---
title: "Gantt chart for loading and scheduling"
subject: "Industrial Engineering and Management"
chapter: 3
key: "semester_6/industrial_engineering_and_management:gantt-chart-loading-and-progress"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_6/industrial_engineering_and_management/gantt-chart-loading-and-progress
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Gantt chart for loading and scheduling

Industrial Engineering and Management · Chapter 3: Loading and Scheduling Technique

- Asked in: year not given, 5 marks
- Video: [How to Draw a Gantt Chart - Example #1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5IUNGnM2Fo) — Engineer4Free
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_6/industrial_engineering_and_management/gantt-chart-loading-and-progress
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_6/industrial_engineering_and_management/chapter-3

## Question

What is a Gantt chart? Explain how it is used for machine loading and progress recording, and state its advantages and limitations.

## Short answer

A Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart with time on the horizontal axis. It shows machine loads as bars for each machine, and progress by a thick line below the planned bar. Advantages: simple, visual. Limitations: no dependencies or critical path.

## Answer

A **Gantt chart** (Henry Gantt, about 1910) is a horizontal bar chart in which the vertical axis lists jobs or machines and the horizontal axis is time. Each bar shows the planned start, duration and finish of an activity.

#### Uses
1. **Machine loading chart:** each machine is a row; jobs are bars on the time scale. It shows the load on each machine and idle time, so jobs can be assigned and re-sequenced.
2. **Progress (schedule) chart:** the planned bar is drawn lightly; a thick line below it shows work completed. A vertical "today" line shows if the job is ahead or behind schedule.

```text
 Machine | Day: 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8
 --------+-----------------------------
 Lathe   |      [Job A ][Job C   ]
 Milling |         [Job B   ][Job D ]
 Drill   |               [Job A2][..]
 Done:    ====>   (progress on A)
              ^ today line
```

#### Advantages
- Simple to draw and understand, even by shop-floor staff.
- Shows the whole schedule and the idle time of machines at a glance.
- Useful for comparing planned and actual progress.
- Low cost; easy to update.

#### Limitations
- It does not show the dependencies between activities clearly, nor the critical path.
- It becomes complex for large projects with many activities.
- It cannot show uncertainty in activity times.
- Rescheduling needs the chart to be redrawn.

For this reason CPM and PERT are used for large projects, while the Gantt chart is retained for shop loading and for presenting schedules.

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. What do the axes of a Gantt chart show?
   A. Cost and profit
   B. Jobs or machines on the vertical axis, time on the horizontal
   C. Probability and time
   D. Float and slack
   Answer: B. Bars show planned start, duration and finish of each activity. (Key point: Gantt chart axes)

2. How does a progress chart show whether a job is ahead or behind?
   A. By a thick line of work done compared with a vertical today line
   B. By colour only
   C. By float calculation
   D. By probability
   Answer: A. The planned bar is light and a thick line shows completed work; the today line shows status. (Key point: Progress chart)

3. What does a machine loading chart show?
   A. Critical path
   B. Load on each machine and idle time
   C. Event slack
   D. Probability of completion
   Answer: B. Each machine is a row with jobs as bars, so jobs can be assigned and re-sequenced. (Key point: Machine loading)

4. Which is a limitation of Gantt charts?
   A. Hard for shop floor to understand
   B. Costly to draw
   C. Does not clearly show dependencies between activities or critical path
   D. Cannot show time
   Answer: C. For this reason CPM and PERT are used for large projects. (Key point: Limitation)

## Related in other subjects

- [Gantt chart with advantages](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fproject_engineering%3Agantt-chart-draw-advantages) — Project Engineering, chapter 3
- [Gantt, link bar chart, milestone chart](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fproject_engineering%3Agantt-linked-bar-milestone-chart) — Project Engineering, chapter 3
- [Gantt chart; resource allocation and smoothing](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fproject_engineering%3Agantt-chart-resource-allocation-smoothing) — Project Engineering, chapter 3
- [Planning need, tools, bar chart limitations](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fproject_engineering%3Aplanning-necessary-tools-bar-chart-limits) — Project Engineering, chapter 3