project management in project management software

The best software for Gantt chart 2024

Do you want to quickly find out which are the best Gantt chart software in 2024? We have drawn up a special list for you.

The Gantt chart is the best tool to get an overview of project performance.

It allows you to have the start and end dates of the project and its phases, their duration, their correlation, the assignees, all in one view.

As we shall see, there are many reasons to implement it, but to draw up a Gantt chart that is really useful and effective, we need the right tools.

Otherwise, we risk wasting a lot of time creating a merely theoretical plan, which will soon be abandoned and remain only in the initial plans of the project leader.

In fact, the key words for evaluating a good Gantt chart are in our opinion: dynamicity and shareability.

Origins and qualities of the Gantt chart

The Gantt has undergone many evolutions over time. Initially, it was a simple, static, time chart for initial planning.

Until not so many years ago, the Gantt was a theoretical structure that was designed at the start of a project, then printed out and hung on a wall in the workplace.

It was a simple benchmark, but unfortunately after a few days or weeks, the chart already became obsolete.

With the emergence of calculation software and then later with web tools, the Gantt became an operational tool.

Its function today does not end at the planning stage, but continues during project execution.

And this is why it must necessarily be integrated and interoperable with other tools. Nowadays, the Gantt chart only makes sense if it is dynamic, sharable, updatable in real time.

Here are in detail the two aspects we took into account the most during our analysis in search of the best software for creating Gantt charts.

First quality of the best Gantt chart: dynamicity

By ‘dynamic’ we mean both the interactivity of the Gantt and its integration with other working tools.

In fact, a good Gantt chart must be able to evolve as various activities are completed. And of course, it is better if this evolution takes place in an automated way and in real time.

At the same time, the information that allows the Gantt to change and progress comes from other sources, such as worklog data, calendar and ToDos performed.

Conversely, the assignments distributed through the Gantt make up and update the 0perators’ workload; its duration affects budget estimates and many other aspects of project management.

This explains the relevance of the Gantt chart in a project management software: it is the starting point and the core to which everything leads back.

The tools we have included in our list of the best Gantt chart software possess this quality!

Second quality of the best Gantt chart: shareability

Together with the interactivity of the Gantt, the group of actors involved in the use of this chart has expanded.

We are talking about the actual project executors, but also about the stakeholders: each resource has its own specific reasons for keeping an eye on the Gantt.

Having a Gantt at hand when we are presenting a project and being able to act within it in real time during meetings is definitely a good practice.

This increases the involvement of the parties and helps achieve a holistic view.

In addition, the most advanced tools also have very customisable role permission systems that allow certain aspects of planning to be delegated.

For example, the project manager may need to entrust the planning of certain project sub-phases to other collaborators, and good software must in our opinion allow for this elasticity on permissions.

But let us finally come to our ranking of the best Gantt chart software, bearing in mind the aspects we have highlighted so far, and see who and how performs the work best.

Here is the list of the best Gantt chart software:

1. Twproject

Gantt Twproject - best gantt chart software

Let’s start with what is considered by many to be the best Gantt chart on the market: Twproject, a software that has made this chart its strong point.

Twproject was founded in 2001, but only from its fifth release did it integrate the Gantt among its tools.

Its team waited until they had the technological maturity to develop a tool that had real utility and was not equivalent to graphing on a spreadsheet.

Since then, however, Twproject has ensured that its Gantt chart became increasingly comprehensive and interoperable, always adding new optimisations and functionalities.

Twproject stands out by having a rather customisable and realistic Gantt that truly reflects the progress of projects.

The elasticity of Twproject’s Gantt is remarkable, but at the same time this tool is extremely precise and its interaction with the other elements of the software is total and accurate.

Last but not least, Twproject guarantees the possibility of keeping track of all previous changes made to the Gantt chart, thanks to the timeline: with this, you can scroll back in time and review the Gantt chart structure at any desired date.

