Gantt Chart vs. Roadmap: What Misleads Project Teams When They Choose Them

Not everyone involved in project management clearly understands the difference between a Gantt chart and a roadmap. Many think they look similar.

However, these robust project management tools serve different audiences and purposes.

• A Gantt diagram is a detailed, linear schedule of tasks related to a particular project.
• A roadmap serves as a high-level strategic plan aimed to communicate the project vision and goals.

This brief explanation is not enough as the details are fraught with a lot of exciting things. And if the comparison of a Gantt chart and Kanban immediately provides many apparent differences, the case of a diagram and a roadmap has many hidden moments.

So grab your popcorn, and let’s figure it out, starting with basic definitions.

What is a Gantt chart? Definition & meaning

A Gantt chart is a bar diagram that displays tasks schedules related to a particular project. The tool was invented by the American consultant Henry Gantt.

A Gantt chart is well-known for the following basics:

• There is always a list of tasks and subtasks in the left column.
• It contains a header that displays time units in a linear schedule.
• It also includes bars on a timeline that contain tasks. They are based on tasks’ duration or project milestones.

With the help of the diagram, project teams can understand the required work and the order in which this work should be completed.

The chart allows visualizing a project’s start and finish dates and the start and end points of every task, people assigned to particular tasks, task dependencies, project milestones, and deadlines.

What is an example of a Gantt chart?

A Gantt chart can be applied in various projects to display work plans, track progress, and monitor task implementation. For example, in construction project management.

Pros and cons of a Gantt chart

The invention of the American management consultant is well-known as an easy-to-understand and visually appealing tool.

Here’s the list of the essential advantages of a Gantt diagram:

• Balancing multiple projects.
• Advanced task tracking.
• Help in setting realistic deadlines.
• Resource management. The tool allows setting realistic schedules and allocating resources based on those schedules.
• Help in finding workarounds for potential problems before a project starts.
• Keeping distributed employees aligned.
• Making complex information manageable.
• Minimizing work overload.
• Boosting team productivity.

There are also some drawbacks, for example:

• Complex projects with numerous tasks and many details can make the chart challenging to understand.
• A time-consuming setup may confuse project managers with no experience.
• If you do not use a powerful PM tool, frequent Gantt diagram reworking can also become complicated.

Where do we use a Gantt diagram?

A friendly Gantt chart looks helpful in many industries, spheres, and sectors, including:

• IT project management.
• Web design.
• Construction.
• Marketing.
• Retail.
• Education.
• Healthcare.
• Business planning.
• Event planning.
• Consulting.

Now is the time to get more details about professional Gantt chart software.

What is a Gantt chart tool?

62% of respondents believe that project work will increase in the future, according to the annual Wellingtone report. It means that the popularity of professional project management and planning tools will also grow.

GanttPRO is an online Gantt chart platform that offers multi-functional features for professional scheduling and managing projects. It allows project teams to plan and schedule tasks, set dependencies and project milestones, manage risks, and improve collaboration.

Here are some of the most demanded GanttPRO features:

• Task planning and scheduling.
• Notifications.
• Deadlines.
• Drag & drop functionality.
• Resource/risk/budget management.
• Time tracking.
• File sharing.
• Reporting.
• Gantt chart templates.
• Importing/exporting.

By the way, GanttPRO also allows creating high-level online roadmaps.

And now, let’s move on to exploring the second tool.

What is a roadmap? Definition & meaning

A roadmap is a planning tool for keeping all project participants updated. It is typically designed with the help of a Gantt chart, and most roadmap tools are based on it.

A product/project roadmap represents the outlined goals or desired outcomes with all required steps. Using a handy bar diagram for roadmapping, you can set up a plan detailing how the team will complete it and define why they should complete the whole project.

A well-developed roadmap reflects the product strategy. It is focused on a high-level plan (not details) and communicates the strategic thinking and objectives behind that high-level plan.

What is an example of a roadmap?

Different types of roadmaps assist in visualizing high-level plans and goals. There are many examples of roadmaps:

• Startup roadmap
• Release plan.
• Sprint plan.
• Objectives timeline roadmap.
• Features timeline roadmap.
• E-commerce roadmap.
• Business development roadmap.
• Data strategy roadmap.

Pros and cons of a roadmap

PM professionals usually highlight the following advantages of a roadmap:

• Keeps everyone in a team on the same page.
• Boosts self-awareness.
• Demonstrates which skills and resources you need to achieve your goals.
• Allows sharing status updates quickly.
• Provides a framework for success to keep working towards.

What about the disadvantages?

• Initiatives will veer off-course if you do not update your roadmap frequently.
• The roadmap can become counter-productive if it is not used as a living working doc.

Where do we use a roadmap?

Roadmaps can be used in different industries, from IT to finance projects.

It will help you in any area if you strive to:

• Start a project on time.
• Meet stakeholder expectations.
• Share the progress of your project.
• Split a team and stakeholders.
• Create a foundation for a future project plan.

What is a roadmap tool?

An online roadmap tool enables companies to manage their product/project life cycles and communicate the strategy and goals to management, team, and all stakeholders.

Roadmunk is an excellent example. It suits different product/project teams, from startups to enterprises, and helps create and share friendly roadmaps.

Here’s the list of the most powerful Roadmunk features:

• Product roadmapping.
• Data import/export.
• Workflow management.
• Document management.
• Commenting and notes.
• File sharing.
• Drag & drop functionality.
• Reporting.

By the way, GanttPRO is also an excellent tool for building robust online roadmaps.

Now it’s time to sum up the possibilities of both solutions.

Gantt vs. roadmap: key differences

These PM tools can be used for the same large-scale initiative. However, you need to know the main differences between a roadmap and a bar chart.

To sum it up

A roadmap and a Gantt chart are different project management systems, but they hold the combined power of delivering outstanding projects.

They both have advantages and disadvantages. They can work together to help you empower your plan’s strategic elements and execute that plan most effectively.

Do not hesitate to try them and get most of these powerful planning approaches!

To get more information, follow the full article: Gantt Chart vs. Roadmap: How to Differentiate Them and Use for Project Success https://blog.ganttpro.com/en/gantt-chart-vs-roadmap/.