For those involved in project management, Gantt charts have become a staple. First conceived in 1896, the chart was made popular and given its current title in 1910 by Henry Gantt.
Gantt charts have come a long way since then – particularly since the invention of the personal computer. Today, Microsoft Project has become somewhat of an industry standard when it comes to producing Gantt charts.
Now there’s a new kid on the block, a recent recipient of Y-combinator money. Gantto allows you to import MS Project files or start from scratch and create Gantt charts, all from the comfort of your favourite browser window.
Unsurprisingly, the interface is clean, slick and super easy to use with ribbons and buttons which appear or disappear when you would expect them to. There are a few themes to help you get started on the design front but this app does one thing very well and very free, for now.
Other competitors include Basecamp made by online productivity experts 37signals, but this doesn’t include Gantt functionality directly, and instead relies on external developers to fill the gap. There are more features promised by a very audience-led developer team which can only make an already useful site even more exciting.
For expert project managers and novices who want to try and get a grip on a project timeline this is a great opportunity to try a product which might become a new standard in the world of project charting. If you’re into Gantt charts Gannto might be worth a look.
