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Create a Project Timeline Template in Excel in 10 steps

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You Are Here: Home Blog Excel Templates How to create a Project Timeline Template today in 10 simple steps using Excel 2010
How to create a Project Timeline Template today in 10 simple steps using Excel 2010
January 30, 2012 by Victor Follow M e on Twitter Here
If you manage projects its important to show how many tasks
there are and when theyre due to happen. This helps to explain key
events in your projects life to team members and other
stakeholders.
In my experience Ive seen project managers show project tasks
using Gantt charts, but here I offer a compelling alternative the
simple project timeline tool which you can create in Excel.
A project timeline shows how events relate to each other in time.
Although timelines dont look as sophisticated as Gantt charts, they
do a really good job at communicating the big picture. A well crafted
project timeline can convey useful information relating to task
progress and overall project progress.
In this article Ill show you how to make a timeline in Excel. And if you want access to my free timeline template you can find the
download page by clicking here.

Easy Project M anagement using M icrosoft Excel (Series)

This is the second part in a series on Project M anagement using M icrosoft Excel. To read the introduction click here. You should
also check out the follow-up article 5 bonus ideas that will make your Project Timeline Template even more useful which
you can find by clicking here.
Ill add more articles in future months so be sure to bookmark this page and come back, or subscribe to my email newsletter to get
free updates you also get a free PDF with over 100 popular Excel shortcuts if you subscribe on this page.

Project Timeline Template Overview Video

We will get to the detailed how-to soon but first you should watch this 6 minute video. It gives an overview of the timeline
template.
Project Timeline Template in 10 simple steps using Excel 2010

6:08
View count: 35,978
Watch for the following features:
Today line red vertical line to show where we are today.
Duration bars gray horizontal lines to show how long each task or phase is going to take.
Completion bars green horizontal lines to show how much of each task or phase has been completed, and how much is
left to do.

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Download the Timeline Template here

If you like what you see in the video above and want to have a copy of your own to play with, download the template now by
clicking here. The downloadable template contains the completed timeline, ready for you to use for your own projects.

Click image to download timeline template

I created this timeline template with before and after worksheets for every step in this how-to article, and the worksheets
match the sections of this article to make it easier for you to follow along while reading.

Note: Timeline Template & Instructions were prepared using Excel 2010
The instructions in this article are written for Excel 2010 as that is the version of Excel I used to make the template. If you have
another version of Excel you should be able to follow along, but I cant guarantee the steps will be the same.
In fact if you try this out with Excel 2003 or Excel 2007, please let me know if it works for you leave a comment in the comments
section below. Thanks!

Watch my Video Tutorial here

Id suggest you set aside half an hour to watch my detailed step-by-step video instructions ideal for watching in your lunch break!
Project Timeline Template Detailed Instructions (24 mins) Excel 2010

24:34
View count: 66,425
Key moments in the video:
S tep 1 (00:23) Begin with the end in mind (Sketch out the timeline)
S tep 2 (01:53) Create your project events
S tep 3 (02:33) Insert XY scatter chart
S tep 4 (05:39) Clearn up chart formatting
S tep 5 (09:51) Add X and Y Error bars (gray duration & blue dropdown bars)
S tep 6 (13:37) Add data series Completion
S tep 7 (14:55) Format data series Completion
S tep 8 (15:53) Add X Error bars to show %Completion (green completion bars)
S tep 9 (18:13) Add Red Today Line
S tep 10 (21:41) Add Chart Legend (floating textboxes linked to cells)

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Excel Timeline Step 1 Start with the End in M ind

This image shows the finished timeline

If you were doing this from scratch without my step-by-step guide, I would recommend you get a blank piece of paper and sketch
an outline of the timeline and keep it in front of you as you create it in Excel.
Dont worry too much about how pretty it is, just get the shape down and remember that its for your own reference.
Since Ive already created the timeline, I can show you a screenshot of the finished worksheet. This will help you picture the end
result so you have a target to aim for.
M y finished timeline shows orange At Risk bars, which I wont explain in this post. Youll need to read my next blog post where
Ill explain how to add these (coming soon).

Excel Timeline Step 2 Create your Project Events Table

M y downloadable timeline template has project events laid out as a table in Excel. I split the example project into four phases, and
each phase has a certain number of sub-tasks.

This image shows the pure data with no timeline chart

Each event is given these values:
Phase Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, Phase 4 or Today. This show which phase of the project the event falls under. The
rows labelled Today are used in step (9) The Today Line when we add a vertical line to show where we are today.
Type Phase, Task or Today. This shows the type of event, whether it is a project phase or a task. The rows labelled
Today are used in step (9) The Today Line when we add a vertical line to show where we are today.
S tart Date This is the events start date.
Event name This is the name of the event that shows up in the chart data series labels.
Duration (days) This is the duration of the event measured in days.
% Complete Shows the % complete for each task and phase. 0% means the task has not started, and 100% means the task
is fully complete. Phase % complete is an estimate and not calculated with reference to task completion. You will need to
apply your own rules to assess the Phase % complete.
Completion (days) This is the duration of the event x %Complete. A task that lasts 10 days and is 50% complete will
have completion of 5 days (= 10 days x 50%).

