The Gantt Chart is actually really great for any sort of project management but especially helpful for the medical device field because it allows for projects to be seen visually by all members of the team.
Since in the medical device field, so many people work hand-in-hand to complete one project, it makes it easy to cater to a larger realm of people's visualization if something like the Gantt Chart, which is easily understood by anyone, is utilised. This is especially relevant as Gantt charts were originally created by engineers for their projects.

I agree with the two posts above about Gant Charts, as they are very useful in the Medical Device Industry. However there are some downfalls included, such as the time estimates being inaccurate due to the guessing nature of the chart. The chart also does not account for personal obligations by the team, as there may be delays due to schedules, vacations, etc.

A lot of companies use gantt charts, and it is a very useful tool. I believe using gantt charts for medical devices helps see the overall picture from the initiating phase to the end phase. It is helpful tool to see the complexity of the project and to see the milestones achieved. This tool helps organize different tasks that need to be completed in order to successfully finish a project. I remember in my capstone class we were required to create a gantt chart. This helped the group divide the work and set priorities, of what needs to be done in order to move on to the next step of our project. Overall I think a gantt chart is helpful when you are working on a large complex project.

Gnatt chart are used in capstone for the development of a potential medical device. We have certain tasks that are place on the critical path which must be done in order complete either the project as a whole or to move on with next task. As stated it can be a Start-Start, Start-Finish, Finish- Start, Finish-Finish tasks that are categorized for the various tasks as Dr. Simon stated. But in terms of Medical Devices one may see DDP, DID, DSD as perquisite before starting a project which can be the critical paths. Following that can FDA approve which can be used as a task then, Clinical trials etc…

I think that gantt charts are useful for the majority of project types. They are a universal tool until the project manager puts in the specific project tasks They are a good tool for projects so that the design process can be planned out in an organized manner. You can see the large tasks and all of the sub tasks within it and identify how tasks are related. They keep everyone that is involved informed of what needs to be done when. I think that specific start and end dates are tricky to correctly estimate so if it needs to happen gantt charts can easily be edited.

On a daily basis, I almost always refer to the project plan (gaant chart) to give me guidance regarding the project deadlines and other assignments. This is particularly useful because I see what my action items are and what steps I need to take in order to complete the assignment. Gaant charts also help organize due dates so assignments can get planned out in advance. Unfortnately gaant charts created on microsoft project tend to be buggy if a lot of information is stored on the file so FYI. Hands down, I refer to my project file.

So for a basic understanding of Garntt Chart, it illustrates project schedules such start/end dates of activities, important activities, and more. It is useful in the medical device field because this chart can constantly be updated, it provides a simplistic view of phases in the planning process. It can also indicate critical points in the plan. The cons of a Garntt Chart is that it does not show how complex a project is. It is also not so accurate when representing the true schedule performance status.

Gantt charts are a valuable tool to have in project planning arsenal. Managers use them to perform a variety of project management (PM) functions, including:
-Visualize the critical path.
-Set baselines for project scope, budget and schedule—three metrics that are later used to measure project success.
-Track project progress after kickoff.

The obvious benefits of a Gantt chart and their utility as a project management tool to map out who is doing what and when will they be doing it have already been explained quite will in the posts above. One thing that I wanted to add was the usefullness of the Gantt Chart to the project team members, not only the project manager. I reference the Gantt Chart for the project that I work on quite almost daily in order to ensure that I will be meeting all of my deadlines on time. It also allows me to see when other parts of the project will be completed. Whenever we hit an unexpected delay, we try to incorporate it into a revised chart in order to keep it realistic and up to date.

The gain chart is very important to keep track of time and organize subtask. It helps you to visualize dependent and independent task to better manage your project. I learned how to construct my first gain chart during my first Co-op with Panasonic. Managment ask to build the gain chart from the end and, work it all the way back. I was confused but with practice and it makes a lot of sense as Dr. Simon mention it helps too for risk management analysis. Also, I used it to manage my final project. we had a delay in the shipment, parts allocation and we had to change our plans accordingly. I think if we were not using the gain chart, we would never notice that we could miss the due days and end up failing. It is very beneficial when you visualize the progress on a time tracked system. As well as managing subtask and ownership of tasks.

To add to the above posts, the uniqueness of the Gantt (in comparison to network diagrams) is that it shows task relationships. This includes FS, SF, FF, SS deadlines. Portraying this information, of whether projects must start on the same day, finish on the same day, etc is particularly useful when many teams are involved in a project. This interdependency is definitely relevant in the medical device industry, where so many different people are involved and collaborate on a project.

Gantt charts provide a nice holistic visual representation of all the tasks within a project and the timeline proposed to be followed. Within those tasks we can see the breakdown of the sub tasks as well as what needs to be completed prior to that beginning of that task. Overall the gantt chart provides a nice comprehensive timeline of the project. It also can be updated accordingly and everyone the team usually has visual access to it. This allows everyone to be on the same page and allows for transparency for the whole team.

We are currently using Gantt Charts in Capstone and it has shown to be very helpful. Gantt charts show the critical path of the project from start to finish. This helps the group keep track of key deadlines for important milestones. In capstone we use Microsoft Project which makes it really easy to modify the project schedule when needed. I refer to our Gantt Chart at least once or twice a week to make sure that everything is running smoothly and when I realize that we are falling behind, it becomes top priority within our group.

Gantt charts are used to map out reasonable timelines including the initiation of a project and critical pathways, this way critical milestones can be monitored. The development of network diagrams and gantt charts allows smooth initiation, continuation, and completion of a project according to the general project path flowchart. This is not only helpful in medical device industries but really any industry that has a timeline that needs to be met in the most optimal fashion. This boils down to organization and effective project management to ensure that project tasks are divided up ideally among a team and that each team member knows when their respective tasks are due on the gantt chart.