Software can provide a central location where everyone can stay up to date with the latest timeline.Īutomation. While you could email a spreadsheet timeline to stakeholders every time it’s updated, this can quickly become unmanageable on projects with many stakeholders and lots of updates. You might be able to track these dependencies manually for very simple projects, but you’ll want software to keep track of multiple dependencies.īetter stakeholder communication. The more complicated your projects get, the more dependencies they’ll have (for example, you can’t paint the walls until they’ve been installed). That should be reason enough to use project management software to create timelines, but there are other reasons.Įasier dependency tracking. More accurate timeline estimations can help teams plan better, save time and resources from project overruns and scope creep (which happens when a project’s goals and expectations expand beyond the agreed upon plan after the project has started), and improve client relationships. These dependencies are determined during project planning, and are indicated by overlapping bars on a Gantt chart and through lines connecting tasks on a PERT chart. Task A must be completed before Task B can begin. The relationships between tasks that dictate the order of task completion, i.e. Milestones can include things like deliverable due dates, project phases, midpoint progress checks, and even the start and end dates.ĭependencies. Another way to think of project milestones is as chapters within the project. These tasks are typically determined through the work breakdown structure during project planning. Everything that needs to be completed during a project to successfully complete the project. These dates are typically determined during project planning. The calendar dates that work on your project begins and when the final deliverable is due. More advanced elements include milestones and dependencies. In its most basic form, a project timeline should include a start date, a series of tasks, and an end date. In other words, the project timeline is a piece of the project schedule and the project schedule is a piece of the project plan.Īn example of a PERT chart in Lucidchart diagram software What should a project timeline include? While the project schedule is a more comprehensive document that includes more detailed information, the timeline is the specific, focused piece of the schedule that meticulously outlines important dates and deadlines and plots them on a timeline chart. You can think of the timeline as the meat of your project schedule. The project timeline also shows all of the important due dates and milestones from the beginning to the end of a project.Ī project timeline is similar to the project schedule, but they’re not the same thing. What is a project timeline?Ī project timeline helps teams determine when a project can start and when it needs to be finished. In this guide we’ll explain what project timelines are, show you some examples, and help you learn how to create a project timeline. The good news is that you can answer these questions and more with one simple document: the project timeline.Īnd if your project has multiple stakeholders, interdependent tasks, and a defined budget you can derive big benefits from using project management software instead of manual methods. If you don’t have this information it can cause major problems, from miscommunication to scope creep, as well as blown deadlines and budgets. If you’re still gaining experience as a new project manager, one of the first questions stakeholders will ask you is, “When can we get started and when will we finish?” Project management is all about the details, from making sure that every task is assigned to staying on time and on budget. Looking for a single document that you can use to keep track of project progress? Look no further.
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