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Height The height value is important because it determines how high or low the event is displayed in the timeline chart.
You can set any height values you want, but its a good idea to stick to small numbers near to zero. I used numbers between
+25 and -25. If the height is +ve the event shows above the X-axis. If the height is -ve the event shows below the X-axis.

Excel Timeline Step 3 Insert XY Scatter Chart & add your first data series Duration

Insert XY scatter chart and add Series "Duration"

Its time to insert a chart to visualize the project event data you created in Step 2. I used an XY scatter chart as it allows us to be
flexible with the position of data points on both X-axis and Y-axis.
In Excel 2010 here are the instructions you need to follow:
1. Click on the Insert Menu
2. In the Charts group, click on S catter
3. Select S catter with only Markers (the first option) and a blank chart appears on your worksheet
4. Reposition that to cover the range B4:K26 by dragging the edges and resizing the chart (tip: hold the ALT button to snap the
edges to cell borders for precision alignment)
5. Right click the empty chart and click on S elect Data
6. Add a data series by clicking on the Add button
7. For series name select E30 (Duration)
8. For S eries X values select C33:C46 (Start Date)
9. For S eries Y values select H33:H46 (Height)
10. Click on OK to close the Add data series dialog
11. Click on OK to close the Select Data dialog
This gives us a simple scatter chart with default formatting. Lets format the event markers to green diamonds:

Download
your
free
27-page
preview
of Power Tips for Microsoft Excel
1. Click on
a data
point
to select PDF
the S eries
Duration

Click

2. Right click on any data point selected, and select Format Data S eries
Here
3. Click on Marker Options, and select the Built-in marker type diamond
4. Change the size to 10 pt
5. Click on Marker Fill, and select S olid fill
6. Change the Fill Color to green
If you require detailed step-by-step instructions, watch my video from 2 min 33 sec (Step 3).
So we have created a scatter chart with one data series called Duration. And at the moment it only shows the start date with a
green diamond marker.
Change the title of the chart by double clicking the textbox enter something like Project Timeline.
Well add the actual event durations in days in step 5 The Error Bars by adding horizontal X-error bars, but first we should clean
up the chart formatting.

Excel Timeline Step 4 Clean up the chart formatting on your Timeline Scatter Chart & Add Event Labels

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Clean up the chart formatting by removing items we do not need

OK, lets clean up our chart. You can see in the screenshot above that I got rid of some things we dont need:
Y-axis Hide the vertical Y-axis because it does not add any information to this chart.
Horizontal guidelines Hide the horizontal guidelines because they do not add any information to this chart.
Legend Get rid of the default chart legend because we will replace it with something that looks better in step 10 The
Chart Legends.
I also chose to display Data labels and position them left of the data points.
In Excel 2010 a nice way to do all the above is to use the Chart Tools menu. M any of you will be familiar with changing these
options so you wont need any further guidance.
But if you want further instructions just watch my video from 5 min 39 sec (Step 4), and I take you through each step I used to
clean up the chart formatting with the Chart Tools menu in Excel 2010.
How to change the text on the event labels
Changing the text for every event label on the timeline is quite tricky and time-consuming. This is because you need to select each
and every label in the data series, then relabel it.
You can watch me to this in my video from 6 min 47 sec to 8 min 42 sec. In the video I sped up the process x4 times, so if you are
doing this at normal speed it would take longer.
Here are instructions for how to change the event label text:
1. Click on an Event label, to select the labels for the whole data series. Dont click on the green diamonds because that
selects the data points.
2. Click on the Event label again, to edit just that one single label.
3. Press the = key, or click in the Formula Bar.
4. Either type in the cell reference for the Event label, or click on the cell with the Event label.
5. Repeat the first 4 steps for the rest of the Event labels.
If you find this step too difficult or cumbersome, you could use VBA to make it faster and I revisit this idea in my followup
article (click here).
How to Freeze Panes
I also decided at this stage that it would be useful to freeze panes at row 28. Doing this keeps rows 1 27 in view, while limiting the
scroll area to rows 28 and below. This means well always be able to see the timeline chart.
To freeze panes in Excel 2010:
1. Select cell A28
2. Click on the the View menu in the Ribbon
3. In the Window group, click on Freeze Panes
4. In the drop-down select Freeze Panes
5. This adds a black horizontal line above row 28, and everything above the line is frozen. The scroll bar will only move whats
below the line.

