App admins install the Gantt plugin as added functionality for apps with project data. App users open and use the plugin to manage projects.
Access to this feature can change based on your Quickbase plan. Learn more about feature availability and plans in Quickbase capabilities.
About the Gantt plugin
The Gantt plugin is a powerful data visualization tool. It allows app admins to seamlessly manage complex project timelines, tasks, and dependencies in an interactive interface. The Gantt plugin makes it easy to manage task information, schedule project milestones, and assign resources to keep work on schedule.
The plugin includes key project management features including:
- Dependency types
- Baseline dates
- Automatic scheduling
Launch the plugin
When you launch the plugin from your app, your project information displays in a way that you can drag and drop, rearrange, and expand and collapse different details, tasks, and information. We make it easy to undo and redo changes or export all project information.
This interactive view makes it easy to see project progress, identify problems, and update the timeline accordingly.
Projects in the Gantt plugin
Projects in the Gantt plugin are made up of tasks, which are completed by resources on a schedule. The relationship between tasks and resources can be assigned in the app records or in the plugin. Tasks can also be related or dependent on other tasks, such as if one task needs to be complete before another.
Connect the plugin app with other Quickbase features like notifications and reporting to make it easy to share project updates and align on plans.
The template app
Quickbase provides a template app that people can download, and then install the plugin. This template app already has the required structure so you can start managing your project quickly. While you can create your own app, we recommend using the template app.
You can install the plugin more than once for this application. However, additional setup is required.
Any changes made to app structure, such as adding or removing a field, can impact the functionality of the plugin. If you have to make changes to your app structure, open the plugin settings to review the changes.
All app users can open the plugin from the app, and only app admins can install and manage the plugin.
Learn more in Setting up the Gantt plugin.
App structure
The Quickbase template app is configured with the structure required for this plugin. Download the Gantt plugin template app from the Quickbase Exchange.
Learn more about installing and setting up the Gantt plugin in Setting up the Gantt plugin.
The structure of the Quickbase Gantt plugin template app includes the following tables:
- Calendars - The Calendars table has information about the calendar used for a project. This is what is used for things like timeline calculations and scheduling. The information in this table is used for the entire project.
- Projects - The Projects table has information that defines a project. The information in this table works with other tables like Tasks, Baseline Dates, Time Ranges, and Calendar to define what is done in a project and when.
- Resources - The Resources table has information about the resources available to contribute to a project. One or more resources can be assigned to a task and they can be associated with things like users.
- Tasks - The Tasks table defines the tasks that make up a project. The information in this table works with other tables like Gantt Dependencies, Baseline Dates, Task Segments, and Resource assignments to define the details, status, and data of a task.
- Baseline Dates - The Baseline Dates table has information about historical task dates and durations in a project. The plugin uses this information for things like comparing current task dates with historical task dates.
- Resource Assignments - The Resource Assignments table has information about how resources are assigned to tasks in a project. There is a many-to-many relationship between tasks and resources.
- Gantt Dependencies - The Gantt Dependencies table has information about dependencies between the tasks in a project. Tasks can have dependencies with other tasks and use a specific field mapping to track this. This information is used to calculate things like start and end dates of tasks.
- Task Segments - The Task Segments table has information about the segments of a task. If a project has tasks that are made up of segments, they’re defined in this table.
- Gantt Settings - The Gantt Settings table has information about Gantt Settings and States. These define how the Gantt plugin displays when you launch it. This includes things like column placement or user settings.
- Calendar Days - The Calendar Days table has information about the working and non-working days in a calendar for a project. This is used to calculate things like timelines and scheduling.
- Time Ranges - The Time Ranges table has information that defines periods of time that are custom to your company or project. These time ranges display in the plugin.
Tables in the plugin
These tables have different relationships between them, which the plugin uses to do things like calculations, scheduling, and assigning resources.
Note: If you don't create the tables, the plugin creates them for you.
This diagram is explained in the following section.
- The Calendars table defines the calendar used to schedule project tasks.
- The Calendar Days table has information about working and non-working days in a calendar.
- The Projects table defines a project and relationships to records in other tables.
- The Resources table has information about the resources assigned to tasks in a project.
- The Tasks table has information about all the tasks that need to be completed for a project. This table uses information from the Calendars table to schedule tasks.
- The Time Ranges table uses information from the projects table to track things like milestones, which the plugin displays on the calendar to show project progress.
- The Baseline Dates table tracks time ranges used to compare historical project data with current or expected data and scheduling.
- The Task Segments table is an optional table that you can use if your tasks are broken into segments.
- The Resource Assignments table connects a resource to a task, and keeps track of what resources are assigned to tasks.
- The Gantt Dependencies and Gantt Settings tables contain information about how people view and configure the Gantt plugin.