The Agile methodology was conceived out of a need to address the most recurrent inefficiencies that came with more traditional project management methodologies. Agile, which some even refer to as a “framework” rather than a “methodology”, centers around the notion of iterative development, where organization, collaboration, and cross-functional teams become pivotal to the software development process.
Sprint planning is the core of the Agile methods, and they refer to organizing work into fixed, boxed intervals of time during which your team must accomplish previously identified goals.
Being able to maintain consistently effective Sprints is vital to the success of any project within the Agile methodology. So, before each Sprint, the team must participate in a Sprint planning session, which ultimately will identify two crucial decisions: the Sprint Goal, or the deliverables that will result during said Sprint; and the Sprint Backlog, which refers to the list of tasks that will need to be performed during the Sprint in order to reach the goal.
Gantt Charts and Sprint Planning
Now that you have the facts about the Agile framework, you must be thinking: How does this innovative approach mix with a fundamentally traditional technique, known as Gantt charts? Truth is, they can. And they can help you carry out your Sprints in a much more productive way. After all, nothing helps more with resource planning, milestones and team collaboration like Gantt charts do.
Sprint Tracking
Gantt charts offer a quick and effective visual representation of a project, and they allow for an exhaustive task tracking across the entire lifecycle of a project. Turns out, they are an excellent resource when working with Sprints, since they offer a chronologically, helpful and simple way to capture, plan, and track goals (no matter how long the Sprint).
Moreover, online Gantt charts project management tools allow you to create and set dependencies among tasks, which are basically a group of tasks that are all dependent on one another; which is also the essence of Sprint planning. Luckily, Gantt chart project management software also makes this as customizable as possible, so creating start to finish dependencies to review progress is truly simple, as it also would be changing their dates to a later delivery date (by moving one task, the dependent tasks will automatically change on the Gantt chart) once Sprint review is complete.
Gantt Chart Software and Team Collaboration
We mentioned this before: cross-collaboration is a crucial part of the Agile set of mind. Gantt charts can also be a powerful method to organize and plan your time.
Online Gantt chart software serves as a platform where a team builds, plans, and tracks their progress throughout the entire lifecycle of a project. Project management software, such as Instagantt, allows notifying other teammates when a new task is assigned to them, attach files or URLs, leave comments, files and notes to any tasks, offering a unique and real-time experience to project management, where each and everyone is always on the same page.
Agile teams can often think of Gantt charts as an outdated, complex and rigid planning methodology. But truth is, they have also evolved since they became a part of the online world. Trying out an online Gantt chart project management platform will more likely change the way you feel about the method, and will become proof of how you can easily mix Agile with Gantt charts when working on your projects.
Are you ready to give Gantt chart project management software a try? Instagantt is the answer for you.
