How To Create A Project Timeline In Excel (With Templates!) | ClickUp (2024)

Want to learn how to create a timeline in Excel?

A project timeline is a record of all the important events and milestones in a project.

And like it or not, Microsoft Excel is still a commonly used tool for this purpose.

In this article, you’ll learn about what a project timeline is, how to create one in Excel, and a better alternative to the process!

Let’s get started!

What Is A Project Timeline?

A project timeline chart is a visualization of the chronological order of events in a project. It’s a series of tasks (assigned to individuals or teams) that need to be completed within a set time frame.

Here’s what a comprehensive project timeline chart contains:

• Tasks in various phases
• Start date and end date of tasks
• Dependencies between tasks
• Milestones

In short, it’s something your project team will refer to track what’s done and what needs to be done.

How To Create A Project Timeline In Excel?

There are two main approaches to create a timeline in Excel.

Let’s dive right in.

1. SmartArt tools graphics

SmartArt tools are the best choice for a basic, to-the-point project timeline in Excel.

Here’s how you can create an Excel timeline chart using SmartArt.

• Click on the Insert tab on the overhead task pane
• Select Insert a SmartArt Graphic tool
• Under this, choose the Process option
• Find the Basic Timeline chart type and click on it
• Edit the text in the text pane to reflect your project timeline

Add as many fields as you want in the SmartArt text box by simply hitting Enter in the text pane to open up the respective dialog box.

Excel also lets you change the SmartArt timeline layout after you’ve inserted the text.

You can change it to a:

• Line chart
• Basic bar chart
• Stacked bar chart

And of course, feel free to play around with the Excel chart color schemes in the SmartArt Design tab.

A SmartArt graphic is perfect for a high-level project timeline that displays all the important milestones. However, it may not be sufficient to display all the tasks and activities that lead up to them.

For this, your Excel dashboard will need something more complex: like a scatter plot Excel chart.

2. Scatter plot charts

Scatter plot charts display every complex data point at one glance.

First, lay the foundation for the chart by making a data table with basic information such as:

• Task (or milestone) name
• Due date
• Priority level (1-4, in increasing order)

When you add dates, make sure your cells are formatted to reflect the correct date format. For example, DD/MM/YYYY, MM/DD/YYYY, etc.

Here’s what a sample data table looks like:

To generate a scatter plot chart from this:

• Drag and select the data table
• Click on the Insert tab in the top menu
• Click on the Scatter chart icon
• Select your preferred chart layout

Format this basic scatter chart to show your data even more clearly:

• Select the chart
• Click on the Chart Design tab on the overhead task pane
• Click on the Add Chart Element icon in the top left corner
• Add a Data Label and Data Callout
• Edit the chart title

Keep exploring to customize the scatter plot chart further.

While scatter plot charts are slightly more complex than a SmartArt graphic, they may still not be enough for your horizontal timeline.

And let’s not forget that the purpose of a project timeline is to manage time on a project. How’s one supposed to do that while attending Excel 101 classes to create a simple chart?

The answer lies in using a project timeline template:

3 Excel Project Timeline Templates

Don’t we all know an Excel wizard?

Someone who makes us feel like we skipped a class?

Well, now you can be one of them too!

Thankfully you won’t have to read moth-eaten books and sit in ancient libraries to become an Excel expert.

Just let an Excel project timeline template do the magic.

1. Excel Gantt chart timeline template

2. Excel timeline template for milestones

3. Excel project schedule template

An Excel template should ease your project timeline worries. For some time. 👀

Meanwhile, the clock is ticking on the long-term issues of Excel project management:

3 Limitations Of Using Excel To Create A Project Timeline

Excel is like the old t-shirt that you never want to give away.

Why should you?

It fits you just right and has the coolest hashtags!

But if you want to achieve audacious goals, you’ll need to move beyond both of them. 💔

Here’s why you need to move on from Microsoft Excel for your project timeline needs.

