diff --git a/app/views/settings/_better_gantt_chart_settings.rhtml b/app/views/settings/_better_gantt_chart_settings.rhtml
index e88c3f4..050b61e 100644
--- a/app/views/settings/_better_gantt_chart_settings.rhtml
+++ b/app/views/settings/_better_gantt_chart_settings.rhtml
@@ -7,3 +7,8 @@
 <br /><strong>Disabled</strong>: a week has 5 working days. If start or due date falls on a weekend when the issue is rescheduled automatically, it is moved to the next Monday.
 <br />Note, that with any value of the setting start and due dates can always be set to a weekend manually.
 </p>
+<p>
+<br />
+<label for="settings_smart_sorting"><%= h l(:smart_sorting_label) %>:</label>
+<%= check_box_tag('settings[smart_sorting]', @settings['smart_sorting'], @settings['smart_sorting']) %>
+</p>
diff --git a/config/locales/en.yml b/config/locales/en.yml
index dc4302f..cecd46b 100644
--- a/config/locales/en.yml
+++ b/config/locales/en.yml
@@ -2,3 +2,4 @@
 en:
   field_duration: "Duration"
   work_on_weekends_label: "Work on weekends"
+  smart_sorting_label: "Smart sorting"
diff --git a/init.rb b/init.rb
index 7cd7a37..5994a16 100644
--- a/init.rb
+++ b/init.rb
@@ -39,7 +39,8 @@
   requires_redmine :version_or_higher => '1.1.0'
 
   settings(:default => {
-    'work_on_weekends' => true
+    'work_on_weekends' => true,
+    'smart_sorting' => true
   }, :partial => "settings/better_gantt_chart_settings")
 end
 
diff --git a/lib/redmine/helpers/better_gantt.rb b/lib/redmine/helpers/better_gantt.rb
index 28c762c..0ac3da4 100644
--- a/lib/redmine/helpers/better_gantt.rb
+++ b/lib/redmine/helpers/better_gantt.rb
@@ -694,11 +694,17 @@ def gantt_issue_compare(x, y, issues = nil)
       end
 
       def get_compare_params(issue)
-        start_date = issue.start_date or Date.new()
-        identifying_id = issue.leaf? ? issue.parent_id : issue.id
-        identifying_start = issue.leaf? && issue.parent.present? ? issue.parent.start_date : start_date
+        if RedmineBetterGanttChart.smart_sorting?
+          # Smart sorting: issues sorted first by start date of their parent issue, then by id of parent issue, then by start date
+          start_date = issue.start_date or Date.new()
+          identifying_id = issue.leaf? ? issue.parent_id : issue.id
+          identifying_start = issue.leaf? && issue.parent.present? ? issue.parent.start_date : start_date
 
-        [issue.root_id, identifying_start, identifying_id, start_date, issue.lft] 
+          [issue.root_id, identifying_start, identifying_id, start_date, issue.lft] 
+        else
+          # Default Redmine sorting
+          [issue.root_id, issue.lft]
+        end
       end
 
       def current_limit
diff --git a/lib/redmine_better_gantt_chart/redmine_better_gantt_chart.rb b/lib/redmine_better_gantt_chart/redmine_better_gantt_chart.rb
index a5a0261..a36eaed 100644
--- a/lib/redmine_better_gantt_chart/redmine_better_gantt_chart.rb
+++ b/lib/redmine_better_gantt_chart/redmine_better_gantt_chart.rb
@@ -2,4 +2,8 @@ module RedmineBetterGanttChart
   def self.work_on_weekends?
     Setting['plugin_redmine_better_gantt_chart']['work_on_weekends']
   end
+
+  def self.smart_sorting?
+    Setting['plugin_redmine_better_gantt_chart']['smart_sorting']
+  end
 end