Critical paths in Gantt chart project management are the longest sequence of activities that must be finished on time in order for the entire project to be complete. Smartsheet is the best PM system for CPM, otherwise known as the Critical Path Method. We gave 5 out of 5 for presentation during our latest research round, as opposed to Smartsheet which scores just 3.5 due to its clunkier, spreadsheet display format. In fact, data visualisation is the app’s strong suit. Luckily, monday’s clean layout ensures things don’t get complicated when teams are collaborating on the same work plan for several months. We’d especially recommend it for heavily-regulated industries where you need to tick all the boxes, such as if you’re launching a healthcare product. You’ll be able to get a full visualisation of every task involved in a project, without responsibilities becoming confused. This makes it unrivalled for multi-phase projects that require the skill sets of numerous departments, such as a product launch. All tasks are given due dates and organised into colour-coded horizontal bars so you can check the status of each activity at-a-glance.īut as you can see in the above screenshot, monday's template also comes pre-organised into stages. The Gantt chart has all the trimmings you’d expect. The critical path is the leanest route towards project completion and focuses on the deliverables that absolutely must be completed on time for success to be achieved. That’s why you might also have heard a Gantt chart being described as the Critical Path Method (CPM). There are multiple ways you can organise a Gantt chart, such as into phases or by department, so it's important to find the right template before you go ahead and start planning.īecause Gantt charts let you see a timeline of your project, they’re also helpful for working out the order that tasks need to be completed. That way, project members can easily spot where there is a conflict and a delay might occur. They are more easily understood once you’ve seen what they look like.Īs our Gantt chart templates show, the idea is to design a colour-coded graph that illustrates when a task needs to be completed within the overall project timeline. Gantt charts are used in project planning to monitor team progress.

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