Gantt chart
A Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart that visualizes a project schedule, with tasks on the Y-axis and time on the X-axis, including dependencies and milestones.
In depth
Gantt charts were popularized by Henry Gantt in the 1910s as a project-management visualization. Each row is a task with a start and end date; bars represent duration; arrows between bars show dependencies. Critical path analysis highlights the sequence of tasks that determines the project's earliest finish date.
Modern Gantt tools blend traditional timelines with Kanban-style status, resource leveling, and dependency calculation. For SaaS launches and engineering roadmaps, a simplified Gantt with milestones and dependencies is usually enough.
OpenCharts builds Gantt charts as a first-class diagram type on the flowchart canvas — task bars, milestones, phases, and summary rows — with real dependencies in all four relationship types (finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish, start-to-finish), four time scales from days to quarters, weekend shading, and a live today marker.
Also known as
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Build a Gantt chartRelated terms
Kanban board
A Kanban board is a visual workflow tool that organizes tasks into columns representing stages of work, used to manage flow, limit work-in-progress, and surface bottlenecks.
Process map
A process map is a visual representation of a workflow that documents the sequence of steps, decision points, and handoffs needed to complete a business outcome.
Swimlane diagram
A swimlane diagram is a flowchart that organizes activities into horizontal or vertical lanes, with each lane representing a different actor, role, or department responsible for those activities.