Most Gantt charts show what you planned. Aproove's runs what you planned.

How it works

The Gantt chart. The Project Plan opens as a standard Gantt: the Planned Task list on the left, the Project timeline on the right. Edit either side and the other updates. WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) numbers renumber automatically when tasks are reordered. Zoom ranges from 5-year blocks for long programs down to 1-minute increments for tight launch sequences.

Planned Task properties. Each Planned Task has a name, duration (window of time to complete), effort (max time to spend), start and finish dates, percent complete, and a custom timeline color. Date editing happens through the date picker, the Planned Task list, or by dragging the task bar directly on the timeline.

Dependencies. Predecessors and Successors are drawn directly on the timeline by dragging a connection from the end of one task bar to the start of another. A Planned Task with a Predecessor will not start until that Predecessor has completed. When a Predecessor moves, its Successor moves with it. When a Successor moves independently, Aproove prompts to apply a lag (a deliberate delay) or to snap back.

Subtasks, modules, milestones, splits. Tasks can be nested as subtasks at multiple levels. Groups of tasks can be saved as Modules and inserted into other templates or live projects. Tasks can be converted to Milestones (triangle markers with no execution). Tasks can be Split with a planned pause in the middle.

The two execution modes. Each Planned Task chooses one:

• Ad-hoc task (Instant Share). A single task assignment to one or more stakeholders, the same primitive used elsewhere in Aproove for direct work hand-offs.
• Planned Task Workflow. A full workflow template, single step or multi-step, with decisions, conflict managers, and routing. This is where the planning layer connects to Aproove's full workflow engine.

For both modes, the Complete Planning Task on Workflow End option controls advancement: when selected, the plan advances as soon as the underlying work completes; when deselected, the plan waits for the Finish date regardless. This lets a PM choose between work-driven cadence and calendar-driven cadence per task.

Baseline tracking. Enabling Baseline captures the original Start, Finish, Percent Complete, and Effort. As the plan drifts during execution, the baseline stays visible beneath the current values so PMs can see what changed and by how much.

Templates and modules. Project Plan Templates are reusable Gantt blueprints assigned to project configurations. Templates can be shared with other users or contact groups as Read-only references. Modules are reusable task groups created within a template and inserted into other templates or running plans.

Resources and competencies. Resources (users or global groups) carry competencies (skills) configured on the backend. When a WIP task is assigned, Aproove proposes resources whose competencies match the task's requirements, with their competency rating shown. The PM picks the right person from the right shortlist rather than browsing the full user directory.

Permissions. Project Plan access is governed by schema rights: Edit PRF gives full control of the Gantt (list and timeline), View PRF locks the chart to read-only, and disabling both hides the Project Plan menu entirely.

Live editing in running projects. A live Project Plan stays editable. Bars can be dragged, tasks added or completed directly from the Planned Task list (the 2025/R3 release added in-chart completion for tasks without an assigned workflow), modules inserted, dependencies redrawn. When a Planned Task is completed, Aproove's Task Scheduler makes three passes to close it out, advance the plan, and kick off the next Planned Task's WIP.

Why it matters

Most project planning tools and Gantt chart software are documentation. The PM builds a beautiful Gantt at the start of the project, the plan diverges from reality within a week, and the chart becomes a relic that nobody updates because updating it does not change anything that actually happens.

Aproove's Project Planning ties the plan to execution. When a Planned Task starts, the work goes out. When the work comes back, the plan advances. The PM is not maintaining two versions of the truth (the Gantt and the workflow). There is one truth: the plan IS the workflow trigger.

That matters most for projects that unite multiple processes: a regulatory submission that requires creative production, copy review, legal sign-off, brand approval, and scientific accuracy review on a fixed deadline; a product launch that synchronizes packaging, marketing collateral, web content, and trade materials; a quarterly campaign that runs across regions with staggered translation and approval steps. These programs have real dependencies, real deadlines, and real cross-team handoffs. A Gantt that just shows the dependencies without enforcing them leaves the PM doing the enforcement manually. Aproove's Gantt enforces them.

Benefits

• Plan and execute in one chart. Each Gantt bar carries the real work behind it, so the PM is not maintaining a separate workflow alongside the plan.
• Templates for repeatable programs. Project Plan Templates capture the standard cadence of a campaign cycle, a regulatory sequence, or a launch program. New projects start from the template and inherit the timing, dependencies, and embedded workflows.
• Modules for reusable phases. Common task groups (creative review, copy approval, legal sign-off, translation) can be packaged as Modules and dropped into any plan, so PMs are not rebuilding the same five-step sequence in every template.
• Dependencies that actually move things. When a Predecessor slips, its Successors move with it automatically. Lag is explicit when a PM wants deliberate delay.
• Baseline tracking shows drift. The original plan stays visible beneath the current plan, so retrospectives can see where the project drifted and by how much, without keeping a separate "what we said we'd do" document.
• Right cadence per task. Some steps complete when the work completes (work-driven). Others must wait for the calendar (calendar-driven). The same plan handles both through per-task configuration.
• Competency-based resourcing. WIP task assignment proposes resources whose skills match, so PMs assign from a relevant shortlist instead of the full directory.
• Live editing while work is in flight. PMs adjust the plan without freezing the project: drag bars, add tasks, redraw dependencies, complete tasks directly in the chart. The execution layer follows the plan.‍
• Tied to the rest of Aproove. The WIP tasks behind Planned Tasks are the same ad-hoc tasks and workflows the rest of the platform uses, so reviewer notifications, audit trails, e-signatures, conflict managers, metadata, and reporting all apply without parallel infrastructure.

Who it's for

• Project managers running multi-stage programs with real deadlines and real cross-team dependencies.
• Marketing operations coordinating quarterly campaigns across regions, brands, and stakeholder groups.
• Regulated content teams (pharma, life sciences, medical devices) running submissions that combine creative production, scientific review, regulatory approval, and final sign-off against a fixed deadline.
• Product launch teams synchronizing packaging, marketing collateral, web content, and trade materials toward a launch date.
• Production and prepress operations orchestrating multi-stage jobs with handoffs between teams or vendors.
• Operations and PMO leads standardizing the cadence of repeatable programs into templates that anyone on the team can launch.

Under the hood

The Gantt is rendered against Aproove's Planned Task data model. Planned Tasks store their dates, durations, dependencies, baselines, and the WIP task or workflow they trigger. When the Planned Task's window opens, the WIP is dispatched through the same task and workflow engine the rest of the platform uses. When the WIP closes (workflow end decision, ad-hoc task completion, or direct completion from the Planned Task list), the Task Scheduler runs three passes to close out the Planned Task, advance the plan, and start the next Planned Task's WIP. The cycle typically completes in around three minutes.

The system is designed for forward planning. Backdating the start of a Planned Task to the past is discouraged because it creates inconsistency between the planning layer (which thinks the work should already be running) and the execution layer (where no workflow has been dispatched). PMs who need to reflect existing work in progress should adjust durations or downstream dates after kickoff.