Let’s start with the obvious: Scrum and Gantt charts were never meant to be friends.
One was born in the manufacturing age. The other was built for complexity. One promises control through prediction. The other embraces change through iteration. Trying to force a Gantt chart into a Scrum environment is like strapping a GPS onto a mountain goat and expecting it to follow roads. It doesn’t, and it won’t.
So why do teams still do it?
Let’s unpack why using a Gantt chart in Scrum isn’t just a misstep—it’s a fundamental misunderstanding of what Scrum is trying to achieve.
1. Gantt charts assume certainty. Scrum assumes complexity.
A Gantt chart lays out tasks in neat rows, projecting timelines as if everything will go according to plan.
In Scrum, the plan is uncertain. It assumes you’re working in a complex domain where the destination is known in spirit but not in detail, and where the path reveals itself one sprint at a time.
Trying to chart that in advance? That’s not a plan. That’s fiction.
2. Gantt charts promote control. Scrum empowers self-management.
Scrum Teams are self-managing and cross-functional. They decide how to solve the problem, not just what to build.
But a Gantt chart often tells them what task to do, when to do it, and for how long. It turns a self-directed team into factory robots. And once that shift happens, ownership erodes. Creativity follows. Then comes disengagement.
This is how velocity plateaus—when people stop solving and start executing.
3. Gantt charts are optimised for visibility. Scrum is optimised for adaptability.
Yes, Gantt charts look beautiful in stakeholder decks.
But what happens when half the work is invalidated by new customer feedback? What happens when priorities shift, or unexpected complexity emerges?
In Scrum, we adapt. We pivot mid-sprint if we must. We refine the backlog continuously. We learn in loops.
A Gantt chart? It breaks. Or worse—it stays in the slide deck, unedited, while the team navigates the real world blind.
4. Gantt charts encourage premature precision. Scrum focuses on progress.
Progress in Scrum is measured by Increments—value delivered, not tasks completed. The goal isn't to “hit milestones” on a chart. The goal is to learn faster than your competitors.
This is the essence of Evidence-Based Management: inspect outcomes, not just outputs. Gantt charts track activity. Scrum inspects value.
So what should you use instead?
Visualisation isn’t the enemy—rigid sequencing is. Use Kanban boards to visualise flow. Track throughput, not hours. Use sprint reviews to align with stakeholders.
Above all, stay empirical. Make decisions based on what you can see, not what you hoped would happen in January.
The bottom line?
Gantt charts represent a predictable worldview where planning equals control, while Scrum represents a complex worldview where adaptation equals delivering customer value.
If you’re building software—or any product where change is the norm and feedback is your north star—drop the Gantt chart.
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