Why use Mindomo as your Gantt chart software?
✓ Simple & Easy to use tool. Its power consists of simplicity: a simple solution to organize complex projects. Mindomo’s interface offers you one clear side where you can add your tasks and all the necessary details, and another side for a timeline that helps you visualize the upcoming activities in colorful bars, being easier to track the progress.
✓ Mindomo is more than a regular project management tool: You can instantly convert your Gantt charts into mind maps or outlines, using the same diagramming tool. Moreover, you can start planning your project from a mind map (for example, make a brainstorming session) and then transform it into a Gantt chart with one click.
✓ Real-time collaborative Gantt chart maker: share and sync your work with any team member easily and immediately. In addition, you can work in Mindomo online (from any browser) or offline (Desktop app) and sync all the adjustments instantly.
✓ Suitable for complex projects: Mindomo’s Gantt chart includes all the tasks and milestones, timelines, the order of the activities, completion level, priorities, and the responsible person.
Structure your tasks: plan and schedule your activities
“How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Like this popular quote says, you should divide a big goal into steps rather than do it all at once.
You can add and move the tasks very easily by dragging and dropping them in the project timeline. Structure the tasks hierarchically using the Indent and Outdent features.
A big advantage of Mindomo is that you can turn the Gantt chart into a mind map or an outline and vice versa. For example, you can start by creating a mind map with all the tasks that you must accomplish. Then, just transform it into a Gantt chart with one click.
Collaborate with your team in real time
Teamwork makes the dream work, they said. Therefore, plan your Gantt chart along with your team. Share it with your collaborators and see the updates instantly.
Use the comments section to discuss, attach documents, links, images, and videos, and vote for the ideas that you prefer. You can also email an important comment to one of your collaborators.
Mindomo also offers a live chat where you can discuss with your team members.
It’s not all the time that you have easy projects to deal with. When you have complex projects, the critical path method enables you to work on multiple apps at the same time. Especially if you communicate only by email and lose time synchronizing the work and the updates.
With Mindomo, you support the critical path, and even the most elaborate projects become easy projects.
All your team members can see the changes in real time, which is one of the biggest leverages. Thus, all your collaborators will see the updates instantly.
Oversee the progress of your project
Project managers have to keep an eye on the evolution of the activities. Track the progress of each task and each team member.
Besides the live editing feature, Mindomo helps them to monitor the amount of time spent on completing the tasks and subtasks.
You can sync every task with the calendar application that you prefer. This way, it’s even simpler to keep track of all your activities and their deadlines.
Thanks to the full history of changes, you can track the activity of every team member over time. Therefore, it’s easy to evaluate each team member’s contribution and efficiency.
Mindomo features
When it comes to project planning, efficient team collaboration is one of the most important elements. Consequently, Mindomo offers a series of features that facilitates team collaboration:
TASK ASSIGNMENT
After you schedule tasks, designate one or more of your team members to accomplish it. Assign tasks by simply double-clicking the “assigned” cell and select the person that you want to make responsible for that task. Keep it simple and organized. to one or more team members. They will be notified via email.
INSTANT CHAT
Mindomo has a chat box built in the Gantt chart software to support better team collaboration. Here you can send messages and everyone working on your project will be able to see and write back. Therefore, you don’t need a third-party app to communicate.
EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS
When one of your team members is assigned to a task, he or she will be notified with an email. Similarly, when new comments, files or other changes appear on their tasks, assignees will be notified. Also, whenever a task is completed, the owner will be informed via email.
HISTORY OF PROJECTS CHANGES
You can see a full list of changes. It will show who and when modified something on your Gantt chart. Project management is easier when you have a management solution for any misunderstandings. Click on the “file list menu”, select “tools” and click on “Timeline of map changes”.
SET PRIORITIES
For better task management, set a priority level for all your project tasks. Not all the Gantt chart tools allow you to do it. However, this element shows how important the task is. This way your Gantt project will highlight the priorities and the members of the team will accomplish the tasks in the right order.
COMMENTS
Add comments to tasks that help the other members of your team. You can write plain text or import files for support. Opposite to a regular chart tool or spreadsheet tool, a specialized Gantt chart software like Mindomo offers this feature for more efficient project management.
