Using Gantt charts to track progress when working alone / with others

I wonder if anybody here uses gantt charts to track / improve own progress when working in a programming project alone or with others and 开发者_运维问答what is the approach you use and which software

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Gantt charts can still be useful even when working solo, since they show the critical path and easily update with new completion dates if and when things blow out (or, in those rare occasions, complete early).

Having said that, I don't usually use the charts very often any more. They're a nice picture for upper management levels but, when working alone, I just have the expected times for each task along with the expected dates (in textual format).

I find it hard to justify using an incredibly powerful project management tool when I can get the same information from a simple spreadsheet (with a lot less effort).

When you're managing a team with tasks allocated to a larger number of people then, yes, I still find the charts indispensable. But part of the reason for that is that they have to go up to higher management levels (the kind who can't understand what's going on without a pretty picture).

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I use the Gantt diagram on the redmine forge: you insert tickets with deadlines and it generates the Gantt diagram. You can also show only open tickets, closed tickets, etc.