Internal Audit: Don’t Give Up on Gantt Charts

Gantt charts. You love them or you hate them. Or you love to hate them.

Whatever your sentiment toward this mainstay of the project management world, there’s no denying that Gantt charts can be an incredibly useful tool for visualizing project resources and activities over time. That is…IF they are easy to create and modify and IF they are accurate. Otherwise, they’re not worth the paper (or screen space) they’re written on. This article uncovers how Onspring’s reporting features make using Gantt charts a breeze.

In our experience working with internal audit (IA) teams, Gantt charts play a key role in the audit process, helping the IA Manager and In-Charge understand how, where, and when their resources are deployed across multiple projects. But we commonly hear IA professionals express frustration over the tedium of managing Gantt charts in an evolving work environment. As quickly as Gantt charts are updated, they’re out of date once again. Nobody trusts their accuracy, and they quickly become irrelevant.

In Onspring 6.0, we addressed this issue head-on with our new dynamic Gantt chart functionality. We’re freeing IA professionals from the bonds of managing Gantt charts. To put it simply: Gantt charts work for you now.

In our Audit & Assurance solution, you can manage the end-to-end audit process, including:

  • Risk-based planning

  • Staff scheduling

  • Project delivery

  • Issue management

  • Quality assurance

  • Reporting in multiple formats

When you assign staff to one or more audit projects in Onspring, that data flows into your Gantt charts automatically, and you never have to touch them. As projects, staffing, and timelines evolve, your Gantt charts stay accurate. Plus, you can click into any data element to view the underlying project details—instantly.

Long story short

Don’t waste time on Gantt charts, but don’t stop using them, either. Gantt charts remain an important visualization for project managers, and they don’t have to suck the life out of you. With Onspring, Gantt charts are transformed from resource intensive to refreshingly easy.

If you’re interesting in seeing Onspring Gantt charts in action, drop us a line. We’ll be happy to take you for a test drive. You can also learn more about reporting in Onspring on our website.

About the author

Matt Pugh Executive Vice President Product at Onspring

Matt Pugh
Executive Vice President at Onspring
20 years GRC experience