Key components of a Gantt chart software
The interface of Mindomo for Gantt charts is very simple. Therefore it is easy to use. If you are familiar with project management, maybe you have experience with tools like Microsoft Project. Even if you’ve never used project management software before, it will be easy for you to operate on Mindomo.
The Gantt chart is divided into two parts: the left side and the right side. In the first one, you will find the task list, along with some details about them. The other side is a graphical illustration of the duration and progress of each task.
1. Task list
Large projects always have many tasks and subtasks. They are written by the managers of the project on the left side of the chart and they are numbered. You can organize those tasks in groups and subgroups.
2. Project Timeline
It is found on the right side of the screen and it runs horizontally across the top of the Gantt chart. You can see the days, weeks, months and years. There, the taskbars will be positioned in such a way that it’s clear when each of them starts/ends.
3. Bars
On the right side of the Gantt chart, alongside each task, there is a bar. This will show the due dates, duration, and dependence on another task. You can edit those details by dragging and dropping them across the chart.
4. Milestones
In the Gantt chart, milestones are displayed in the shape of a diamond. They represent major events, decisions, or anything important. The achievement of these tasks offers a sense of satisfaction. There is a column in the Gantt chart that has a check button to select which task represents a milestone.
5. Task dependencies
The tasks and subtasks represent the steps that have to be made to achieve the final goal of your project. This is why they are related. Consequently, project planning is based on the order in which those activities have to be completed. Create connections between them by dragging the black dot to another task.
6. Progress/Completion
On the left side of the Gantt chart, you will find a column called completion. Here you can write how far along work on each task is, indicated by a percentage.
7. Priority
When establishing the tasks and subtasks from the chart, the project managers can indicate the priority level of each activity. Each task can have one of the following levels of priority: critical, very high, high, medium, low, very low, or none. Choose the most suitable one.
8. Task assignment
The last column of the Gantt chart is called assigned. Here, you can write which team member is responsible for that activity. This way, resource management becomes easier and everyone on your team knows what to do. The responsible person will be notified via email about the tasks.
Online vs Offline Gantt chart software
Flexibility is one of the most important leverages when it comes to project management. Similarly, in 2020, time became the most valuable resource people have. Consequently, the best online Gantt chart software has to offer multiple options for time management. People who manage projects want to value every minute of their time, even when they have technical problems, like internet connection problems. In this case, an offline version of their online Gant chart software would be in handy.
Mindomo has an online version that can be accessed via your favorite browser. This way you have all the data cloud-based. However, there is the option to work offline using the Desktop version of the tool. There is a functionality that allows the web version and the Desktop one to sync.
It can be an essential feature in many cases. For example, if you have to work remotely and you do not have internet access, you can work offline. When you get to a place with internet access, you can sync all the changes you’ve made with one click.
You can make Gantt charts offline using the desktop version of Mindomo. It is also suited for a manager who likes to plan a project individually. On the other hand, the online software is perfect for collaboration and teamwork.
An online Gantt chart tool seems to be the best Gantt chart creator, but it’s important to have an offline option as well. With Mindomo you don’t have to choose one or the other. You have both!
Select your favorite Desktop version:
How to create a Gantt Chart step by step?
The Gantt chart allows you to organize the implementation of multiple projects in one place, which simplifies the processes. As opposed to MS project, which is difficult to learn to use, Mindomo is easy to master and it’s a great online collaboration tool.
In order to do so, follow the next guide step by step and you will learn how to do it. It’s very easy to start. Enter the website, go to “Create” from your dashboard. After that, you’ll see a Gantt chart template. Click on Gantt Chart:
It will open a new project and now you will build it from scratch. The chart looks like this:
Add tasks
This is how the blank chart looks. In the beginning, usually, the project managers add the tasks divided into subtasks in the “Task Name” column. To convert a task into a subtask, click on the white arrow from the corner of the cell and use “Indent”.
To transform a subtask into a task, use the “Outdent” option.
The task management is very simple: the main tasks will act as a summary. You can expand them to view the subtasks by clicking on the “+” next to it. When you click on “-” it will show only the main task.
Set dates for each task
The third and fourth columns of the Gantt chart contain the start and end date. You can select them using the calendar icon that appears when you click inside the cell.
