What Is Gantt Chart Software and Why Is It Significant for Project Management?
Every project manager faces challenges of overload, time limitations, project slippage, and bottlenecks. These challenges can result in complete failure of a project.
To prevent this, you should use the proper tools – for example, Gantt chart software – to predict and solve problems your business might confront. A Gantt chart demonstrates the real-time workflow in your company, specifying task statuses with deadlines and milestones.
The Gantt chart was introduced in 1917 by Henry L. Gantt to demonstrate the project flow at a company. It’s a system of rows, columns, and horizontal bars showing the progress of tasks.
Modern software for project management applies Gantt charts to monitor, control, and plan project tasks. At the same time, when used as a standalone tool, a Gantt chart is ineffective. This is why most Gantt software solutions are equipped with additional features to increase their capabilities. The weaknesses of Gantt charts are especially evident in multi-project environments when you’re in charge of several projects at once.
Read more: The Final Word in the Gantt Chart Polemic
Gantt charts with additional software components help to eliminate overload by observing what problems your team members are resolving at the moment so you not only know what tasks are in progress but who is working on them.
Read more: Emerging Trends in Project Management for 2019
Want to control all of your projects and predict failures? Then check out our list of the 7 best Gantt chart software tools below and choose the best one for your business to succeed!
Selecting Software for Comparison
As PM software developers, we keep track of innovations in this market and constantly analyze competing products. To create a list of the top Gantt chart applications in 2019, we examined the market of project management solutions and selected the seven most powerful for you to apply in the new business season.
What Gantt Chart Software Is Worth Your Attention in 2019?
Epicflow
Today, many businesses run several projects simultaneously, so they need something more than just a Gantt chart to control the flow. In terms of software capable of working in multi-project environments, Epicflow stands out for combining a task list, Historical and Future Load graphs, and a Pipeline. This PM Gantt chart tool serves well in the manufacturing, healthcare, IT, automotive, construction, and other industries.
Pricing: Upon request
Free trial: Available after a live demonstration
Features:
- Bubble Graph and Pipeline for real-time progress monitoring
- What-if scenarios and project simulations for testing decisions
- Future Load graph for total project control
- Integration with popular business tools
- Mobile app for iOS and Android
Read more: 5 How-Tos to Achieve Top Results with Epicflow Software for Multi-Project Management
Avaza
Avaza is project and resource management software that can be used by consulting and digital marketing agencies, IT services companies, and the legal industry. It’s equipped with Kanban boards, list views, and Gantt charts, and can show tasks allocated among your team, assigned directly to you, or that need to be delivered by a particular deadline.
Pricing: from $5 per user per month
Free trial: Free for 1 user only
Features:
- Task completeness percentage
- Colors for assignments
- Multiple variants of task monitoring
- Integration with popular business tools
- Mobile app for iOS and Android
Bigtime
Bigtime is project management software for accounting, engineering, marketing, consulting, and event agencies, IT services, government contractors, and the legal industry.
It includes time and expense tracking and resource allocation services.
Pricing: From $10 per user per month
Free trial: 14 days
Features:
- Automatic scheduling of tasks, subtasks, and dependencies
- Convenient view shifting (day–week–month)
- Critical path to resolve all issues to deliver a project on time
- Integration with popular business tools
- Mobile app for iOS and Android
Celoxis
Celoxis is a project and resource management tool that combines tracking, planning, managing, and accounting with team and client collaboration. It provides both cloud and on-premise solutions, and users can move between them if needed. Celoxis is used by government agencies as well as businesses.
Pricing: From $25 per user per month
Free trial: 30 days
Features:
- Numerous resources per task
- Capacity planning
- Adjustable portfolio dashboards
- Integration with popular business tools
- Mobile app for iOS and Android
GanttPro
GanttPro is an online Gantt chart-based project management solution suitable for single users and large team companies. They have clients in design, manufacturing, engineering, E-commerce, and IT spheres.
Pricing: From $5.90 per user per month
Free trial: 14 days
Features:
- Online Gantt chart maker
- Automated project scheduling
- Resource planning and management
- Time log and reporting
- Integration with Jira and Google Drive
Redbooth
Redbooth is a project and resource management tool suitable for many industries and businesses of all sizes. It’s fitted with Kanban boards, Gantt charts, and dashboards so you can control the workflow as easily as possible.
Pricing: From $9 per user per month
Free trial: 14 days
Features:
- Sort and organize tasks with Kanban boards
- Easy task and time tracking and team collaboration
- Timeline view together with Gantt charts for controlling and managing risks
- Integration with popular business tools
- Mobile app for iOS and Android
Sciforma
Sciforma is a portfolio and project management application that meets the requirements of the manufacturing, healthcare, education, and management spheres. It supports SaaS, hosted, and on-premise deployments.
Pricing: Upon request
Free trial: 30 days
Features:
- Change request control and monitoring
- Resource, risk, and idea management
- Project status control according to a number of characteristics
- Gantt view project calendar
- Integration with popular business tools
- Mobile app for iOS and Android
TaskRay
TaskRay provides efficient project management with various views: Gantt chart, Kanban, row, and calendar. Working with TaskRay is easy thanks to templates – along with a feature that automatically helps you use those templates when working with new projects and apply automated actions when appropriate. This software is suitable for marketing, consulting, agile development, and back-office tasks.
Pricing: From $5 per user per month
Free trial: 14 days
Features:
- Templates for creating, editing, and updating projects
- Kanban boards
- Task groups and checklists
- Integration with popular business tools
- Mobile app for iOS and Android
Which One to Choose?
Each of the Gantt chart tools on our list is worth your attention, but your choice should be based on the kind of business you run, the projects your company implements, and of course the number of projects you’re dealing with.
What tools do you use to manage all your projects and tackle all your tasks on time? We welcome your comments on the advantages and disadvantages of your favorite software!