Project Management Software can be defined as software programs that enable one to deal with large complex projects by applying knowledge, techniques, skills, and tools for planning and controlling resources, schedules, and costs of the project. It includes integrated functions like calendars, charts, budgets, tracking of human resource, scheduling, generating reports, etc. Functions of project management software include scheduling, resource allocation, budget management and cost control, communication, collaborating software, documentation, and quality management. One of the key components of project management software is the Gantt Chart software, which is a typical visual aid. It is a useful tool that helps the users in planning and scheduling projects and in monitoring the project's progress.



All business organizations have goals or objectives to meet. In order to do so every organization has to perform tasks or carry out projects. These projects may be simple and small-scale or complex and large scale. Either kind of project needs a proper management. The elements that make a project possible need to come together at the right time, so as to ensure smooth flow of operation, achievement of the target deadlines, and no loss of capital. Calculating critical path and providing information are important tasks of project management software. Depending on the size of the project, the software or tool like Gantt Chart software must be utilized so that the progress of the project is monitored and controlled.

Desktop applications, web-based application, personal application, single user system, collaborative system, integrated system, etc. are few common approaches to project management software.

Karol Adamiecki is known to design the first Gantt chart in 1896 and these charts were named as Harmonogram. However, his work was in Polish and Russian and was therefore not that popular in the west. The Gantt chart is named after Henry Gantt, who reintroduced it around 1910-1915. Elaborate Gantt charts were created with the help of the personal computers in the 1980s. These Gantt Chart software were mainly designed for the project managers and schedulers. In web-based applications, Gantt Chart software became an important and common tool in the late 1990's and early 2000. This also included collaborative groupware.

Gantt Chart software is a project management software tool that graphically represents the relationships between the different elements of a project over a certain period of time. It determines the time period a project should take and the order of carrying out tasks. Gantt chart represents the dependency relations between activities or precedence network. This tool also indicates the elements that play a crucial role to meet the deadlines of the project. Gantt Chart software creates bar chart and illustrates a project schedule or the series of events in a project. It illustrates the starting and finishing dates of terminal and summary elements that include the work breakdown structure in a project. Gantt Chart software is used in Information Technology for representing the collected data.

In a Gannt chart the left hand side has a column that lists the tasks. Tasks may be in parallel or overlapping sequence. The time scale is the horizontal axis expressing either absolute or relative time. Gantt chart has rows and each row represents a task. Dates, representing increment of days, weeks, and months can be seen at the top.