Explain What a Project Gantt Chart Actually Shows

Someone has sent you a Gantt chart and nodded like it is self-explanatory. It is not, not on day one. This explains what the bars, the dependencies, and the little arrows actually represent, with a small example, so the next one you are sent makes sense on first look.

Explain what a Gantt chart is and how to read one, for someone who has never used project management software before. Cover what the bars represent, what dependencies between tasks look like, and how to spot if a project is falling behind schedule just by looking at the chart. Keep it to plain English with no jargon, use a short example project (three or four tasks) to illustrate, and finish with one sentence on when a Gantt chart is the wrong tool for the job.