Best features:

Overview or detailed view: possibility to have a lower or higher detail level and zoom in on individual phases of the WBS
Creation of phases and milestones: from list or drag and drop, as preferred
Assignment of phases: possibility to set assignees directly from the Gantt
Integration with workload: warning of overloads and reallocation with ‘magic wand’ tool
Critical path: possibility to check crucial nodes of project development
Timeline: user-activated project change history
Dependency types: in addition to the classic Finish to Start dependency, three more dependencies are available to better accommodate different work dynamics
Elasticity: possibility of having non-sequential dependencies
ToDo view: side-by-side and integrated ToDo management for each project phase
Role and permission management: possibility of assigning the planning of various phases to different users
Sharing: exportability in various formats

Pricing: from € 7.89 per user/month.

Pros: Twproject makes it possible to create a Gantt chart that is unrivalled in terms of user-friendliness, accuracy and variety of functions. Thanks to constant feedback from its users, this product is constantly evolving and improving.

Cons: Frankly, it is difficult to find a single negative aspect in Twproject’s Gantt.

With Twproject, you never have to enter information twice: everything is designed to optimise working time and offer a useful tool in daily operations

2. ClickUp

The Gantt that can be created with ClickUp has a good overview of the entire project, which is also highlighted by the green bar that encloses all project phases, showing the total duration at a glance.

On each step, the name of the assignee is clearly visible, but other information, such as the percentage of work done, is missing.

There is a general lack of connection with the resource load.

As there is no difference between activities and project phases in Clickup, the Gantt chart is very quick to create and manage.

However, this can be a disadvantage when it comes to complex projects or projects with many micro-tasks to perform and keep track of.

Best features:

Hierarchical structure: Spaces > Folders > Lists
Lists of tasks have their own Gantt
Tasks that can be entered directly on the gantt by dragging and dropping
Secondary opening of the related tab with various detailed information
Duplication possibility
Wide range of customisation possibilities

Pricing: from $ 7 per user/month.

Pros: ClickUp has an attractive interface, and its Gantt is no exception. It makes the agile philosophy its strong point.

Cons: It lacks some advanced features and at first glance its Gantt editor can appear a little chaotic.

Agility and aesthetics combine in a tool that is quick to use but not always complete in its functions

3. GanttPRO

With almost diametrically opposite characteristics we find Gantt PRO.

As its name suggests, it is a software totally dedicated to the Gantt chart.

Project planning starts precisely from the Gantt view, with a WBS side-by-side, in which projects and task lists are entered.

Alongside the Gantt, there are also secondary views, such as the Kanban board, operator loading and reporting.

Some secondary functions such as budgeting and time tracking are only available in advanced licences.

Best features:

Fixed hierarchy of projects and task lists
Various baselines can be created
Percentage turnaround that can be set directly on the task by dragging and dropping
Dependencies with Finish to Start or Start to Start type
Gap between dependencies settable in hours
Critical path

Pricing: from $ 9.99 per user/month.

Pros: It turns out to be a good technical product, with a simple, clean interface and few but clear functions.

Cons: It has a somewhat dated appearance and is little or no customisation. Some secondary functions such as budgeting and time tracking are only available in advanced licences.

If the objective is to create accurate Gantt charts, it may be a solution, although lacking in interoperability with other management tools

4. Smartsheet

It is a software that plans to replace Excel spreadsheets for business management, and thus closely replicates its functionalities.

Smartsheet is a tool consisting of many combined elements, with the addition of typical project management tools.

The data entered in your worksheet can then be interpreted through the various views, including the Gantt view.

It is therefore a tool that requires good expertise in the use of calculation formulas.

Best features:

Customising phase colours
Conditional formatting allowing the setting of customised rules for the display of phases
4 zoom levels: quarter – month – week – day
Secondary views: list, calendar and board
Critical path
Percentage of work done shown on phase
Task duration: shown only when dependencies are activated

Pricing: from $ 6 per user/month, for up to 10 users.

Pros: The main feature of Smartsheet is the possibility of customisation, both graphically and in terms of the method used.

Cons: Lack of automation and the need to master the calculation formulae for its use.

