An
activity bar chart is another way (in addition to the activity network
diagram) of visually rendering the dependencies (or lack thereof) between the
various project tasks. This type of chart is often referred to as a
Gantt chart.
The activity network diagram is
an effective format for easily identifying the critical path so that
project management can shorten that path as much as possible. By
contrast, an activity bar chart is an effective format for clearly
identifying schedule slips as they relate to the various milestones (or
inchstones for finer, sub-task level scheduling granularity).
The following activity bar
chart (Gantt chart) shows the durations and dependencies of the tasks
that precede the testing phase for the microwave oven example.
The
following activity bar chart (Gantt chart) shows the durations and
dependencies of the tasks that are performed during the testing phase for the
microwave oven example.
No part of this work should be produced or used without the permission of the authors: Michael Turner and Dr. Sharon A White.