What type of chart is used for planning, managing, and controlling major programs with a defined beginning and end?

The Gantt Chart is a powerful tool used for planning, managing, and controlling major programs, particularly because it provides a visual overview of a project’s timeline. It displays tasks or activities along a horizontal timeline, allowing project managers to see the start and end dates of each task, their durations, and how they overlap. This makes it easier to understand the sequence of tasks, monitor progress, and allocate resources effectively. The clear, graphical presentation of the timeline helps stakeholders or team members quickly grasp the overall project schedule and identify critical deadlines.

In contrast, other types of charts serve different purposes. Flowcharts illustrate processes and sequences of steps but do not effectively represent time. PERT Charts focus on the relationships and dependencies between tasks, which is useful for analyzing the sequence but may not provide the straightforward timeline representation that Gantt Charts do. Pie Charts are primarily used for showing proportions within a whole and are not relevant for project management tasks. Therefore, the Gantt Chart is the most suitable option for managing projects with clear start and end points.