Gantt charts are useful tools for analysing, planning and controlling complex multi stage projects.

Gantt Charts can;
Assist in identifying the tasks and sub tasks to be undertaken
Help you lay out the tasks that need to be completed
Assist in scheduling when these tasks will be carried out and in what order
Assist in planning resources and needed to complete the project,
Assist in working out the critical path for a project where it needs to be completed by a particular date.

When a complex or multi task project is under way, Gantt charts assist in monitoring whether the project is on schedule, or not. If not, the Gantt chart allows you to easily identify what actions need to be taken in order to put the project back onto schedule.

An essential concept behind project planning is that some activities depend upon other activities being completed first. For example, it is not a good idea to start building the walls in an office block before you have laid the foundations; neither is it a good idea to put the cake mix into the tin without greasing the tin first.

These are dependent activities which need to be completed in a sequence, with each stage being more-or-less completed before the next stage can begin. We can call such dependent activities