Technical tool with refined functionality, but not exactly useful for saving time in planning

5. Toggl Plan

Toggl strongly focuses on the human resources aspects of the projects.

It is therefore very much geared towards managing tasks and assignments in a smooth manner, particularly through its Gantt editor, but not only.

The special feature of the tool is that it allows you to create resource-specific, as well as project-specific, Gantt charts.

It could therefore be useful for those who specifically deal with scheduling and balancing the working time of human resources in a company.

Best features:

Data sharing to external users also
Estimated vs. actual progress
Good integration with resource load, which is visible at the same time
4 zoom levels
Drag and drop for duration and dependencies
Colour customisation of assignments

Pricing: from $ 9 per user/month.

Pros: In general, it is easy to use and has a modern, user-friendly interface.

Cons: Perhaps also because of its easiness, it has some limitations, especially when it comes to integration with other views of the software.

Agile and easy-to-learn software, more useful if the work is set up in a resource-oriented manner

6. Team Gantt

Here again we are in front of a tool that starts projects directly from the Gantt.

Only at a later stage, one can add tasks and distribute assignments.

Almost all of its functionalities relate to the Gantt chart and many interactions can be done directly from this view.

A limitation is the fact that tasks and ToDos are not distinct from each other. In addition, all tasks related to a project are always visible on the Gantt, making the management of complex projects somewhat difficult.

Best features:

Ability to add notes and attachments to tasks
Possibility to enter the percentage of task completion
Workload view openable from Gantt
Total view of the number of tasks assigned per person in days or hours
Health report
Secondary views: list, calendar and board

Pricing: from $ 8 per user/month.

Pros: A detailed and very specific tool for creating Gantt charts, with some useful customisations.

Cons: Among the customisations, the differences between dependencies and their elasticity unfortunately do not appear. Furthermore, due to an excessive level of detail by default, the Gantt loses its primary function as a comprehensive overview tool.

Suitable for those who need to create many Gantt charts for small projects but somewhat lacking in cases of complexity

Bottom line

We have tried to help you choose the best Gantt chart software for your projects.

In conclusion, keep in mind that if you decide to try to Twproject:

its interaction with ToDo lists makes it possible to overcome the classic Waterfall vs. Agile opposition, and creates a new structured yet dynamic approach.
The possibility of having a timeline that allows you to go back to the planned structure at any time, right from the start of the project, makes Twproject’s Gantt chart the best planning tool. In fact, it allows us not to miss any important data and to be able to reschedule freely and without delay during project implementation.

If you wish, you can tell us if this analysis was useful to you and start creating a Gantt chart in the best possible way right away: with Twproject you can try it out for free for the first 15 days.

Twproject: the power of an in-house solution

Complete control. This is the answer to the question that often comes back talking about Twproject: why, being used to online products, why our customers still prefer a software to be installed in-house?

As we said, the answer is simple: you need to have complete control over your data.

Even if there are many simple online project management services, it is a fact that we are dealing with data at the heart of your company’s production activity.

This data is generally more than simple to-do lists and time tacking reports: this data is connected with the whole productive process.

Let’s see a typical project life-cycle:

A project can be the result of a commercial activity or customer management (CRM).
Projects need to be managed and planned according to company’s productive processes (ERP).
Project costs result from resources, investments and external cost, and are overlapped with accounting software data.
Over that, many projects require after-sales support (help desk, issue tracking, etc.).

My data, my key to growth

We collects all data from the actual management of the project, and creates a database from which all the other company’s applications retrieve essential data for an organized and healthy company’s growth.

The power of Twproject is its extremely easy to use user interface that will help you adopting the software and collecting consistent project data.

Having this data available and easily accessible with commonly used tools for reporting, monitoring and synchronization will greatly increase benefits. What you accrue is not only what you see from the user interface. This way project data can be used and analyzed with any of your preferred tools.

Control, security, connectivity…

Having an in house project management solution will give you complete control over your data allowing easy integration with your infrastructure, and having Twproject in house will give you far more than that. Being in your network, under your privacy policies, your data will be always safe on your server instead of being hosted on some shared servers somewhere in the world.

