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It covers key examples such as Gantt and PERT charts, ERDs and data flowcharts, plus pie, bar, and histogram visuals, and relates them to project lifecycle stages.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/","Template",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/presentations/","Presentations",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/charting-your-course-charts-and-graphs-for-it-projects/563326/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/charting-your-course-charts-and-graphs-for-it-projects/563326.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Rizky","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-24","2026-10-12",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",6,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What role do charts and graphs play in IT project management?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"They provide visual support for planning and coordination, help define system specifications, and improve communication among project participants.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"Which charts are used for project planning and scheduling during analysis?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Structure charts for hierarchy, plus WBS, Gantt charts, and PERT charts to describe tasks, status, and scheduling.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"How do PERT charts differ from Gantt charts?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"PERT charts depict task dependencies, while Gantt charts focus on scheduling without explicitly showing how delays impact other tasks.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},563326,1792295302,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,93,98,103,108,113,118,123],{"id":85,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},11,90,"presentations",{"id":89,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":90,"show_sort_weight":91,"slug":92},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":94,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":95,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":97},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":99,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":100,"show_sort_weight":101,"slug":102},15,"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":104,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":105,"show_sort_weight":106,"slug":107},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":109,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":110,"show_sort_weight":111,"slug":112},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":114,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":115,"show_sort_weight":116,"slug":117},18,"Letters",30,"letters",{"id":119,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":121,"slug":122},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":124,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":125,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":126},158,"General","general-158",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":128},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":129,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":130,"doc_module":22,"category_id":85,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":131,"file_id":132,"file_url":133,"file_type":134,"file_size":135,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":136,"language":137,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":138,"faqs":139,"seo_title":140,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":141,"read_time":30},962085564807,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_6f874abed73319feea01a86fa6f0fab8","Charting Your Course: Charts and Graphs for IT Projects  \nDawn Li, Ph.D. and Gary McQuown  \nData and Analytic Solutions, Inc.  \nFairfax, VA  \nABSTRACT  \nThis paper describes the most common types of charts and graphs used for IT project management. If“a picture is worth a thousand words,” then the most effective and efficient way to describe the details of an IT project is with charts and graphs. Charts and graphs allow you to present an overall view of the project and system specification and to organize your data visually to further communication among the participants of the project. Among the popular charts include Gantt charts, PERT charts for project management; Entity Relationship Diagram, Data Flowchart for system specifications; Pie charts, Bar charts and Histograms for quick visual aid for communication. We will look at each chart closely by following the lifecycle of an IT project.  \nINTRODUCTION  \nCharts and graphs are frequently used in IT projects to visually assist in project management, define system specifications, and enhance communication among participants of the project. Structure charts, Gantt charts, PERT charts are for project management; Entity Relationship Diagram, Data/Process Flowchart for system specifications; Pie charts, bar charts for effective visual presentation of information. In terms of tools, Microsoft Office Suite – Word, PowerPoint, and Excel – are used for simpler charting; and Microsoft Project, Visio, ASAP, SmartDraw, Rational Rose, and others are for more sophisticated charting, some of which allow automatic generation of charts based on code.  \nCHARTING YOUR COURSE  \nThere are five major steps in project lifecycle: Analysis, Design, Code, Test and Implement. In Analysis Stage, we use structure chart to designate the hierarchy of resources, WBS (Work Breakdown Structure), Gantt charts and PERT charts for project planning and scheduling. In Design and Code Stages, we use Entity Relationship Diagram and Data Flowchart to relationships of data objects and specify system specifications. In Test and Implement Stages, we may use a combination of both. Pie charts, bar charts and histograms may be used throughout the lifecycle to convey message instantly. The following table lists the charts that correspond to the IT stages.  \nFigure 1: Charts and Their Use in the Project Lifecycle  \n\n|  | Analysis | Design | Code | Test | Implement |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Organization Chart | X |  |  |  |  |\n| WBS | X |  |  |  |  |\n| Gantt Chart | X |  |  |  |  |\n| PERT Chart | X |  |  |  |  |\n| Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) |  | X |  |  |  |\n| Data Flowchart (PFC) |  | X | X |  |  |\n| Pie Chart | X | X |  | X |  |\n| Bar Chart | X | X |  |  | X |\n| Histogram | X | X |  | X | X |\n\nOrganization Chart  \nAt the start of the project, we may use a structure chart to describe the hierarchy of the resources involved in the project. It is the designation of the “Chain of Command.” The Organization chart details the general tasks involved in the project and assigned them to either individuals or groups. With this chart, one can immediately determine who is responsible in certain office for certain tasks.  \nFigure 2: Organization Chart  \nSource: [http://www.smartdraw.com/resources/examples/business/orgchart7.htm](http://www.smartdraw.com/resources/examples/business/orgchart7.htm)  \nWork Breakdown Structure (WBS), Gantt Chart, PERT Chart  \nNext a project plan needs to be created to ensure the timely completion of the project. As part of the project analysis, we break the project down to a number of stages (see table below for an example of this process) and use a Gantt chart and a PERT chart to describe specific tasks and status. PERT chart shows task dependencies while Gantt chart does not.  \nWBS  \nFigure 3: A simple example ofWBS:  \n\n| WBS number | Task Description |\n| --- | --- |\n| 1.0 | Project initiation |\n| 1.1 | Draft project plan |\n| 2.0 | Analysis phase |\n| 2.1 | Plan user interviews |\n\n\n","cbCaiaHlwCWcJ1an","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiaHlwCWcJ1an","pdf",923710,9,"English","# ABSTRACT\n# INTRODUCTION\n# CHARTING YOUR COURSE\n## Project lifecycle overview\n## Organization Chart\n## Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)\n## Gantt Chart\n## PERT Chart","[{\"question\":\"What role do charts and graphs play in IT project management?\",\"answer\":\"They provide visual support for planning and coordination, help define system specifications, and improve communication among project participants.\"},{\"question\":\"Which charts are used for project planning and scheduling during analysis?\",\"answer\":\"Structure charts for hierarchy, plus WBS, Gantt charts, and PERT charts to describe tasks, status, and scheduling.\"},{\"question\":\"How do PERT charts differ from Gantt charts?\",\"answer\":\"PERT charts depict task dependencies, while Gantt charts focus on scheduling without explicitly showing how delays impact other tasks.\"}]","Charting Your Course - Charts and Graphs for IT Projects | PDF",1791829582]