Gantt Charts

PERT Charts

Histogram

Pareto Chart,
Scatter Diagram

Run Chart

Flowchart

Burn-Down Chart
Control Chart

Why Project Managers Need to Know Data Points in

1. Decision-Making: Charts provide visual data that helps proje

2. Risk Management: By understanding trends, variations, and
3. Quality Control: Charts like control charts, histograms, and P
4. Performance Tracking: Tools like burn-down charts and Gan
5. Communication: Charts provide a clear and concise way to c
Purpose What it is: Use in Project Management:

A Gantt Chart is a type of bar chart Gantt Charts are essential for
A Gantt chart is a type of bar chart that represents a project schedule. planning and tracking the progress
that represents a project schedule, It shows the start and end dates of of your project. They help you
showing the start and finish dates tasks, their durations, and how they visualize the timeline,
of the various tasks. overlap with other tasks. dependencies, and critical path.

A PERT chart is a project

management tool used to schedule,
organize, and coordinate tasks
within a project

In project management, a
A Histogram is like a bar chart that Histogram can help you understand
shows the frequency of data points how often certain things happen,
(how often something happens). It like how often defects occur in a
A histogram is a graphical organizes data into different groups product, or how many tasks take a
representation of the distribution (called bins) and helps you see how certain amount of time to
of data points often values fall into each group. complete.

A Pareto Chart is a bar chart that

shows the relative importance of
different causes of problems. It’s
based on the Pareto Principle Pareto Charts help you focus on the
A Pareto chart is a bar graph that (80/20 rule), which states that 80% most significant problems or causes
shows which factors are more of problems come from 20% of of defects in your project, allowing
significant. causes. you to prioritize your efforts.
 A Scatter Diagram (or Scatter Plot)
shows the relationship between
two variables. It helps you see if Scatter Diagrams are useful for
there’s a correlation between identifying relationships between
them, like whether an increase in different factors in your project,
A scatter diagram displays the one variable leads to an increase or helping you understand what might
relationship between two variables. decrease in another. be influencing certain outcomes.

In project management, a Run

A Run Chart is a line graph that Chart can help you track
shows data points plotted over performance, quality, or progress
A run chart displays data points time. It helps you see trends or over time. It can reveal trends like
over time to identify trends or patterns in the data as the project improving, declining, or fluctuating
patterns. progresses. performance.

A Flowchart is a diagram that

visually represents a process or a
workflow. It uses different shapes Flowcharts help you map out
(like rectangles, diamonds, and processes, making it easier to
ovals) to denote different steps in a understand, analyze, and
A flowchart visually represents the process and arrows to show the communicate how things are
steps in a process. flow from one step to the next. supposed to work in your project.

A Burndown Chart is a line chart Burndown Charts help you see if

that shows how much work you’re on track to complete your
remains in a project over time. It’s work by the project deadline. They
A burn-down chart shows the commonly used in Agile project provide a quick visual of whether
progress of work in a project over management to track progress in you’re burning down (completing)
time. completing tasks. work as expected.
 A Control Chart is a graph used to
study how a process changes over
time. It has a central line for the
average, an upper control limit, and Control Charts are particularly
a lower control limit. These limits useful in quality management to
are calculated from historical data monitor process stability. They help
and help you see whether the you determine if a process is
A control chart monitors a process process is stable or if it's out of performing consistently or if there
to see if it is stable and predictable control. are variations that need attention

t Managers Need to Know Data Points in Charts

Making: Charts provide visual data that helps project managers make informed decisions about resource allocation, risk management, and
gement: By understanding trends, variations, and correlations, project managers can proactively manage risks and avoid potential project
ntrol: Charts like control charts, histograms, and Pareto charts are essential for monitoring and improving quality, ensuring that project de
ce Tracking: Tools like burn-down charts and Gantt charts help in tracking the project's progress, identifying delays, and ensuring that the
ation: Charts provide a clear and concise way to communicate project data to stakeholders, ensuring that everyone is on the same page r
Example:

Let’s say you’re managing a construction project to build a house. You could
use a Gantt Chart to plan and monitor the tasks:

Tasks: Foundation, framing, plumbing, electrical, etc.

Bars: Show the duration of each task.
Dependencies: Some tasks can’t start until others are finished (e.g., you can’t
start plumbing until the foundation is complete).
By looking at the Gantt Chart, you can easily see if the project is on schedule
and what tasks might be delayed.

Imagine you’re managing a customer service improvement project. You want

to reduce customer complaints, so you analyze the causes of complaints and
use a Pareto Chart to display them:

X-Axis: Causes of complaints (e.g., slow response time, incorrect information,

rude behavior).
Bars: Number of complaints for each cause.
Cumulative Line: Shows the cumulative percentage of complaints.
If the Pareto Chart shows that 80% of complaints are due to slow response
time and incorrect information, you know to focus on improving these areas
first.
Let’s say you’re managing a project to improve employee productivity. You
want to see if there’s a relationship between the number of training hours
employees receive and their productivity. You could use a Scatter Diagram:

X-Axis: Training hours.

