Henry Gantt was an American Engineer, but it was his role as a management consultant that still keeps his name alive today.
Born Henry Laurence Gantt in 1861, he was best known for his development of the Gantt Chart in 1910, a chart that was used during projects such as the construction of The Hoover Dam amongst others and is still in use today.
Born Henry Laurence Gantt in 1861, he was best known for his development of the Gantt Chart in 1910, a chart that was used during projects such as the construction of The Hoover Dam amongst others and is still in use today.
- Gantt was born in Maryland and worked as a teacher before pursuing a career as a draughtsman. He went on to train as a mechanical engineer in 1887 and it was in this industry where he saw some of his greatest achievements. It was not only his ability as an engineer that Gantt was renowned for, it was his man management skills and ability to encourage productivity.
- His now famous Gantt charts allowed engineers to plot achievements graphically and illustrate the progress of each project and how near to completion the team are.
- Another scheme that Gantt was responsible for was the Task and Bonus Scheme. This is where site managers are rewarded with bonuses depending on how well they educated their crew and ultimately increased productivity.
- Gantt also readily encouraged businesses to embrace social responsibility. He believed passionately that businesses and companies had a social responsibility towards the people they employed and the local community.
- Industrial Efficiency was also a passion of Gantt. He felt that scientific analysis should be encouraged in the workplace, not only for better efficiency but also to reduce accidents and the element of chance.
