Which project management tool displays tasks as horizontal bars along a timeline, showing start dates, durations, and task dependencies?

Question

Accepted Answer

Gantt chart. A Gantt chart displays tasks as horizontal bars along a timeline, with each bar's length representing the task's duration. Start and end dates are shown on the horizontal axis, and tasks are listed vertically. Modern Gantt charts also show task dependencies (which tasks must be completed before others can begin), milestones, and resource assignments, making them one of the most widely used project management visualization tools.

A PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) chart displays tasks as nodes connected by arrows showing dependencies and sequence, focusing on the relationships and timing between activities rather than presenting them as bars on a timeline. A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work into smaller, manageable components - it shows what needs to be done but not when. The Critical Path Method (CPM) is a technique for identifying the longest sequence of dependent tasks in a project, which determines the minimum project duration - it is an analytical method rather than a visual timeline display.

Project management concepts are tested on the CLEP exam within the context of systems development. Students should be able to identify and differentiate between common project management tools and techniques, understanding what each one shows, when it is used, and how it helps manage the systems development process.

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