Excel Timeline Step 5 Add Error Bars to bring your Timeline Template to life

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Add X Error Bars to show task / phase duration

After step 5, your scatter chart will start to look like a timeline as we add grey bars to show how long each event takes.
The way to do this is using X Error Bars:
1. Select the scatter chart
2. In the Chart Tools menu group in the Ribbon, click on the Layout menu
3. In the Current S election group, select the S eries Duration from the drop down
4. In the Analysis group, click on Error Bars, then click on More Error bar options. This brings up the Format Error Bars
dialog box
5. Back on the Current S election group, make sure the S eries Duration X Error Bars is selected. Excel may bring up the
Y Error Bars instead, but we want the X Error Bars for this step.
6. Look at the Format Error Bars Dialog box and make sure it says Horizontal Error Bars
7. Set the options: Direction = Plus, End S tyle = No Cap
8. For Error Amount, click on the radio button labelled Custom, then the click on the button S pecify Value
9. For Positive Error Value, select the range E33:E46 and click OK
10. Note: Keep the Format Error Bars dialog box open
Youll be able to see the horizontal duration lines extend out from the green diamond markers. Now we can apply some formatting:
1. Click on Line Color. Change the line color to S olid Line, and choose a gray color.
2. Click on Line S tyle. Change the width to 4pt.
3. Note: Keep the Format Error Bars dialog box open
OK, we now have gray duration bars extending to the right of our diamond markers. Lets add blue drop lines from the markers
down to the timeline. This helps you to see the start date for each event on the timeline.
The way to do this is using Y-error bars:
1. M ake sure your chart is still selected and you can see the Chart Tools layout menu (Excel 2010)
2. In the Current S election group, select the S eries Duration Y Error Bars from the drop down
3. Look back in the Format Error Bars dialog box to check that it says Vertical Error Bars
4. Set the options: Direction = M inus, End S tyle = No Cap
5. For Error Amount, click on the radio button labelled Percentage, and enter 100%
6. Note: Keep the Format Error Bars dialog box open
Now youll be able to see the vertical drop lines extend down from the green diamond markers. Lets apply some formatting:
1. Click on Line Color. Change the line color to S olid Line, and choose a blue color.
2. Click on Line S tyle. Change the width to 2pt and select a dash type.
If you require detailed step-by-step instructions, watch my video from 9 min 51 sec (Step 5).

Excel Timeline Step 6 Add your second data series Completion to the Timeline Chart

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Add second data series "Completion"

In step 6 we add another data series to the chart to show task completion estimates. These are calculated as a percentage of the task
or phase duration.
If a task takes 10 days to complete and is 50% complete, the completion bar should show 5 days done, with 5 days remaining. This
completion bar is a visual aid and does not take into account weekends and public holidays.
Add the second data series to the scatter chart with these values:
Name G30 (Completion)
X values C33:C46 (Start dates)
Y values H33:H46 (Heights from axis)
In this tutorial I added the Series Completion after the Series Duration, so Excel automatically makes it appear on the top layer
of the chart. You can see the Series Completion with its red markers in the above screenshot.
If you require detailed step-by-step instructions, watch my video from 13 min 37 sec (Step 6).

Excel Timeline Step 7 Format your second data series

Format the markers for the second data series "Completion"

In step 7 we format the Series Completion so it looks like the Series Duration, with green diamond markers (size 10 pts).
You should remove the data labels from this series. Select the chart Series Completion and then:
Click on Chart Tools
Click on Layout
Select Data Labels and choose None
You should also remove the marker line:
With the Series Completion selected click on Format Data S eries
Select Marker Line Color and set the value to No Line
If you require detailed step-by-step instructions, watch my video from 14 min 55 sec (Step 7).

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Excel Timeline Step 8 Add Error Bars to show the %Completion of each Task or Phase in your Timeline
In step 8 we add X Error Bars to the Series Completion. Y Error Bars are not needed because the start dates are the same.

Add green X Error Bars to show %Completion

To remove the Y Error Bars:
Select the S eries Completion Y Error Bars
For Error Amount select Fixed Value
Set this to 0.0
After we complete this step we have horizontal green Completion bars for those tasks that are partially or fully complete. I decided
to set the width of the green Completion bars at 7 pts wide compared to the gray Duration bars which are 4 pts wide.
If you require detailed step-by-step instructions, watch my video from 15 min 53 sec (Step 8).

Excel Timeline Step 9 Add a vertical red Today Line

Add red vertical "Today Line" to show where we are today

I decided to add a vertical marker line to show where we are today. Its a bright red vertical line that goes to the top and bottom of
our chart to make it clear where today it:
Add a new data series and name it Today
X values C31:C32 (Start dates)
Y values H31:H32 (Heights from axis)
Change the top label to read Today
M ove the top label so it sits above the marker
M ake the top label bold
Delete the bottom label
Format the series to remove markers
M ake sure there are no X Error Bars by setting the Fixed Value to 0.0
Set the Y Error Bars to Direction = M inus, End Style = No Cap, Percentage = 100%
Format the Y Error Bars to solid red lines of 3 pts width
In my template I used a fixed date for todays date. This is to make sure when you open the template in a couple of months (or
years) the today line will still be in the right time frame, and not months (or years) after the events on the project timeline.

