Which of the following is not true of Gantt charts?
a.
They show the allocation of time for activities in a project
b.
They can be used for projects that occur just once, as well as projects that have a repetitive nature
c.
Gantt charts do not show the slack time of the project activities
d.
They clearly depict the precedence relationships between activities in a project
e.
They are not sufficient as the only scheduling tool for managing a project
The correct answer and explanation is :
Correct Answer:
d. They clearly depict the precedence relationships between activities in a project
Explanation:
Gantt charts are one of the most widely used project management tools. They visually represent the schedule of tasks in a project by displaying activities along a timeline. However, they have limitations when it comes to showing dependencies between tasks. Let’s analyze the answer choices to understand why option (d) is incorrect.
- (a) They show the allocation of time for activities in a project – True
- Gantt charts use horizontal bars to represent tasks and their durations. The position and length of each bar correspond to the start date, duration, and end date of an activity.
- (b) They can be used for projects that occur just once, as well as projects that have a repetitive nature – True
- Gantt charts are flexible and applicable to one-time projects (e.g., software development) as well as recurring projects (e.g., manufacturing processes).
- (c) Gantt charts do not show the slack time of the project activities – True
- Slack time (or float) refers to the amount of time an activity can be delayed without affecting the overall project timeline. Traditional Gantt charts do not explicitly highlight slack time, making it difficult to determine flexibility in scheduling.
- (d) They clearly depict the precedence relationships between activities in a project – False
- This is incorrect because Gantt charts do not inherently show task dependencies. While some advanced Gantt chart tools include dependency lines, basic Gantt charts lack a clear representation of precedence relationships like those found in PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) or CPM (Critical Path Method) diagrams.
- (e) They are not sufficient as the only scheduling tool for managing a project – True
- While Gantt charts are useful, they should be supplemented with other tools (e.g., network diagrams, risk analysis) for comprehensive project management.
Thus, the correct answer is (d).