How To Draw A Timeline In Excel

Today we are learning how to create project timelines or project timeline charts in Excel. I tin say that timeline charts are simpler versions of gantt chart as they usually don't involve activity's stage of completion. Project timelines are usually prepared at the start of project to understand the flow of activities and which job is followed by what sequence. It is usually presented earlier any detailed assay of activities and their duration is bachelor and then that management can marshal its complimentary activities well in time.

And this is exactly what we are learning today. Yep! How to create project timelines or timeline charts in Excel:

timeline

It is definitely a cool chart and loved decoding it the template. So in this tutorial we will learn how to brand this or similar nautical chart and in my next installments we will learn how to turbo accuse it with more than features to make information technology even better.

Understanding the basics

Timeline is a visual list in which events are show in chronological guild on a straight line depicting time. Fourth dimension tin be in any unit, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries and so on. This help understand what happens when and likewise the before and later on events very easily.

Projection mangers often use timelines in presentations and as a planning tool to streamline the unlike activities (often termed equally milestones) that are needed to exist carried out at specific dates. They are often called projection timelines.

Looking at the chart we accept two things:

Fourth dimensionthat is along x-centrality
Milestonesthat are plotted on y-axis.

We demand to become data collected for these two elements. Once nosotros have the relevant data just then we can proceed with charting. Every bit I said time can exist in whatsoever unit merely it should be consequent i.due east. utilize either days or weeks for all the events. It is not possible that you take few events in years, few in months and few in days as it can be possible as sub-events but this time we are keeping things simple and leaving sub-milestone plotting for another day.

As you lot tin see some milestones are shown above the horizontal and some are shown beneath the horizontal line. We demand to workout this also.

Lastly we accept a cerise dot at every information of milestone and then a vertical extending perpendicular to horizontal.

Making timeline charts in Excel – Stride by step

Once agreementwhat we need, lets proceed with how to get what we demand.

Step 1: You accept the dates and milestones at the start of the worksheet in column A and B. I have the following data.

Engagement	Milestone	Thousand position	D position
3/1/2014	Offset	fifteen	0
7/i/2014	Outcome 1	-15	0
ix/ane/2014	Task two	15	0
xv/ane/2014	Objective 3	-15	0
18/1/2014	Concern four	15	0
nineteen/1/2014	Business concern 4a	10	0
2/2/2014	Work 5	-15	0
5/2/2014	Tail 6	xv	0
8/2/2014	Execution 7	ten	0
18/ii/2014	Completion	-15	0
24/two/2014	Anniversary	15	0

To copy above data simply select it > copy and paste it in the excel worksheet. Get to cell C1 and put heading M position and in prison cell D1 put heading D position. Following animation will help you lot:

timeline1

Footstep 2: Select the range (including the the additional two headings) and hit Ctrl+T. A new popup volition appear, click OK and at present the range is converted to Tables. This volition make the range dynamic and if data later grows then any output on the basis of such range will as well grow. We will see this in action later.

timeline2

Pace three: Select the whole table with headingsand go to Insert > chart group > Select clustered column. This will put in the basic chart we tin can piece of work on.

timeline3

Footstep 4: Lets clear out few things for now. Click on chart title and hitting delete central. Left click on legends and hit delete key. Finally click on vertical filigree lines and hit delete fundamental again. Yous will end up with the chart something like this:

timeline4

Stride v: Having the chart selected go to Format tab under chart tools and from electric current selection group through drop down select M position striking format selection push. Accept series overlap to exist 0% and gap width to be 150%.

timeline5

Stride 6: Once more go to format tab under chart tools and this time select D position. With the serial selected click design tab under chart tools and striking change chart type button. In front of D position from the drop down menu select line with markers.

timeline6

Pace 7: Right click anywhere empty inside the chart and from the card click "Select Data".

Step 8: From the left box (legend entries [series]) click on M position and above the right box click Edit button. Delete anything in the range input field and select the values in the B column under milestone heading. Click OK button.

Footstep nine: Select data source box nevertheless open and now select D position from the left and click Edit button above the correct box. Delete any value in the range input field and select the values in the Date column. Click OK push. Click OK button over again to shut the information source dialogue box too. Following animation help you walk through to a higher place steps:

timeline7

Step x: Correct Click on 10-axis and click format centrality. Under centrality options go to units options for major calibration arrive 5 days and proceed the minor at i twenty-four hour period. Under tick marks options make major type to be cross and minor type to be within. Lastly under number options change the format to mm/dd to show merely months and days.

timeline8

Step eleven: Disable y-axis calibration on the right and left side of the chart past left clicking on the scale and hitting delete fundamental. You lot can as well practise so by going to format options and disabling primary vertical and secondary vertical from centrality options drib down. Yous will get the chart something similar this:

timeline9

Step 12: Select D position series from the drop down in the electric current pick group and for Line options select no line. This will accept out the line and volition leave the chart merely with markers.

timeline10

Project timeline chart is complete and if y'all are happy with you can end here. Nevertheless, it is non exactly the same as we want. Confined are not hairline thin. To get this we accept 2 options:

Increase the gap width of bars to max.
Use error bars

Beginning option is simple, easy and fast. Whereas for mistake bars we demand to have additional steps. I volition explain both. Step 13A volition show the first pick whereas Step 13B will show the use of fault bars. Y'all either accept to do 13A or 13B NOT both.

Pace 13A: Click on bars and under serial option increase the gap width to max i.e. 500%. Washed!

timeline11

Step 13B: What we need is fault bars for Chiliad position series. For that commencement select M position series then click format selection and select no make full. This volition hibernate the bars itself. Then go to Design > Add chart element > Fault bars > standard mistake. This will insert error bars. With error bars selected select minus under direction. Click select percentage under fault amount and punch in 100%. Done!

timeline12

Step 14: Last touch is about data labels that can help bear witness milestone names. For that accept Thou position selected and go to design tab nether chart tools > add nautical chart element drop down > Information labels > Exterior end. Click on labels and under label options select category name instead of value. Now you lot accept that cute timeline we saw in the first.

timeline13

Download Free Projection Timeline in Excel Template

You lot tin download the fully worked Excel Project Timeline template filegratis of cost but if you lot similar the endeavor and gained something valuable and then you tin set the price whatever you lot deem fit and pay. If you want to download information technology for free so just set the cost to "0". Enjoy!

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