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But when you use this for live projects I suggest you replace the fixed date in cell B2 with the formula
= TODAY()
The first two lines of our data table are reserved for the today line (one for the part above the axis and one for the part below the
axis). The formulas in cells C31 and C32 point to cell B2, so if you update B2 the today line will automatically move.
The = TODAY() formula will automatically use todays date, as long as you have automatic calculation on. Or you can press F9 to
force Excel to do a re-calculation of the worksheet.

Excel Timeline Step 10 Create your custom Chart Legend by adding Textboxes linked to cell text
In step 4 we removed the chart legend, and in step 10 we are going to add our own chart legend.

Add Chart Legend using textboxes linked to cell text

Well use text boxes to add our own chart legend.
1. Click on the Timeline chart
2. Click on the Insert menu (in the Ribbon)
3. Click on Textbox
4. Create a Textbox in the top right hand corner of the chart
5. Type anything in the textbox (e.g. xyz)
6. Format the textbox background so the color matches the gray of the Duration X Error Bars
7. Format the foreground text color to contrast with the background (e.g. make it white)
8. While the textbox is still selected, go to the formula bar, press = then select cell E30 (Duration) to link the text of the
textbox to the contents of cell E30
This means that whatever is in cell E30 will show up in the textbox. Now create another textbox for the S eries Completion and
link it to cell G30. Hey presto you now have your custom chart legend.
You could stick to the default chart legend, but I like using text boxes because they are easier to reformat and reposition than the
standard Excel chart legend.
If you require detailed step-by-step instructions, watch my video from 21 min 41 sec (Step 10).
Do you like free Excel tips and tricks?
If youre interested in receiving updates about future Excel tips from Launch Excel, take this chance to sign up for
my RSS feed by clicking on the orange RSS icon to the right. Its free and easy to sign up, and youll be able to read
my content hot off the press!

Timeline Template Download Page

If you want a copy of my Timeline Template you can download it for free. All you need to do is Tweet and Get It.
Visit the download page here.
Cheers,
Victor
P.S. I have a followup Timeline article in the pipeline, and will cover some further ideas for extending the timeline template. M ake
sure you check it out I will link to it once its published.
UPDATE (6-Feb-2012) I have published my followup article, read it here.
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Create a Project Timeline Template in Excel in 10 steps

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Create a Project Timeline Template in Excel in 10 steps

Welcome to Launch Excel

If this is your first time to LaunchExcel.com - Welcome to Launch Excel. M y name is Victor and I'm the Chief
Teaching Officer of Launch Excel, a website I started to help you learn how to use M icrosoft Excel more
effectively. Check out my welcome page created specially for you: Click here to view Welcome Page

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45 Responses to How to create a Project Timeline Template today in 10 simple steps using Excel 2010
Download your free Project Timeline Template in Excel
January 30, 2012 | 4:42 pm
[...] so you may get variable results with other versions of Excel. Read the timeline template article here for step-bystep guidelines on how this template was put [...]

Easy Project M anagement using M icrosoft Excel

January 31, 2012 | 11:15 am
[...] project timelines (graphical summary of milestones) [...]

5 ideas to enhance our Excel Project Timeline Template

February 6, 2012 | 4:39 pm
[...] are many ways you could enhance the popular Project Timeline template we looked at in our previous post. In
this post Ill cover 5 different ideas you can try [...]

James Black
M arch 6, 2012 | 6:35 pm

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This is great info on how to set up a project timeline. Thank you for sharing this information and for your insights.

Victor
M arch 6, 2012 | 9:49 pm
James, thanks for the feedback hope you enjoyed downloading and using the template.

M ikael
April 12, 2012 | 5:49 pm
Hi, I have problems with adding more objects than there is room for on the rows. How do I extend the cell 46 limit?

