Editing Gantt chart (section)

== History ==
Widely used in project planning in the present day, Gantt charts were considered revolutionary when introduced.{{sfn|Wilson|2003}} The first known tool of this type was developed in 1896 by [[Karol Adamiecki]], who called it a ''[[harmonogram]]''.{{sfn|Marsh|1974|p=32}} Adamiecki, however, published his chart only in Russian and Polish which limited both its adoption and recognition of his authorship.

In 1912, {{ill|Hermann Schürch|de}} published what could be considered Gantt charts while discussing a construction project.  Charts of the type published by Schürch appear to have been in common use in Germany at the time;{{sfn|Weaver|2012a|pp=5–6}}{{sfn|Weaver|2012b|pp=4–6}}{{sfn|Weaver|2014|pp=6–7}} however, the prior development leading to Schürch's work is unclear.{{sfn|Weaver|2014|p=7}} Unlike later Gantt charts, Schürch's charts did not display interdependencies, leaving them to be inferred by the reader. These were also static representations of a planned schedule.{{sfn|Weaver|2014|p=6}}

The chart is named after [[Henry Gantt]] (1861–1919), who designed his chart around the years 1910–1915.{{sfn|Gantt|1910}}{{sfn|Morris|1997|p=7}} Gantt originally created his tool for systematic, routine operations. He designed this visualization tool to more easily measure [[productivity]] levels of [[employees]] and gauge which employees were under- or over-performing. Gantt also frequently included [[graphics]] and other visual indicators in his charts to track performance. <ref>{{cite journal |last1=Geraldi |first1=Joana |last2=Lechter |first2=Thomas |title=Gantt charts revisited |journal=International Journal of Managing Projects in Business |date=2012 |volume=5 |issue=4 |page=578-594 |doi=10.1108/17538371211268889}}</ref>

One of the first major applications of Gantt charts was by the United States during [[World War I]], at the instigation of [[William Crozier (artillerist)|General William Crozier]].{{sfn|Clark|1922}}

The earliest Gantt charts were drawn on paper and therefore had to be redrawn entirely in order to adjust to schedule changes. For many years, project managers used pieces of paper or blocks for Gantt chart bars so they could be adjusted as needed.{{sfn|Flouris|Lock|2012|p=281|loc=Chapter 14}} Gantt's collaborator [[Walter Polakov]] introduced Gantt charts to the [[Soviet Union]] in 1929 when he was working for the [[Supreme Soviet of the National Economy]]. They were used in developing the [[First five-year plan (Soviet Union)|First Five Year Plan]], supplying Russian translations to explain their use.<ref name ="Kelly">Kelly, D. J. (2004) "[https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1021&context=artspapers Marxist Manager Amidst the Progressives: Walter N. Polakov and the Taylor Society]", ''Journal of Industrial History'', 6(2), November 2004, 61-75</ref><ref name="Olson">{{cite book |last1=Olson |first1=Richard G. |title=Scientism and Technocracy in the Twentieth Century: The Legacy of Scientific Management |date=2015 |publisher=Lexington Books |isbn=9781498525718 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BFzpCgAAQBAJ&q=Technocracy+Russia+Polakov&pg=PA63 |access-date=25 September 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

In the 1980s, [[personal computer]]s allowed widespread creation of complex and elaborate Gantt charts. The first desktop applications were intended mainly for project managers and project schedulers. With the advent of the Internet and increased collaboration over networks at the end of the 1990s, Gantt charts became a common feature of web-based applications, including collaborative [[groupware]].{{cn|date=January 2018}} By 2012, almost all Gantt charts were made by software which can easily adjust to schedule changes.{{sfn|Flouris|Lock|2012|p=281|loc=Chapter 14}}

In 1999, Gantt charts were identified as "one of the most widely used management tools for project scheduling and control".{{sfn|Klein|1999|p=49}}