However, you can also go to the next column which is called “Duration” and set the number of days for the activities. Once you do this, the taskbars from the right side of the chart will be modified automatically according to the period of time selected.
Add notes to your tasks
The management tool allows you to add a note to every task. Double click on the number of the task and a text box will appear on your screen. The notes are a perfect place to write extra information about the tasks. For example, you can add suggestions, deadlines, ideas, etc.
You can be creative and add pictures or videos easily, using the attachments button from the right corner. It can help your team understand the tasks better.
Add dependencies between tasks
After you created a Gantt chart with the dates of the activities, it’s time to add dependencies between the tasks and subtasks. If you have any relations between the tasks, create the connection between them. Click on the black dot next to the taskbar.
Then drag it and link it to the one you want to connect. It will appear as an arrow that connects those two activities. That means that when the first one is completed, the following one has to start
Set milestones
The sixth column of this simple Gantt chart software represents the milestones. There is a checkbox for every task and subtask.
You can establish tasks and milestones in the beginning, but you can also modify them over time. Generally, the significant project plan dates, goals, or key events can be marked as milestones. When you check the box, the taskbar will be automatically modified into a diamond.
Consequently, your graphic will look like this:
Monitor the progress of your activities and update the Gantt chart during the project. All the tasks and subtasks have deadlines and your team must accomplish them according to the schedule.
Time tracking is very important when you monitor the progress of your work. Mindomo encourages you to be productive. Therefore, next to the milestone column you will find another one called “Completion”.
Update the completion level of your tasks
Here you can manually write the percentage of execution of the subtasks. When you edit the completion percentage of a subtask, the tool automatically calculates the completion of the main task.
Consequently, the taskbars will be also modified. The subtask bars will show a darker blue mark that highlights the completion. On the main tasks the highlight is white and it is calculated considering all the subtasks.
Set priorities
Assign tasks
You can share the chart with the people you work with and you can assign tasks. The last column on the left side of the Gantt chart is called “Assigned”. Here you can write the team member to whom the task belongs.
To be able to tag them you have to share the chart with them first. When you click on the cell you will see a list with the people who you shared the chart with. You can select one or more of them.
Discuss with your team memebers – live chat
One of the best Gantt chart features offered by Mindomo is the fact that everything you change can be shared with your team instantly.
This way it is easier for all the people who work on that project to collaborate and be more productive. They can see all the changes in real time.
When a new user joins the chart, a message will notify you. You will see it in the bottom right corner of the screen. Next to it, will appear an icon for a chat box where you can communicate.
Turn diagrams into Gantt charts and vice-versa
With Mindomo, you have the advantage of transforming your Gantt chart into a mind map (read more about what is a mind map) or an outline. To do that you only have to click the options button positioned in the top left corner of the screen. Choose one of the options:
➤ View as mind map
➤ View as outline
Mindomo is more than a regular Gantt chart software. You can also create mind maps, concept maps, and outlines. When you create Gantt charts online or offline you have a project in your mind. However, there are times when you could use a mind map, for instance, to brainstorm ideas for the project.
With Mindomo you can start the project scheduling from the very first idea that crossed your mind about it. For example, you can create a mind map with all the elements that you need for a project. After this brainstorming session, with one click you can turn the mind map into a Gantt chart.
There you can add due dates to each task, dependencies between them, and continue planning the project. You’ll save precious time and you don’t need a chart tool and a mind map software. You do everything in one software.
On the other hand, you can transform your Gantt charts into outlines, for instance. Use the flexibility to turn any of these visual representations into another.
Check out the following video for more details, tips and tricks to create a Gantt chart with ease:
Plan your projects with Mindomo
This is how simple it is to use Mindomo to create your Gantt charts that help you with project planning. Plan and schedule your activities, collaborate with your team and monitor the progress in one single program. Don’t complicate yourself.
Above all, the simpler the software is, the better for you and your collaborators.
Go on the Mindomo website, sign up and try this freemium software. You can start to plan your projects starting from a mind map or even an outline.
You can also transform the Gantt chart into one of those. The transition takes only one click. Keep it simple and give it a try. See how the Gantt charts help you be more organized and productive.