Victor
April 12, 2012 | 8:10 pm
M ikael
To add more tasks and phases I recommend that you insert new rows above row 46.
If you simply add new rows after 46 then the chart Data ranges need to be adjusted for each of the series (Duration,
Completion, Today, At Risk) much easier to get Excel to automatically expand the Data ranges for you by insert new
rows above row 46.
To insert a new row, right click on row 46 and then select Insert. To insert 10 new rows, select rows 46 to 55 then right
click on one of the highlighted rows and select Insert.
Once you add new rows you should copy the formulas from an existing row. Then you can update the new rows to
your desired values.
Oh and if youre adding a lot of new tasks and phases, you may need to perform a lot of labelling and Id recommend
installing a free Excel add-in to help automate the labelling process. I talk about the XY Chart Labeler in tip #5 of my
follow-up bonus post that you can read here:
http://www.launchexcel.com/timelines-in-excel-bonus-2/
Cheers,
Victor

Steve
April 25, 2012 | 10:58 am
This looks amazing. Youve done a lot of work here and it shows! Thank you for sharing so generously.
Im fairly new to project management and looking for a starter tool that I can start simple with, but can grow as my
needs grow. One thing that concerns me is the question of what question to ask. Like, what am I missing? What would a
dedicated project management program give me that might be very important to me?
I need to get something together by next week, and it would be good for others to be able to import it into M S Project, (I think
this should do that, yes?).
What about adding costs?
Thanks again for sharing so generously!
~S
Victor
April 25, 2012 | 12:01 pm
Hi Steve
Thanks for the great feedback on the free Launch Excel Timeline Template.
M y general advice is to use the right tool for your project. At a basic level this means:
M S Excel is great for a quick and cheap solution to projects that are relatively simple. The downloadable timeline I present
above is fine for some purposes, and you can quickly tweak the layout to suit your organisations requirements.
M S Project is far more feature rich, and can automatically schedule tasks using entered dates and durations. In M S Project
Pro 2010 you can even visualise team resources and connect teams via shared task lists (for new features in 2010 see this
M icrosoft Article)
In terms of the question what question should I ask you could check out this article:
http://epmlive.wordpress.com/2008/02/12/excel-vs-project-how-to-convince-managers-that-project-really-is-better-formanaging-projects/
Some key points that jumped out at me:
Project can calculate critical paths automatically
Project allows users to manage cost and resources by defining local project resources
Project can be used to present project data to different stakeholders (calendar / gantt / network / timeline)
Project can quickly set a baseline and automatically track progress against the baseline

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There are probably several other key points which make M S Project superior for managing complex projects and Id
welcome comments and feedback from others who are more experienced than myself.
As for importing data from Excel into Project, yes thats possible and you can read these M icrosoft.com resources
explaining how:
Excel 2003
Excel 2007
Excel 2010
And some other resources too:
http://www.brighthub.com/office/project-management/articles/7638.aspx
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb738433(v=office.12).aspx
Hope that helps!
Cheers
Victor
Steve
April 25, 2012 | 5:02 pm
Thanks, Victor.
Im on a M ac and Im considering M erlin. Its got very good reviews, but its a couple hundred bucks, so I
hesitate. Im going to start with pen and paper just as you suggest and see where that leads.
Thanks again for the great info.
Best,
Steve

Rao
M ay 1, 2012 | 9:08 am
Hi Victor,
Thats really a good work.
I have question regarding How to represent a task which is on hold and stared now in AtRisk Seried.
ex : Task1 started on Nov2011 and completed 30% and its in hold. Again task M ay start from June2012.
How to represent this?
Victor
M ay 1, 2012 | 11:13 am
Hi Rao,
Thanks for the question. If you want to put a task on hold you can do this by adding a new series similar to the
At Risk series.
In the screenshot below I added a new series called On Hold and formatted the X-error bar to be blue, with end points of
a circle and arrow. The original task length is extended so that it reaches beyond the length of the On Hold bar, which is
why the grey bar in the background is longer than the blue On Hold portion.

If you need any further help well discuss over email.

Cheers
Victor
P.S. If you need to contact me by email, head over to the about page and scroll down to the Contact Form.
P.P.S You can find instructions on how to add another series on my followup page: http://www.launchexcel.com/timelinesin-excel-bonus-2/ (Idea 1 Show Project Tasks that are At Risk)

M azhar

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M ay 5, 2012 | 3:59 am
A good learning site. Can we show two different calendar dates eg.Gregorian & Jewish Calendas on x-axis?
Regards,
Victor
M ay 5, 2012 | 6:47 am
Hi M azhar thanks for your comment and good question.
Yes I reckon its possible to show 2 different calendar dates on the x-axis. Possible but very fiddly! Excel allows
a secondary X-axis only if there is already a series plotted on a secondary Y-axis. And it allows a secondary Y-axis only if
there are at least two series on the chart.
I have not personally created an Excel chart with a secondary x-axis before so cannot provide detailed instructions, however
here are some links with material that give a little more guidance:
http://www.lytebyte.com/2009/02/24/how-to-create-excel-chart-with-2-y-axis-or-x-axis/
http://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/two-x-axes-one-y-axis-different-data-x-t2408001.html
Hope that helps,
Victor
(Edit added: 17 M ay 2012)
P.S. I originally listed a link to a forum post on M rExcel.com but Google blacklisted M rExcel as containing M alware (odd!)
and I have removed the link just to be safe.
If you want to see the original post you can visit it (but please be cautious) by taking out the spaces below
http: // www . mrexcel . com /forum/showthread.php?t=17616

