How to plan a creative production from brief to delivery on a Gantt chart
Plan a creative production from brief to delivery on a Gantt chart: pre-production sign-off, a shoot, an edit that overlaps it, a lock gate and a fixed delivery date, with real dependencies between stages.
A creative production is planned around gates: the points after which the work is fixed and the next stage can start. This guide shows how to put sign-off, lock and delivery on a Gantt chart so you can see which stage decides the date.
The short version
- Name the gates first: pre-production sign-off, picture or design lock, final approval.
- Link post-production work to the lock, so a late change shows what it moves.
- Overlap the edit with the shoot using a start-to-start link and a lag, but let the first cut wait for the last scene.
- Draw each client review as a task with a length instead of hoping for a quick answer.
- The longest chain of dependent tasks sets the delivery date; switch on the critical path to see it.
Plan the gates, then the overlap
A film, a campaign shoot or an animated piece moves through the same stages: pre-production, production, post-production and delivery. The stages do not take equal time and they do not follow each other in a straight line. Some work can safely overlap and some cannot start until a decision is final. A plan that treats the whole job as one list of dates hides that difference, and the first change request shows it.
The method is to name the gates first. A gate is a milestone that says an earlier stage is closed: the script and bookings are signed off, the picture is locked, the final version is approved. Everything that depends on the closed work is linked to the gate, not to the task before it. That makes a late change visible. A change before a gate moves a few tasks. A change after it moves every task that waited for it, such as the sound mix, the grade and the titles, and the delivery date moves with them.
Then add the overlap that is safe. Editing can start while the shoot is still running, as long as the first cut waits for the last scene. In a Gantt chart that is a start-to-start dependency with a lag: the logging task starts a working day after the shoot starts, but the rough cut still waits for the end of the shoot. Work that is not needed until later, such as music, can start beside the edit and finish well before it is used.
What decides the date is the longest chain of tasks that each wait for the one before. In the example below it is casting before the shoot, then the shoot, the edit and the review rounds, and then the mix after the lock. Shortening a task that is not on that chain changes nothing. The durations in this guide are illustrative; replace them with your crew's availability and your client's real turnaround. A timeline schedules the work. It does not clear rights, secure releases or make a contract or licence valid.
A video production plan, built in stages
Twenty-two tasks in four phases. Durations are illustrative; set your own. Open the spreadsheet panel to see the rows behind each stage.
Pre-production and its sign-off
"Agree the brief and approach" (2 working days) leads to "Write the script" (5) and "Scout and book locations" (5). "Client review of the script" (3) comes before "Draw the storyboard and shot list" (4) and "Cast talent and book the crew" (5). "Pre-production sign-off" waits for all three, and casting is the last to finish, on day 15.
The shoot, with the edit starting beside it
"Shoot principal photography" (6) follows the sign-off. "Sync and log footage" (6) is linked start-to-start with a lag of 1 working day, so it begins on the second day of the shoot. "Shoot pick-ups and inserts" (2) follows the shoot.
Review rounds up to the lock
"Assemble the rough cut" (5) waits for the logging and the pick-ups. Then "Client review of the rough cut" (3), "Revise to the fine cut" (5) and "Client review of the fine cut" (3) lead to the "Picture lock" milestone, on day 39.
Work that waits for the lock, then delivery
"Source and license music" (4) starts 2 working days after the rough cut starts and has days to spare. "Sound design and mix" (6), "Colour grade" (4) and "Add titles and graphics" (3) all follow "Picture lock". "Final client review" (2), "Export and check the deliverables" (3) and "Delivered" close the plan on day 50.
The review loop a Gantt chart cannot draw
A client review of a cut repeats until the comments are resolved. A Gantt chart has no loop, so the process sits in a flowchart and the schedule gets a length that allows for it.
Submit and collect comments
It starts at "Document submitted for approval". Questions such as "New document or revision?" route it, then "Collect reviewer comments" gathers the feedback and "All review comments resolved?" decides whether to go on. Read the document as the cut sent to the client.
The loop back
On Open, "Can the author resolve now?" asks whether the author can fix the comments. On Yes, the flow returns to "Collect reviewer comments", so the review repeats. On No, the document goes to "Returned to the author for rework".
Final approval
On Resolved, "Approver reviews the **final draft**" leads to "**Approve** for release?". Approved goes on to further checks and "Published after full approval", Rework to "Returned to the author for rework" and Rejected to "Rejected and closed". In a production plan, give the review task a length that allows for the rounds you expect.
How it works
List the stages and name the gates
Write the phases as groups: pre-production, production, post-production and delivery. Add a milestone, a task of length 0, at each point where earlier work is closed, such as sign-off and lock.
Link later work to the gate
In Depends on, point the tasks that need the final version at the gate, not at the task before it. The mix, the grade and the titles should all depend on the lock.
Add the overlap that is safe
Use a start-to-start link with a lag where work can begin once another starts, for example 8SS+1. Keep the task that needs the finished material, such as the first cut, linked to the end of the shoot.
Draw each review as a task
Give every client review a length in working days, set from how long your client takes to answer. Add a revision task after each one. If you expect two rounds, draw two.
Check the plan against the delivery date
Give the first task a fixed Start and the delivery milestone a fixed Start on the date you need. The plan is scheduled forward, so a conflict flag names the earliest date the work allows. Switch on the critical path in the View menu to see which chain sets it.
Add owners, share and export
Put the person responsible in People, share the chart as a link with the client and the crew, and export a PDF or PNG for the production schedule.
Mistakes to avoid
Planning a lock but letting changes through
A gate only protects the plan if later tasks depend on it. If a change after the lock is likely, draw an extra review and revision task before the lock instead of editing the dates afterwards.
Starting the first cut before the last scene
Overlapping the edit with the shoot is safe for logging and organising footage. A cut assembled before the final scenes arrive usually gets assembled again, so keep that task linked to the end of the shoot.
Treating review as free time
A review with no length and no task is a hidden delay. Give each round the turnaround your client really has, and the chart shows what a slow answer does to delivery.
Expecting a loop on the chart
A Gantt chart cannot draw a task that returns to an earlier one. Give the review and revision tasks lengths that allow for the rounds you expect, and keep the loop itself in a flowchart.
Open the video production Gantt chart
Open the video production template, change the durations to yours and see which gate decides the delivery date.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What is a stage gate in a creative production plan?
It is a milestone after which the earlier work is treated as final, such as pre-production sign-off or picture lock. Tasks that need the final version depend on it, so a change after the gate moves them and the delivery date.
Why are late changes expensive on the chart?
Because more tasks wait on the gate. In the example, the mix, the grade and the titles all follow "Picture lock", so one change to the picture moves all three and the final review behind them.
Can editing start while shooting is still going on?
Yes, for work that does not need the finished material. Link logging to the shoot with a start-to-start dependency and a lag, and keep the rough cut waiting for the end of the shoot.
How do I plan against a fixed delivery date?
Give the first task a fixed Start and the delivery milestone a fixed Start on the date you need. The chart schedules forward and flags a conflict, naming the earliest date the dependencies allow. Then shorten a task or move a gate.
Where do the review rounds and the approval process go?
The rounds go in the Gantt chart as tasks with a length. The loop of send, review and revise goes in a flowchart. The guide at /guides/review-rounds-gantt-chart covers the rounds in more detail.