Y-Axis: Productivity level.
Dots: Each dot represents an employee’s training hours and corresponding
productivity.
If the Scatter Diagram shows a positive trend (dots form an upward slope), it
suggests that more training leads to higher productivity, indicating that
investing in training could be beneficial.

Example:
Let's say you're managing a project to improve the response time of a
customer service team. You could use a Run Chart to track the average
response time (in minutes) each day over a month.

X-Axis: Days of the month.

Y-Axis: Average response time in minutes.
Line: Connects the daily average response times.
If the Run Chart shows that response times are gradually improving, you know
your efforts are working. If the chart shows a sudden spike in response times,
it might indicate an issue that needs immediate attention.

Imagine you’re managing a project to streamline the hiring process for a

company. You could use a Flowchart to visualize the steps involved:

Start: Candidate applies online.

Step 1: HR reviews application.
Step 2: Schedule interview.
Step 3: Conduct interview.
Decision Point: Does the candidate pass the interview? (Yes/No)
End: Offer job or reject the application.
A Flowchart helps everyone understand the process and ensures consistency
in how the hiring process is conducted.

Imagine you’re managing a software development project using Agile

methodology. You could use a Burndown Chart to track the progress of
completing user stories:

X-Axis: Days in the sprint (iteration).

Y-Axis: Remaining work (user stories or story points).
Line: Shows the trend of work completion.
If the line is steeper than expected, it means you’re completing work faster
than planned. If it’s flatter, you might need to investigate why progress is
slower and make adjustments.
 Imagine you're managing a manufacturing project where you're producing car
parts. You want to ensure the parts meet specific quality standards. You could
use a Control Chart to monitor the thickness of a part:

X-Axis: Days of production.

Y-Axis: Thickness of the part.
Central Line: Average thickness.
Upper & Lower Control Limits: Maximum and minimum acceptable thickness.
If the thickness measurements stay within the control limits, the process is
under control. If a measurement goes outside the limits, it indicates a
potential quality issue that needs investigation.

tion, risk management, and scheduling.

and avoid potential project issues.
lity, ensuring that project deliverables meet the required standards.
elays, and ensuring that the project stays on schedule.
ryone is on the same page regarding project status and issues.
Key Components:

Task names, timelines, dependencies, and

milestones.

Nodes representing events or milestones,

and arrows representing tasks.

Bars representing the frequency of data

within certain ranges.

Bars representing causes or factors, and a

line graph showing cumulative percentage.
Data points plotted on an X-Y axis.

Data points plotted over time.

Symbols representing process steps,

decisions, inputs, and outputs.

X-axis representing time, Y-axis

representing work remaining.
Data points, average line, UCL, and LCL.
Importance for Project Managers

Helps in planning, coordinating, and tracking specific tasks in a project. It allows project
managers to visualize the project timeline and ensure that tasks are completed on
schedule.

Helps in identifying the critical path, the longest path through the project, and the
minimum time needed to complete the project. This is crucial for effective time
management.

Helps in identifying the distribution and frequency of defects or other quality-related

data. This can guide quality improvement efforts and prioritize areas for corrective
action.

Helps in identifying the most significant factors contributing to a problem, enabling the
project manager to focus on the issues that will have the most significant impact.
Helps in identifying correlations between different project variables, which can be
crucial for root cause analysis and problem-solving.

Helps in identifying trends, shifts, or cycles in a process over time, allowing for
proactive management and continuous improvement.

Helps in understanding, analyzing, and improving processes by visually mapping out

the steps. It aids in identifying bottlenecks, redundancies, or inefficiencies in processes.

Helps in tracking the progress of the project against the planned schedule, allowing for
adjustments if the project is falling behind.
Helps in detecting variations in a process that may need corrective action, ensuring the
process remains within acceptable limits.
 hart Type Use
Pareto Chart Prioritizes causes of problems using the 80/20 rule
Scatter Diagram Identifies correlation between two variables
Fishbone Diagram Identifies root causes of problems
Flowchart Illustrates workflow or process steps
Gantt Chart Displays project schedule and task dependencies
Burndown Chart Tracks remaining work in Agile projects
Burnup Chart Tracks progress and scope increase over time in Agile
Control Chart Monitors process stability and identifies variations
Histogram Shows frequency distribution of data
Run Chart Tracks changes in process performance over time
 Applicable Knowledge Areas Project Phases
Quality Management, Risk
Planning, Monitoring and Controlling
Management
Quality Management, Risk
Planning, Monitoring and Controlling
Management
Quality Management, Risk
Planning, Monitoring and Controlling
Management, Scope Management
Quality Management, Scope
Planning, Monitoring and Controlling
Management, Risk Management
Schedule Management, Scope Planning, Executing, Monitoring and
Management,
Schedule Resource Scope
Management, Management Controlling
Executing, Monitoring and Controlling
Management
Schedule Management, Scope
Executing, Monitoring and Controlling
Management
Quality Management Monitoring and Controlling
Quality Management Monitoring and Controlling
Quality Management, Scope
Monitoring and Controlling
Management