Susan
M ay 6, 2012 | 3:02 pm
Victor:
Thank you so much for sharing your work. With your template and my lack of excel knowledge it is now possible
for me to set up our timeline. The goal in my chart is to make sure we are not taking on too many projects that
start/complete overlap each other. The risk would be two or more projects that will if awarded the project overlap with other
work already committed to. How do I change my AT RISK to alert me when more than two projects fall anywhere within the
same time frame of start/completion dates vs at risk to be completed on time?
Thank you!!!!!
Susan
Victor
M ay 7, 2012 | 10:38 am
Hi Susan
Thanks for your question about how to automatically show which projects overlap using something similar to
the AT RISK series.
M y short answer is that the functionality youre looking for is beyond my simple template. M y suggestion would be to
visually line up the projects so that those with similar start and end dates are close to each other, and then use your visual
judgement to figure out which projects overlap. I tried working on a set of formulas to build up the desired overlap
feature but realised that even if I got the formulas to work theyd be difficult to troubleshoot if they broke.
M uch easier and probably safer in this case to rely on visual perception which is pretty powerful. I know thats probably
not what you hoped for, so if another reader has some bright ideas wed all be happy to hear from you!
Cheers
Victor

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August 12, 2012 | 7:23 pm
[...] out Victor Chans website, www.launchexcel.com . I particularly like the description of the project timeline as
this is a very nice way of putting together a project roadmap that easy for people who are not [...]

Greg
August 14, 2012 | 3:02 am
Great timeline. The best I found. I was able to create a timeline from scratch using your step by step instructions in
Excel 2007. However, I am experiencing one problem. Whenever I save the Excel spreadsheet and then reopen it, the
X axis lines disappear. Checking further, the error bar line color is reset to No Line. Both the Duration and
Completion lines disappear. The data points are still visible. I displayed the lines and then saved the spreadsheet as many as 10
times with the same result. Any suggestions on how to fix this problem?

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Victor
August 14, 2012 | 8:17 am
Hi Greg. Ive not come across that problem before, where the XY scatter chart X-axis error bar disappears after
a save due to the error bar line color being reset to No Line. Ill send you an email so we can try to sort out your
issue. It would help if you can send me a copy of your Timeline file (without any confidential information).
If anyone else has come across this problem and thinks they know the answer please feel free to comment.
Cheers
Victor

Victor
December 3, 2012 | 4:27 pm
OK Just want to post an update on the issue where X-error bars disappear after saving the spreadsheet.
It looks like saving as .xls file (2003 compatible) causes this problem. So you must save the timeline
spreadsheet as .xlsx file (2007+ compatible) and the X-error bars do not disappear.
Case closed.

Tom
August 28, 2012 | 3:04 am
Victor, how come when I extend my project milestones start date into 2013 i lose all my format on my timeline. I
enter the timeline of Jan 4 2013 and all start dates move to one side of the chart.
Any ideas.
Victor
August 28, 2012 | 2:56 pm
Tom thanks for leaving a comment. It sounds like maybe your start dates are moving to one side of the
timeline because you have some empty cells or cells with zeros that feed into the chart data range. When this
happens, Excel interprets the zero date as 1-Jan-1900, as thats the way M icrosoft have built dates to work
in Excel. Or it could be that you have dates in early 2012 as well as dates in 2013 due to the way the X-axis is set up
youre going to get a squashed chart like this:

With the current template you will probably have to create 2 or more timeline charts to separate out the 2012 and 2013
tasks/milestones, or you could manually change the X-axis max/min values to show a narrower date range i.e. zoom in.

Onix
October 4, 2012 | 4:18 pm
Thank you ill review and get back with my comments but seems great at first appearance.

John
October 7, 2012 | 6:20 pm
Victor. First of all thanks for a great instruction by far the best I was able to find. Although I have one question is it
possible to replace duration with exact date. Lets say my task starts at 1st of Jan and ends at 4th of Feb instead of
me writing the exact amount of days would it be possible to just write the day that the task is ending?
BR
John
Victor
October 8, 2012 | 2:40 am
John thanks for the compliment about this being the best instruction you can find. I make every effort to keep
an open mind about how to explain stuff so its easy to understand.

