Today’s Digital era has made it really convenient for marketers to go out and get their job done on digital platforms. Marketing personnel in teams manage multiple campaigns simultaneously on various platforms while consumers have more expectations than before. Smart and up-to-date marketers need ways to manage campaigns effectively and efficiently while they are in progress. The Gantt chart is that proven tool to keep projects on track and deliver results. This article is based on extensive research conducted by Nico Digital bearing references to works of Eyal Katz with all due respect.
So, what exactly is a Gantt Chart?
The procedure of displaying the various itineraries/tasks, events, and other activities that broaden into a larger project. These activities are listed with their tenures mentioning start and end dates and the interdependencies between tasks. A Gantt chart helps to keep track of the above-mentioned.
The Gantt chart reflects these properties about an event or series of events taking whichever into consideration.
- The activities which need to be finished in order to complete a project
- The time each activity requires
- The activities need completion before depending activities begin.
Gantt charts are usually maintained and referred to by project managers. In order to ensure and maintain progress reports according to the prescribed schedule and so that no tasks are overlooked.
Contents of a Gantt chart
The chart is a visual depiction of data of the following scheduled activities:
- The moment the task starts
- Expected date of completion
- The Finishing dateline of the task is in progress so that the subsequent ones can be started on.
Setting up a Gantt chart is flexible enough, there are elements that are required in order to get maximum productivity and enjoy benefits using them.
A Gantt Chart may also include some critical pieces of information. Let’s take a look at them:
- The actual end dates or deadlines for each of the tasks allotted.
- Names of personals could be mentioned for each task allotted.
- The urgency or the priority level of each task.
- The list of resources required in order to complete an allotted task.
Making a Gantt Chart; Procedures involved
- Project Goals need to be reviewed: The essentiality of a Gantt chart is built around specific projects. Each of these tasks mentioned on the chart should directly relate to the goals which are to be met for that particular project. For instance, if the project concerns the launch of a new employee advocacy campaign, the goal might require the collection of potential high-quality leads.
- Defining the activities: It is ethically encouraged and advised that a Gantt chart should include every activity surrounding the project. It would be wise to add the inputs of the entire project team in order to identify all the related activities and the tasks associated with them.
- Maintain the sequence of activities: After you have acquired a comprehensive list of activities, you should break them down into particular tasks or add subsections containing details of the procedures to be maintained. Don’t be general or granular while adding them and maintain the arrangement in a logical format. Identify the tasks that need prior attention.
- Assign Leaders for every task: build the itinerary list that requires the resources needed to complete each task and make a decision on who should lead them. Subdivide each team with team members.
- Allot Timestamps or duration to project leaders/managers: you should calculate the approximate time required to complete each task keeping in mind all negative circumstances that might be applicable and allot these durations to the designated project managers.
- The Schedule: Create your schedule. Once you determine the approximate duration of the tasks to be allotted to the project managers, you should create a schedule for your project and start entering data into the Gantt chart.
The Reason to incorporate a Gantt chart to your marketing team.
A marketing campaign that is tightly focused has quite many moving parts. The campaigns do grow in scale and scope, Gantt charts become invaluable to determine workflow issues and keep them running on the basis of your schedule. As when your team refers to a Gantt chart in order to maintain progress and the task perhaps that holds up the following tasks, the communication gets easier and effective and that definitely engages in smart planning.
Gantt Chart assists you to be on schedule
It requires quite more than just skill to be on top of complex digital marketing campaigns and moreover being on schedule can get challenging sometimes. Even the most experienced marketing managers find it difficult. The right tools of management can certainly make a difference and Gantt Charts have been playing an important role in assisting project managers in delivering proven positive results and of course maintaining their sanity for more than a century. Interesting, isn’t it?
You should understand that using a Gantt Chart can be your savior. Get ready to use a Gantt chart and see the result yourself, the chart can help you make your life easier and the lives of your marketing fellows easier as well. You will be able to visualize the allocation of your time and resources quite efficiently and effectively. You could certainly look at a few templates available online to help you in making Gantt Chart. Start incorporating it into your business and see the difference yourself.