Henry Laurence Gantt

Henry Laurence Gantt was born on May 20, 1861 in Calvert County, Maryland. is one of the precursors of management science and representative of the engineering trend. One of his greatest achievements was the development and implementation of a time-bonus pay system, sometimes referred to as a bonus Gantt system or a system based on a bonus task. Gantt worked with Taylor for many years, and at a later stage was his personal assistant. He died on November 23, 1919 in Montclair, New Jersey at the age of 58.

Private life

Childhood

Gannt was born into a family of planters in Calvert, Maryland at the outbreak of the Civil War. After the war, the family lost their slaves and land and moved to Baltimore.

Henry graduated from McDonogh School in 1878, and in 1880 he graduated from Johns Hopkins University. Then he returned to McDonogh School to teach for three years. After a few more years, he received a master's degree in mechanical engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey.

Marriage

Henry Gantt married Mary E. Snow on November 29, 1899 in Massachusetts.

Work

The system created by Gantt assumed the development of a special card, on which the best method for performing each task (work), detailed tools to be used, and the time allocated for each activity were specified. The development of the task timeframe was investigated empirically on the basis of specific cases.

The Gantt system provided for additional bonuses for employees who followed the received instructions, which were in some way an addition to the daily allowance. In the absence of the use of designated methods and tools or failure to meet within a given time, the employee was deprived of the bonus, and only his daily allowance was paid to him.

The bonus for completing the task varied from 30 to 50 percent of basic (day) pay in the bonus system. Testing methods and standardizing work included in the Gantt system:

• distribution of activities into elements,
• separate tests of these elements,
• synthesis, that is, collecting research results.

When implementing his system, Gantt encountered a number of problems. He noted that it is not difficult to convince employees to perform tasks with specific methods and tools, but the time of inactivity of individual machines during work was important. Therefore, he decided that a significant bonus would eliminate such irregularities. The high bonus ceiling dramatically reduced the amount of time wasted. It is important to point out that the system introduced allowed for:

• increasing efficiency,
• reducing breaks and wasting time,
• increasing the activity of workers.

It should be mentioned that apart from the created system, Gantt became famous as the creator and designer of specific charts, later named after him.

The essence of Gantt charts is the development of the entire system of charts allowing to compare the actual and planned course of performing various types of orders. The graphs were presented in the form of tables, in which specific amounts of work and time for its implementation were entered, presented in the form of vertical lines and the actual execution status of a given task as horizontal lines (the ratio of work actually done to work planned for execution). For the needs of management in the upper right corners of the rectangles corresponding to the next days of the week (charts were usually created for a given work week) cumulative task sizes were entered.

The most important advantages of such charts are:

• easy and effective method of work planning,
• I understood the facts,
• minimizing the time of inactivity and debugging in the task,
• effective time management in the implementation of the task.

To sum up, it is necessary to emphasize Gantt's significant influence in the science of management. He himself learned from Taylor, collaborating with him many times. However, he created his own system, which can safely be included in the group of incentive systems. The constructed charts greatly facilitated the production analysis and enabled control over the task implementation processes.

Examples of Henry Laurence Gantt achievements

• The Gantt Chart: Henry Laurence Gantt is credited with the invention of the Gantt Chart, a tool used to track the progress of a project. The Gantt Chart is a simple visual representation of tasks, the duration of those tasks, and their relationship to other tasks in the project. This tool is still widely used today in project management.
• Bonus System: Henry Laurence Gantt also developed and implemented a time-bonus pay system, sometimes referred to as a bonus Gantt system or a system based on a bonus task. This system was designed to incentivize workers to complete tasks quickly and accurately, with bonus pay for tasks completed within a certain time frame.
• Leadership & Management: Henry Laurence Gantt had a significant role in the development of modern management and leadership theory. He is known for his emphasis on worker motivation, collaboration, and communication as key components of successful team management. He also believed that the best managers should be able to adapt to different situations and be able to think outside the box.

Advantages of Henry Laurence Gantt approach

Henry Laurence Gantt's contributions to the field of management and industrial engineering have been significant and have had a lasting impact. His development of a time-bonus pay system has been particularly influential and is still used in many organizations today. The advantages of the Henry Laurence Gantt system include:

• Increased productivity - The Gantt system encourages workers to complete tasks in a timely manner, as bonus payments are available for those who complete tasks quickly and accurately.
• Improved morale - With bonus payments for completing tasks on time, employees are incentivized to work faster and smarter, leading to increased morale and motivation.
• Greater control - The Gantt system allows supervisors to have greater control over the work process, as they can set deadlines and track progress.
• Increased efficiency - By providing bonus payments, the Gantt system helps to reduce wasted time and resources, allowing for better use of resources and improved efficiency.
• Improved communication - The Gantt system also encourages communication between supervisors and employees, allowing supervisors to provide feedback and guidance to help employees complete tasks efficiently.

Limitations of Henry Laurence Gantt aproach

Henry Laurence Gantt is known as a pioneer in the field of management science. He developed and implemented a time-bonus pay system, which is still used today. However, his system has been criticized for being too rigid and inflexible due to its reliance on predetermined tasks and bonuses. In addition, Gantt's system has been criticized for its lack of consideration for quality and its focus on quantity. Other limitations of Gantt's system include its lack of regard for team dynamics and its focus on individual performance. Furthermore, Gantt's system does not take into consideration external factors such as customer satisfaction or economic conditions. Finally, Gantt's system does not recognize the value of intangible assets such as creativity and innovation.

Other approaches related to Henry Laurence Gantt

Henry Laurence Gantt is known for his pioneering work in management science and engineering. His impact is seen in the following related approaches:

• The Gantt chart: This is a graphical representation of the progress of a project, showing the tasks to be completed and their individual timelines. It is used to help plan, coordinate, and track work.
• The Gantt scheduling algorithm: This is an algorithm used to schedule tasks in a project by assigning each task a start time, duration, and end time.
• PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique): This is a method for analyzing and organizing tasks in a project to determine the critical path to completion.

In summary, Henry Laurence Gantt's impact on management science and engineering is seen in the Gantt chart, the Gantt scheduling algorithm, and the PERT technique.

Henry Laurence Gantt — recommended articles

Network charts — Work simplification — Frank Bunker Gilbreth — Job characteristics — Feature-driven development — Critical path method — Contingency leadership — Task identity — Fast tracking

References

• Nelson, D., & Campbell, S. (1972). Taylorism versus welfare work in American industry: HL Gantt and the Bancrofts. Business History Review, 46(1), 1-16.
• Wilson, J. M. (2003). Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation. European Journal of Operational Research, 149(2), 430-437.
• Gantt, H. L. (1915). The Effect of Idle Plant on Costs and Profits. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 61(1), 86-89.