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To answer your question, is it possible to replace duration with end date? Yes, you can do this by adding an extra column
to the left of Duration and call it End Date, and enter the exact end dates in the new column. Then replace the
Duration column with the calculation = End Date Start Date to give the number of days duration (replace the End
date and Start date with the actual cell references).
Here are some pointers from M icrosoft on how to calculate date differences:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/calculate-the-difference-between-two-dates-HP010070467.aspx
Hope that helps,
Victor

Craig
October 15, 2012 | 9:02 pm
Hello,
Great template. However, when I try to insert new rows to extend the chart past row 46, the event column text is
not ploted, instead the numeric value of the row height (row h) is what shows. Can you please tell me how to fix this? Thanks!
Victor
October 16, 2012 | 3:01 am
Hi Craig thanks for your comment. Id advise inserting rows above row 46, you will still need to manually
update the event column text (see step 4) but the data range for the chart should expand. If you add rows below
row 46, you need to specify to Excel that the chart data extends below row 46.
Currently my template does not automatically update the event labels if you change the text in the event column. How
many people would be interested in a more sophisticated version of this template? Let me know by posting a comment and
if there is enough demand, I will arrange for some extra features to be added to make this even more useful!
Cheers
Victor
P.S. I am currently travelling abroad and will not be able to answer your comments for a couple of weeks. If you have a
specific feature request for the timeline template please leave me a comment and I will definitely read every single comment
when Im back.
P.P.S You now get a copy of the timeline template by subscribing to my email newsletter, so if you dont use Twitter you
dont have to Tweet and Get It to download a copy of the timeline. Use any of the email signup forms on this page, or
visit the home page / shortcuts PDT page:
http://www.launchexcel.com
http://www.launchexcel.com/shortcuts-pdf-page/

Dustin
October 24, 2012 | 10:30 pm
How do you get the X-axis dates to automatically adjust on the chart. For instance when I start my project on
12/21/12, the x-axis still shows 11/3/11 as the first date?
Victor
November 7, 2012 | 7:01 am
Hi Dustin
If you format the X-axis and look in Axis options, you should be able to set the minimum and maximum to
update automatically.
Alternatively you can manually choose a Fixed number for the min and max, but bear in mind that this is represented by a
number rather than a date. To figure out what number you should use, go to a blank cell in Excel and enter your desired date.
Then change the format to general number format. The number you see is the one you need.
Cheers
Victor

Catherine
October 29, 2012 | 10:34 am
Hi, Thank you! your instructions have been a great help to me.
I am experiencing one problem however.
When I select C36 C43 for x-series the selected information doesnot show in my chart. instead each point is Jan00 and the select data source box states data range is too complex to be displayed
I dont see how my data range is any different in complexity to your own
Can you offer any suggestions?
Thank you
CAtherine
Victor
November 7, 2012 | 7:09 am

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Hi Catherine
Your issue does come up when trying to modify an existing chart, with data range is too complex to be
displayed being Excels standard response to a slightly complex range. I emailed separately asking if youd like
me to take a look at your timeline chart.
Cheers
Victor
P.S. Ive been in contact with an Excel developer who is writing Timeline functionality into his Excel Gantt chart software
(currently available for ~$30) and when Ive tested this out I plan to write a review and link to his website. That software is
automated, so it should eliminate some of the trouble you get with changing chart series and adding new data.
Victor
November 22, 2012 | 4:59 pm
UPDATE: You can check out Gantt Diva here:
http://www.launchexcel.com/gantt-diva
This was developed as a standalone Excel tool, written using VBA (Visual Basic for Applications). There is a 30 free
trial so I suggest you give it a go. Feel free to post any feedback here.
Cheers
Victor

Eugenia
December 1, 2012 | 7:30 pm
hi thank you for this helpful tool. I am trying to adapt it to display grant amounts ($ values) of projects over time.
So for example a project that has started in M ay 2010 and ended in M ay 2011 worth 1 million USD. I have about
40 projects overall that I want to display over a 3 year time span however, because the duration is counted in days I
am having to input number of days instead of months so there is a larger error margin as some months are shorter than others (I
know only a day except for February) but is there a way to have the duration be expressed in months instead of days? Thank
you so much for your help!
Victor
December 13, 2012 | 3:14 pm
Hi Eugenia
You can have a look at using the EDATE() function. In versions prior to Excel 2007, this function was only
available when the Analysis ToolPak add-in is installed, but if you have 2007 or higher then you can use the EDATE()
function straight off.
Here is M icrosofts function reference:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-001/excel-help/edate-HP005209073.aspx
This is what EDATE() does:
Returns the serial number that represents the date that is the indicated number of months before or after a specified date
(the start_date). Use EDATE to calculate maturity dates or due dates that fall on the same day of the month as the date of
issue.
To use it in your situation I suggest you follow these steps:
Insert 2 columns between Event and Duration
Relabel Duration to read Duration (days) you can use ALT+Enter to start a new line inside the same cell if youd
like to put the (days) on a new line
Name the first column you added: Duration (months)
Name the second column you added: EDate or something similar for the End Date.
In Duration (months) specify the number of months that each project lasts.
In EDate enter the formula =EDATE(C33,E33) where column C is Start Date, column E is Duration (M onths), and
you replace 33 with your row number
In Duration (days) enter the formula =F33-C33 where column F is EDate, column C is Start Date, and you replace 33
with your row number
As you are dealing with 40 projects and may need to relabel your chart I strongly suggest you check out Idea 5. install XY
Chart Labeler in my bonus article:
http://www.launchexcel.com/timelines-in-excel-bonus-2/
Cheers
Victor

