How to Create the Perfect Project Timeline [Template + Examples]
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Creating a project timeline where everyone involved knows what they‘re working on (and when it’s due) can help ward off project creep and nail those important deadlines.
It’s essential for keeping projects — and the people completing them — on track.
As a caretaker, I have project timelines running invisibly in my mind at all times, and most families would be a hot mess without someone in the managerial role.
The smoothest way for everyone to succeed despite the chaos is to have a hand at the wheel and an eye on the timeline. It all sounds very TVA, and frankly, that’s how metal it is to parents.
To help you make sure that your next professional project stays on schedule, I’ll cover the project management basics of how to set up a project timeline, the best templates to use, and a handful of examples to inspire your future scheduling.
And yes — you can absolutely apply these skills and resources to life admin, too.
Table of Contents
What is a project timeline?
Simply put, a project timeline is a visual display that tracks the completion of various steps in a project over time.
It is a meta-view of all tasks involved in an outcome, enabling a project manager to better direct the people who are responsible for the steps involved — as well as report the project’s status to stakeholders.
After assigning tasks, it’d be wonderful if they got done on time and with no issues, arriving on or before the agreed-upon delivery date, right?
But we all know how quickly a timeline can fall apart as higher priorities pop up and deadlines slip past without much progress.
And I’ve seen first hand that projects can fail for many reasons up the chain of command as well, including a lack of support from leadership, unforeseen budget cuts, or overpromising outcomes.
Less than ideal outcomes are still fairly common even when you do invest in project management.
While 59% of formally managed projects are completed on time — which is an excellent statistic that skilled and intentional project managers can be proud of — this still means that 41% do not.
Why create a project timeline?
Time management is one of the top skills employers look for in candidates up and down the org chart. Missed deadlines and rushed projects can set entire teams — and sometimes entire companies — behind schedule.
I don’t want to be that person, and I know you don’t, either. But there will always be people on teams that need support to stick the landing on expectations that affect the larger project.
A well-built project timeline is much more than a nice visual to …read more
Source:: HubSpot Blog
