3.2. Gantt Charts and Scheduling

Gantt charts (see, for example, Dewar [3]) are tabular representations used to illustrate a series of tasks (rows) that occur over a period of time (columns). These charts graphically represent completion dates, milestone achievements, current progress, and so on [3] and are discussed further in Chapter 28 as a planning tool for completing large design projects. In this chapter, a simplified Gantt chart is used to represent the scheduling of equipment needed to produce a given batch product. Example 3.2 illustrates the use of Gantt charts to show the movement of material as it passes through several pieces of equipment during a batch operation.