Gantt Chart

A well-designed production Gantt chart contains several key elements. The resource axis (typically vertical) lists all production resources: machines, lines, cells, or work centers. The time axis (horizontal) shows the scheduling horizon, which may range from a single shift to several weeks depending on the planning need. Task bars represent individual production orders, with their horizontal position and length showing start time and duration. Color coding indicates order status (not started, in progress, completed, delayed), product type, customer priority, or any other meaningful categorization. Milestones mark key events like customer delivery dates or material arrival dates. Dependencies (in advanced Gantt charts) show links between related operations — for example, a sub-assembly must complete before final assembly can start. Capacity indicators highlight overloaded time periods where more work is scheduled than the resource can handle. Current time line shows a vertical marker at the present moment, making it immediately clear which orders should be in progress.

In production scheduling, both Gantt charts and calendar views are used, each with strengths for different scenarios. Gantt charts excel at resource-centric scheduling — showing all work assigned to each resource over time, making it easy to see utilization and identify bottlenecks. They are ideal for job shop and machine-centric environments where resource assignment is the primary scheduling decision. Calendar views (like LinePlanner's production calendar) excel at time-centric scheduling — showing what happens during each day or shift across all resources simultaneously. They are more intuitive for many planners because they mirror the familiar calendar format and make it easy to answer the question 'What are we doing this week?' The best modern scheduling tools offer both views, allowing planners to switch depending on the question they are answering. For daily planning and communication with the shop floor, the calendar view is often preferred; for detailed resource loading and bottleneck analysis, the Gantt view adds value.

Modern digital Gantt charts have evolved far beyond static project management tools. In manufacturing, interactive Gantt charts provide drag-and-drop scheduling — planners can move orders between resources and time slots by dragging, with the system automatically checking for conflicts. Real-time updates ensure the chart reflects current production status, not yesterday's plan. Filtering and grouping let planners focus on specific product families, customers, or priority levels. Undo/redo enables safe experimentation with schedule alternatives. Multi-user collaboration allows multiple planners and supervisors to view and update the same schedule. Mobile access means supervisors can check the schedule from the shop floor using a tablet or phone. Integration with ERP ensures that material availability and order data are current. LinePlanner's calendar-based approach incorporates many Gantt chart benefits — visual scheduling, drag-and-drop, color-coded status — in a modern, web-based interface that production teams find intuitive and easy to adopt.