About Henry Gantt

Henry Laurence Gantt, born in Maryland in 1861, was a mechanical engineer and management consultant. Gantt's major contribution to project management were the Gantt charts, most notably used on the Hoover Dam and the Interstate Highway System infrastructure projects. Other concepts that owe a lot to Mr Gantt are those of industrial efficiency (achieved through the the application of scientific analysis to all aspects of a work in progress), the task and bonus system (the relationship between a manager's bonus and how well he teaches his employees to improve performance), and the social responsibility of business (the obligations of businesses towards society).

As recognition to his contribution to the fields of project planning and project management, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers created the Henry Laurence Gantt medal in 1929, for distinguished achievement in management and service to the community. Recent winners include Paul Soros (2000), Roy Huffington (2001), Alexander Dreyfoos (2002), William Timken (2003), Julie England (2004), Kathleen M. Bader (2005), Charla K. Wise (2006), Ellen Doherty (2007) and Claudio Valdetara (2008).

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