Gantt Chart
A horizontal bar chart that shows project tasks on the Y-axis and time on the X-axis, with each bar representing a task's start date, duration, and finish date - the most common visual representation of a construction schedule.
The Gantt Chart: Universally Used, Rarely Current
Henry Gantt developed the Gantt chart in the 1910s. Over a century later, it remains the default scheduling visualization in construction. Its simplicity is its strength - horizontal bars, timeline axis, dependency arrows. Anyone can look at a Gantt chart and understand which tasks are happening when, which depend on others, and where the project currently stands.
Every construction management tool on the market - from enterprise platforms like Primavera P6 to simple tools like Excel - offers Gantt chart views. This makes the Gantt chart a table-stakes feature, not a differentiator.
The Real Question: How Fast Does the Gantt Update?
The value of a Gantt chart is directly proportional to how current it is. A Gantt chart showing yesterday's data is a plan. A Gantt chart showing this morning's data is a management tool.
Here's what typically happens on Indian construction sites: the planner creates a detailed Gantt chart in Primavera P6 or MS Project. It's presented at the weekly meeting. Everyone aligns on the plan. On Tuesday, a slab pour is delayed. On Wednesday, a subcontractor doesn't show up. By Thursday, the Gantt chart from Monday's meeting describes a project that no longer exists.
The planner spends 4-5 hours updating the Gantt chart for next Monday's meeting. During those 4-5 hours, they're tracing dependencies, recalculating dates, and adjusting resource assignments manually. The updated Gantt chart is ready by Friday - reflecting Thursday's reality.
This update cycle - weekly at best, fortnightly on busy projects - means the Gantt chart is perpetually behind the site. Decisions made from the Gantt chart are decisions made on stale data.
Beyond the Bar Chart: What Makes a Gantt Useful
A static Gantt chart that doesn't link to real progress data is essentially a picture. A useful Gantt chart connects to three data streams: the baseline (original plan), the current schedule (updated with actual progress), and the forecast (projected finish based on current trends).
When all three are layered on the same Gantt chart, a project manager can see at a glance: original planned finish for any task (baseline bar), current expected finish based on progress (actual bar), and whether the gap is growing or shrinking (trend).
Gantt Charts at Portfolio Level
For Tier 1 developers managing 10-20 simultaneous projects, individual project Gantt charts are necessary but not sufficient. A portfolio-level Gantt - showing key milestones across all projects on a single timeline - gives leadership the "all projects at a glance" view needed for resource allocation decisions across the portfolio.
If Tower A in Project X and Tower B in Project Y both need crane time in the same week, a portfolio Gantt reveals the conflict. Individual project Gantt charts, reviewed separately, would miss it.
Why this matters in construction
The Gantt chart is the lingua franca of construction project management. Every stakeholder - from the site engineer to the developer's board - can read a Gantt chart. But its ubiquity is also its limitation. In 2026, every construction management tool has a Gantt chart. The chart itself is not a differentiator. What matters is how quickly the Gantt chart updates when reality changes.
Related terms
Critical Path Method (CPM)
schedulingThe longest sequence of dependent tasks that determines your project's earliest possible finish date. Delay any task on this path, and the entire project slips.
Baseline Schedule
schedulingThe original approved project schedule that becomes the fixed reference point for measuring progress - any deviation from the baseline tells you exactly how far ahead or behind the project is.
Resource Leveling
schedulingThe process of adjusting a project schedule to resolve resource conflicts - when the same crew, equipment, or material is needed in two places at the same time, resource leveling decides which task gets priority.
How Buildrun Intelligence handles this
Buildrun's Gantt chart updates in real time as site engineers report progress, with automatic dependency recalculation showing the ripple effect of any change across the entire schedule.