1. No individual to-do lists

Sure, being able to access gigantic spreadsheets and data series with conditional formatting is great.

But you know what’s better?

Something that tells you what you need to do.

After all, Excel can’t help you build a functional to-do list and assign it to individual team members.

Unless your idea of a team meeting is looking into your spreadsheet’s soul with a magnifying glass, Excel won’t cut it for to-do lists.

However, let’s say you physically type out each person’s deliveries in a sheet, you still have the problem of…

2. Manual follow-ups

In the age of customized app notifications and uber-smart reminders, Excel project management depends on manual follow-ups.

What will your strategy be? Email colleagues, conduct hourly check-ins, or tap on everyone’s shoulders to ask if they’re done with their task. 🤯

Not only is it terribly inconvenient (and frankly annoying) it gives you no idea about your project’s progress.

3. Non-collaborative

Do you work in a non-hierarchical Agile environment where the whole team is involved in the decision-making process?

Well, guess what?

An Excel file can’t handle this.

Microsoft Excel (and other MS tools like Powerpoint) believe in single ownership of documents with limited support for collaboration.

And that’s hardly the complete list of why Excel can’t deliver.

Read all about why Excel project management SHOULDN’T be your go-to solution.

Luckily, we can point you in the direction of smoother workflows and efficient project management.

Check out ClickUp!

Create Effortless Project Timelines With ClickUp

Excel is a smart, handy tool that’s also occasionally clunky and very intimidating.

But what if you could have a tool that can do everything Excel does, except far better?

The answer is ClickUp!

It’s an award-winning project management tool that ensures end-to-end project management without the need to toggle between windows.

Just use the Timeline view, Gantt Chart, and Table view to get a complete picture of your project timeline on ClickUp.

1. Timeline view

ClickUp’s Timeline view is for those who want more from their timelines!

It gives you more tasks per row and more customization options than you can imagine.

2. Gantt chart view

If you’re plotting a project timeline, chances are you’re also plotting a Gantt chart.

It’s one step above a linear timeline as it lets you visualize project progress (as opposed to just the scheduled tasks) and trace dependencies clearly.

And with ClickUp on your side, it’s never been easier to create a Gantt chart!

Simple Gantt Chart Template by ClickUp

Use ClickUp’s Simple Gantt Chart Template is a great way to plan out tasks and estimate how long they will take.

Easily view the relationships between tasks in an easy-to-read timeline, so you can quickly adjust resources when needed. Plus, all changes are synchronized across teams, making it simple to stay up-to-date with everyone’s progress.

Make the most of your Gantt chart experience by managing Dependencies.

• Draw lines between tasks to schedule project dependencies
• Reschedule them with drag and drop actions
• Delete them by hovering over and clicking on the dependency line and then selecting Delete

Find out the progress percentage of your project by hovering over the progress bar.

3. Table view

You may be wondering, “Hey, that all sounds good, but Microsoft Excel feels like home.”

That’s why we have the ClickUp’s Table view.

It’s a condensed look at your project timeline.

But you can also enhance it to show as much background information as you want.

Amp up your spreadsheet experience with these functions:

• Drag to copy your table and paste it into any Excel-type software
• Pin columns and change the row height for handy data analysis
• Navigate the spreadsheet with keyboard shortcuts

The Time’s Up For Excel Project Timelines!

Deadlines, coordination, reviews. Project time management is an endless struggle.And your project timeline is the one tool that helps you consistently navigate this.

Excel may seem like a simple way out, but it’s not the friendly, long-term companion it promises to be.

Try ClickUp for free today.

Related readings:

• How to create a timesheet in Excel
• How to calculate time in Excel
• How to create a form in Excel
• How to make a calendar in Excel
• How to create a Kanban board in Excel
• How to create a mind map in Excel
• How to create a KPI dashboard in Excel
• How to create a flowchart in Excel
• How to create a database in Excel
• How to Display Work Breakdown Structures in Excel