Henry Lawrence Gantt
Henry Laurence Gantt
Johns Hopkins University c. 1880
By developing systems and management tools to improve the planning, efficiency, and overall productivity of labor, Henry Gantt changed the way the world works.
As a pioneering business management consultant, Gantt emphasized the responsibility of business to labor and its obligations to society. As a mechanical engineer, he advocated a scientific approach to industrial efficiency. The processes and tools he created remain essential to our modern business world.
After studying engineering at Johns Hopkins University, he worked as a teacher and a draftsman. In 1887, he took a position with Bethlehem Steel, where, in collaboration with Frederick Taylor, he gained a better understanding of the interdependencies of the production process and advanced the theory of scientific management.
During this period, Gantt developed the chart that bears his name, enabling more effective scheduling and monitoring. Gantt’s improvements to industry were critical in large-scale infrastructure projects such as the Hoover Dam and our national highway system. Each year, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers awards a medal in honor of Henry Gantt.
