Gantt Chart Maker

Guides to Gantt charts & project scheduling

Plain-English explanations of the ideas behind a good plan — what a Gantt chart is, how dependencies and the critical path work, how to estimate, and how to keep a schedule honest. Free to read, no signup.

Gantt chart basics

Start here. What a Gantt chart is, how to read one, and how to build your first.

Gantt chart vs Kanban

A time-based plan versus a flow of work — what each is for, and why it is often both.

5 min read

Gantt chart vs PERT

One shows the network of dependencies, the other puts it on a calendar. A pair, not rivals.

5 min read

History of the Gantt chart

A Polish engineer drew it first, an American got the name, and two wars spread it.

5 min read

How to make a Gantt chart

Seven steps from a blank page to a working schedule, and the decisions that matter.

7 min read

What is a Gantt chart?

What a Gantt chart shows, how to read one, and when it earns its place.

5 min read

Scheduling techniques

The methods behind a good plan — dependencies, the critical path, estimating, and slack.

Critical path method explained

The longest chain of dependent work sets your earliest finish — how to find it and use it.

6 min read

How to estimate task durations

Why estimates run optimistic, and the techniques that make them less wrong.

6 min read

Lead time vs lag time

The two dials that turn a raw dependency into a realistic schedule, and where each belongs.

6 min read

Milestones vs tasks

What milestones are really for, what makes a good one, and the mistakes that drain their meaning.

5 min read

Slack and float explained

The spare time in a schedule: total vs free float, and which delays are actually safe.

6 min read

Task dependencies explained

The four ways one task waits on another, when to use each, and what to avoid.

4 min read

What is a project baseline?

The saved snapshot you measure against, and when re-baselining is honest versus hiding slippage.

6 min read

How-to guides

Practical, step-by-step walkthroughs for planning real projects.

Handling schedule slippage

Detect it early, work out if it matters, and pick the right recovery move.

6 min read

How to plan a project

The nine stages that turn a vague idea into a plan you can run and track.

7 min read

Present a plan to stakeholders

Pitch at the right altitude, lead with the story, and earn real buy-in.

6 min read

Work breakdown structure

Decompose a big goal into manageable work without forgetting whole branches.

6 min read

Comparisons & tools

How Gantt charts stack up against the alternatives, and which tool fits your team.

Do you need MS Project?

What MS Project is great at, where it is overkill, and the lighter alternatives.

6 min read

Free Gantt tools compared

Spreadsheets, free desktop apps, free SaaS tiers, browser tools — honest pros, cons, and who each suits.

6 min read

New to the app?

Take the two-minute guided tour of everything Gantt Chart Maker does — dependencies, exports, collaboration, and the AI assistant.

Take the tour →