It will be possible to integrate it with your LDAP or Active Directory, you can set every strict polices, it is up to your decision.

Control, security, connectivity, this is what you have with a Twproject in house installation.

Hey, but you have also a cloud service!

Although, of course, we also offer cloud-based solutions, our choice is always to have dedicated machines and databases; one for each customer.

This approach gives you the security that your data is not on a shared database (so for instance you can ask for a backup of your entire database in any moment), and give you restricted and controlled access to your data. Of course we take care that your Twproject will be backed-up, updated and monitored continuously.

Twproject is smart, simple, full featured, easy to use, it has the flexibility of an online service and at the same time gives you complete control over your data. It sounds good right?

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Introducing Twproject 6: it’s all new!

We are really proud to announce that we have recently released an all new Twproject version and that it costs exactly the same!

You can get Twproject 6 here:

http://www.twproject.com/download.page

In the same page you can get a 15 day free evaluation license. You can try Twproject by downloading it, and you can then either use it from our online service or have it installed on your network.

Twproject’s costs have not changed, you can have it at the same price of the old version 5, for more details about pricing go here:

http://www.twproject.com/licensing.page

What’s new

When we started building Twproject 6 we’ve examined all users’ feedback on usability and by leveraging the evolving capabilities of browsers we created an interface that is readable, compact and can represent the state of several projects and tasks together.
Twproject 6 features a redesign of the overall user interface. Maintaining all the key features and flexibility now Twproject is more readable and easy to use.

Creating new projects and tasks is now easy and fast, and at the same time there is complete support managing easily projects changing in time.

Every screen of Twproject has been redesigned and crafted in order to facilitate information gathering and input, and ease navigation between different sections. Data can be filtered and sorted in a simpler way, and more data is visible on screen. Pages are responsive to different screen sizes, so to optimize user experience in different settings. {issue list}

Twproject known capacity of handling complex projects has been preserved and empowered, for example by allowing Gantt-like functionality in a view spanning several independent projects, supporting portfolio analysis.

Overall everything is changed and nothing has been dropped, the user interface rework also meant adding functionalities and facilitating usage across the application.

Get Twproject 6 here:

http://www.twproject.com/download.page

And more

On top of being a major update with the entire user interface redesigned, we added a host of new features, while preserving the model of all Twproject versions.

One of the immediately visible ones is the new home page / dashboard composition, with a notification top bar and “red circled button” news entry point.

All editors now have in place editing, which speeds up the creation and editing process and also eases checking related information.

All search / filter results have sortable grid layouts with very compact lines, without compromising readability.

A unique feature of Twproject 6 is that it provides a multi Gantt view that allows view and editing of entire project trees of different projects.

And beyond this there is a lot more: issue notes are now always visible, their editing process is streamlined, project discussions are easier, search speed and functionality improved … the best way to appreciate all this is to give Twproject 6 a try!

For all users of version 5 that purchased after 1st of September 2014, upgrade to version 6 is free. All users of the online services will get a free upgrade on request. For the detailed cost of your upgrade, free licenses and more information do write us here.

Get Twproject 6 here:

http://www.twproject.com/download.page

Upgrading from Twproject 5

The multi-platform installer includes an upgrader from version 5 which updates the web app and your data, but it cannot update Java’s JDK (see FAQ), you must do that by hand or do a new installation; Twproject 5 needs Java JDK version 7. In order to try version 6, the best way is to do a fresh installation. The new installer requires 64 bit operating systems.

The never ending Twproject “war” with Microsoft Project

Through our customers and contacts we frequently get reminded about Microsoft Project© enduring existence.

Twproject was in fact first born as the limitation of Microsoft Project (it was 1999 🙂 ) were unsolvable by using the Microsoft Project API available at the time. And the two project management solutions are born to differ in their core philosophy – and they do. Web applications became possible at the time and Twproject development started, around 2002, and Twproject got developed as wed based and around the idea of making information gathering as easy as possible.