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Charles Stoyle
December 12, 2012 | 4:08 pm
The timeline chart does not appear with the download. Also, I think the description of the Completion (days)
column should include Duration (Duration x % Complete).
Could I get a working and editable copy that includes the 5 bonus ideas?
Thanks, great job!
Charles
Victor
December 13, 2012 | 3:32 pm
Hi Charles
Thanks for your comments.
The Completion (days) column shows the actual portion that has been done, so I have described the column as Duration x
%Complete.
For instance a task that lasts 10 days and is 10% complete would evaluate to Completion of 10 days x 10% = 1 day.
Duration (Duration x %Complete) would give 9 days, or the portion left to be done.
So I think the current description works ok.
I dont have a copy of the Timeline that implements the 5 bonus ideas. I presented those ideas as food for thought, or
avenues for further exploration.
(for others whod like the link to the Bonus article, here is it:
http://www.launchexcel.com/timelines-in-excel-bonus-2/)
Bonus Idea 1 is actually implemented in the Timeline Template v1, available to buy with the Timeline Videos at the
following page:
http://www.launchexcel.com/timeline-videos
Bonus Idea 2 is very simple to do, simply add another column for milestones and add a new series to the chart, then format
the series markers into diamond shapes (select the series then press CTRL + 1 to bring up the format dialog box).
Bonus Idea 5 is very handy, as I mentioned in my comment to Eugenia above. Its a free utility you can install from Rob
Bovey here:
http://appspro.com/Utilities/ChartLabeler.htm
Cheers
Victor

Charles Stoyle
December 13, 2012 | 4:07 pm
Victor,
Of course, you are right. I thought you meant Completion = days remaining.
Thank you very much for the file. I am subscribing, and purchasing Power Tips after submitting this comment.
With best regards,
Charles

M ichael
December 23, 2012 | 10:57 am
Sometimes you dont necessarily need a timeline but just need a gant. Heres a free excel project planning template
I created along with some easy to follow instructions on how to use it hope someone finds this useful!
http://www.mlynn.org/2012/05/excel-project-planning-spreadsheet
Victor
January 8, 2013 | 10:16 am
Hi M ichael thanks for your comment and link to your very interesting Gantt Chart article. Im sure many
Launch Excel readers will find it educational and useful go check out M ichaels articles on Project Planning
with Excel if you havent already done so!
Original article (Excel Project Planning Spreadsheet)
Version 2 Excel Project Planning Spreadsheet
Version 3 Excel Project Planning Spreadsheet
Cheers,
Victor

Carlos
January 16, 2013 | 8:48 pm

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Fantastic template, thank you so much!

Victor, Im not very good with Excel. How do I add an extra task to an existing phase? when I do by inserting a line
between tasks, the chart above gets all mad at me and I dont know how to update it. It starts giving me errors about
formulas, etc.
Thanks so much!
Carlos
M ichael
January 18, 2013 | 10:32 am
Carlos,
Assuming youre using the template that you downloaded from mlynn.org, make sure that when you insert
tasks (new rows), you follow these simple steps:
1. Select an existing row. Select the entire row by clicking in the far left row number this will auto-select ALL columns in
that row.
2. Once you have selected the entire row, hit copy (CTRL+C on Windows, Command+C on M ac)
3. Right+Click (or Option+Click / M ac) and select Insert Copied Cells
This will ensure that the entire row along with all functions are copied. You should see the new row looking just as pretty
as the others. One note when choosing a row to copy, I dont like to select the Top or the Bottom row because of the
formatting.
Feel free to drop me an email or leave a comment on the template post page at mlynn.org
M ike

Victor
February 11, 2013 | 3:02 pm
Hi Carlos
I suggest you check out Gantt Diva, which was created by Walter Kinio to automate the process of making
Gantt Charts in Excel.
He recently added Timeline functionality to Gantt Diva, and this looks like it will make your life easier than manually
editing for extra tasks in my template (which is time consuming).
Here is the link to Gantt Diva:
http://www.launchexcel.com/gantt-diva
Gantt Diva was developed as a standalone Excel tool, and it has very thorough documentation. There is also a 30 day trial,
though when I last checked a full license to use Gantt Diva was only US$29, great value in my opinion!
Cheers
Victor

Julia
January 25, 2013 | 5:26 pm
This is amazing. I cat wait to finally get the template.

Helpful Excel Tips I learned at Launchexcel.com | Gantt Diva

February 10, 2013 | 10:40 pm
[...] check out Victor Chans website, http://www.launchexcel.com . I particularly like the description of the project
timeline as this is a very nice way of putting together a project roadmap that easy for people who are not [...]

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