenization and more. While human error will always play some role in security breaches, you can be confident in your accounting platform when it comes to keeping your information safe.