Why care about Microsoft Project then? The team that develops Twproject and the set of its customers are often large, even enterprise companies, and we have the experience and sensitivity to typical corporate problems of software and IT integration. In these contexts we are still frequently asked how Twproject and Microsoft Project compare as solutions for corporate customers, e.g.

I actually downloaded it and I am trying it on my localhost. I would love to hear though what advantages Twproject has over Microsoft Project Server. We are in the process of trying to decide. If you have a comparison white sheet I would be grateful.

Some information follows.

Twproject is web based (since 2001)

Being web based then and today meant ubiquity, adaptiveness, flexibility, inclusiveness. This in our opinion is what Microsoft Project always lacked.

Microsoft almost made it (in 2014!) making a web version of Microsoft Project the reference one. Still if you check their user interface it tries to emulate desktop software, using an iconic language alien to the web.

Twproject is cost effective

Let’s consider costs:

is available for $58 per user, per month

Microsoft marketing in the referenced videos stress the simplicity of the price model, probably as an effort to distract from prices. Well Microsoft’s model is actually quite complex, price ranges from $33 to $58 (per user / month!) – and if you want to use the desktop client, prepare to pay $1556 for each client!

That is way more expensive than Twproject, which gives you a full user for less than $5 per month!

Twproject is not Gantt centered 🙂

It is a bit funny to write this, because we released a free, open source amazingly popular JavaScript web based Gantt component :D, which is also part now of Twproject.

Twproject has a Gantt-like editor where we tried to get the advantages of the Gantt user interface model without adopting the unrealistic

(planned time = project effort)

equation which constitutes the core of the Gantt model.

Twproject focuses on real work done

While in the current version planning is fully supported, still the core of Twproject is collecting information about real work done.
So it collects multiple projects, allows temporary dis-alignment of dates and statuses, collects issues, to-dos, worklogs, does all it can to encourage users to insert information in the simplest, fastest possible way. Planning is supported, but Twproject works with and without planned work.

Twproject integrates with different IT structures

Microsoft Project depends for everything on Share Point©, so including its collaborative aspects. it is strongly integrated with Microsoft Exchange©.

So you have to get the whole Microsoft package, like it or not, to adopt Microsoft Project. Meh.

Twproject instead is functionally and technologically widely compatible with different solutions and is built to be non-intrusive.
This is true for both the installed and the online version of Twproject.

For example, the installed version runs stand alone in Tomcat (a Java web server), and can run anywhere, supporting easy integration with say LDAP, single-sign on and directory services.

The on-line version comes as a dedicated server instance that comes with its own mail server for a dedicated notification email.

Twproject works fine without Microsoft Exchange©, simple connection with an SMTP and POP3 service gives you full e-mail integration.

Twproject has an “open” approach (even if is not open source, sources are available for our customers). It runs on every operating system and can use any database. It is available both on cloud on or customer premises. It is web based and you can use it with every “modern” browser. Twproject is a wise choice from the IT manager perspective because of its open data and infrastructure features, as IT infrastructure changes over time.

Twproject developers are people, easily reachable on-line

Twproject is built by a small, solid and very efficient company. Its developers are ready to give support on the solution; moreover complete sources are available for free for all customers. Twproject is structured to support customization, custom extensions, reports, wizards, complete custom forms, and export and import with other data sources.

We deployed and maintain many customized parts for our over 3000 customers, all compatible with Twproject main release and hence compatible with updates.

Conclusion

After 15 years, the divergence of the two products is still considerable. In the meantime, the road of the web as a platform for applications has become the main path for collaborative software. And the diversity and richness of IT environments has increased. So we believe there are ever more good reasons to pick a safe, compatible solution as Twproject instead of the closed Microsoft Project universe.

References

http://windowsitpro.com/office-365/microsoft-announces-project-lite-cloud-based-productivity-team-members

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/technet/en-us/office/media/video/video.html?cid=pstc&from=sharepermalink&VideoID=ebe00785-db66-44d6-8ed3-86eafa63c7e4

Twproject is not affiliated in any form with Microsoft. Microsoft Project, Microsoft Exchange Share Point may be Registered Trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Practical Project Cost Management with Twproject

I had the idea of this post reading an interesting article by Katelyn Anton http://newhiteboard.com/2012/01/18/the-practical-project-cost-management, I warmly suggest you to have a look at it as it is a brief but well structured overview. Continue reading “Practical Project Cost Management with Twproject”

Teamwork conceptual evolution leading to version 5

Teamwork’s design and user interface has evolved in time, adapting to the evolution of web based tools and user needs and habits.

Version 3. In version 3 Teamwork was a solid and standard web application, before web applications were widely used for management.

Version 4. With Version 4 we introduced gamification elements (before they became trendy) and more explicit functions. We added scores, skins, prizes and badges years before gamification became a buzzword.

Version 5. The idea of version 5 has been to get a clean interface, using large, nice web fonts, whitespace and an unbounded bottom of page, assuming that users are used to scrolling. We removed tabs, creating more readable dedicated pages to sections.

We removed the gamification layer and skin customization, in order to get a clean and more controlled design. We shortened click paths with overlay layers. We sped up pages using data denormalization when necessary.

We identified users with their images, making it easier to “see” who is working where.

In version 5 we have more functions and less buttons. We hope you like it!

Predict the future or improve today

Here is a very short video on predicting the future vs. improving the current situation – which assumes that you know what is happening, who is doing what.

The quoted Freakonomics podcast “The Folly of Prediction” is here.

Teamwork, with its focus on recording work in very different ways and from different sources is a good tool to know what is happening and lead change.

Transcript

Almost a transcript of the video.

Traditional PM tools are based on the attempt to predict the future in detail. This is really hard.

Listen to this great podcast by the Freakonomics economists that studied predictions, “What do Wall Street forecasters and Romanian witches have in common? They usually get away, scot-free, with making bad predictions.”

The increased flexibility of work, people, changing conditions, even more in times of crisis. Being capable of reform, changing ideas in companies can be a great strength.

Base your reform on what is happening every day instead of what could, maybe, maybe not, happen.

Trying a more modest approach of understanding what is happening today, every day, can facilitate reforms.

Teamwork is built around the idea of collecting information, even partial information, of what is happening day by day. The app has great flexibility in handling projects, work logging in the most diverse forms

If you want your ideas of change reform and efficiency – hence also increasing quality of work – knowing what is happening can be a great help.

Used in thousands of medium and large companies to know what is happening – give Teamwork a try.

How do I begin project management?

In “Making things happen”, the author (Scott Berkun) states that he assumes that the reader is not stupid, is curious and pragmatic, does not like jargon or big theories, and does not take herself, software, or management too seriously. Well, we do the same in Teamwork.

Still, you may have no or little experience in managing team work. Whatever work you will be doing, you may have some requirements, and some dates. if your company has no notion of project / task / issues, you can start this way: list all the things you are doing in your organization. You could separate internal work / external work. In the list obtained, group dependant activities: each group can be called a project, and the people that should work on it are the assignees.

You may notice that when you are listing “thing that we are doing”, you may also include “things we should be doing”. Notice which of these are stated in the form of concrete actions, like “call X”, or “write Y”, and which are still to be transformed in actions. You should try to transform everything into actions, and get rid of the rest. And still among actions there are simple, brief ones, and others that group many others: you could model the simple ones as issues, and the ones comprising others as tasks (that is, projects which are child of other projects). This is a start of management.

Often we get asked by people evaluating Teamwork:

How do companies really use Teamwork?

In the new user guide you will now find several examples. Here are also some good books where to start learning about personal and project management.

Some reference books:

This book by Berkun is our main reference:

Making Things Happen
Mastering Project Management

By Scott Berkun, publisher O’Reilly Media, 2008

http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596517717

From a personal productivity perspective:

Getting things done

By David Allen

http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Productivity/dp/0142000280/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273848829&sr=8-1

On the Agile/Scrum theme:

Agile Project Management with Scrum

By Ken Schwaber

http://www.amazon.com/Agile-Project-Management-Microsoft-Professional/dp/073561993X