{"id":69315,"date":"2024-02-07T14:00:13","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T20:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/?p=69315"},"modified":"2026-04-27T08:51:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:51:22","slug":"project-timeline-excel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/project-timeline-excel","title":{"rendered":"How to Create a Project Timeline in Excel (Free Template Included)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A project timeline is a project scheduling tool that\u2019s used to estimate the total duration of a project from start to end by mapping tasks, deliverables and milestones in chronological order. <a href=\"\/guides\/gantt-chart\">Gantt charts<\/a> are the most commonly used tool to create and manage project timelines, but there are other methods and tools you can use like Excel.<\/p>\n<p>In this blog, we\u2019ll go through a step-by-step guide on how to create a project timeline in Excel using various methods and then, we\u2019ll explore other <a href=\"\/software\/scheduling\">project scheduling tools<\/a> that can help you create a project timeline such as Gantt charts, kanban boards or project calendars.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Should You Make a Project Timeline In Excel?<\/h2>\n<p>Before learning how to make a project timeline in Excel, let\u2019s review the final product to better understand how this tool can help you. As you can see, this Excel project timeline resembles a Gantt chart that includes your project tasks, their duration and due dates as well as a visual representation of your <a href=\"\/guides\/project-timeline\">project timeline<\/a>.<\/p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-66020 size-medium\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Project-Timeline-Screenshot-600x250.jpg\" alt=\"Project timeline in Excel\" width=\"600\" height=\"250\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Project-Timeline-Screenshot-600x250.jpg 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Project-Timeline-Screenshot-300x125.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Project-Timeline-Screenshot-768x320.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Project-Timeline-Screenshot-450x188.jpg 450w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Project-Timeline-Screenshot.jpg 1537w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The best part is, that once you make this Excel project timeline, you\u2019ll have a template that will allow you to estimate future project timelines based on project tasks and due dates. As project timelines are one of the most important tools to <a href=\"\/blog\/project-execution\">execute a successful project<\/a>, having a template on hand can be extremely helpful and reduce wasted time. We encourage you to download our free file below!<\/p>\n<div class=\"template-download-holder\">\n\t<div class=\"template-download-image-holder\">\n\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Project-Timeline-Template-Excel-image.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Project-Timeline-Template-Excel-image.png 1600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Project-Timeline-Template-Excel-image-600x338.png 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Project-Timeline-Template-Excel-image-300x169.png 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Project-Timeline-Template-Excel-image-768x432.png 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Project-Timeline-Template-Excel-image-1536x864.png 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Project-Timeline-Template-Excel-image-450x253.png 450w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Project-Timeline-Template-Excel-image-384x216.png 384w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Project-Timeline-Template-Excel-image-800x451.png 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/>\t<\/div><p class=\"intro\">Get your free<\/p>\n<h3>Project Timeline Template<\/h3>\n<p class=\"subtitle\">\n\tUse this free Project Timeline Template  for Excel to manage your projects better.<\/p>\n\t\t<button type=\"button\" data-file-id=\"68424\" data-categoryname=\"In blog post\" class=\"button green template-lightbox-trigger-68424\">Download Excel File<\/button>\n\t<\/div> \n\n<p>While Excel can be a helpful tool, a project timeline in Excel can only do so much. Think of timelines as just an inferior Gantt chart, which is a staple of project management. If you want to elevate your project timelines, <a href=\"\/\">ProjectManager<\/a> is an award-winning project and portfolio management software that has powerful Gantt charts that can do more than what Excel does.<\/p>\n<p>With ProjectManager, you can define project phases, link tasks, build a WBS, filter for the critical path and set a baseline, which allows you to track actual progress against planned progress. Everything is online, too, so you can collaborate with your team and see data populate in real time. It\u2019s easy to import an Excel file to make your timeline in minutes. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/freetrial?edition=d&amp;template=construction&amp;headline=Make%20a%20Timeline%20in%20Minutes%20with%20a%20Free%20Trial.%20No%20Credit%20Card%20Required.\">Get started with ProjectManager today for free and build a better timeline.<\/a><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_70760\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-70760\" style=\"width: 1608px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"\/software\/project-timeline\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-70760 size-full\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/excel-pm-export-image.png\" alt=\"Project timeline in being imported from Excel into ProjectManager\" width=\"1608\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/excel-pm-export-image.png 1608w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/excel-pm-export-image-600x235.png 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/excel-pm-export-image-1600x627.png 1600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/excel-pm-export-image-300x118.png 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/excel-pm-export-image-768x301.png 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/excel-pm-export-image-1536x602.png 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/excel-pm-export-image-450x176.png 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1608px) 100vw, 1608px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-70760\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">ProjectManager is free to use and more powerful than Excel. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/freetrial?edition=d&amp;template=construction&amp;headline=Make%20a%20Timeline%20in%20Minutes%20with%20a%20Free%20Trial.%20No%20Credit%20Card%20Required.\">Get started<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>How to Make a Project Timeline in Excel<\/h2>\n<p>Excel wasn\u2019t designed for project scheduling, but fortunately, we can use its stacked bar chart feature for creating a simple Gantt chart project timeline. It&#8217;s not nearly as robust as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/software\/project-timeline-maker\">ProjectManager&#8217;s project timeline features<\/a>, but it will get the job done. Here\u2019s what you\u2019ll need to do.<\/p>\n<h3>1. List Tasks and Their Due Dates<\/h3>\n<p>Start by creating four columns for your task names, start and end date and duration. List your tasks and due dates in day\/month\/year format, but leave the duration column empty. We\u2019ll add a formula to calculate task duration in the next step.<\/p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-69316 size-large\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/task-list-for-excel-project-timeline-1600x685.png\" alt=\"Excel project timeline task list\" width=\"1600\" height=\"685\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/task-list-for-excel-project-timeline-1600x685.png 1600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/task-list-for-excel-project-timeline-600x257.png 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/task-list-for-excel-project-timeline-300x128.png 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/task-list-for-excel-project-timeline-768x329.png 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/task-list-for-excel-project-timeline-1536x658.png 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/task-list-for-excel-project-timeline-450x193.png 450w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/task-list-for-excel-project-timeline.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/>\n<h3>2. Create a Formula for Calculating Task Duration<\/h3>\n<p>Go to the first row in the duration column, and enter a formula to subtract the \u201cEnd (Date)\u201d value from the \u201cStart (Date)\u201d value. To do so, begin by typing an equal symbol \u201c=\u201d to start creating a formula, then select the \u201cEnd (Date)\u201d cell, add a minus symbol \u201c-\u201d and finally select the \u201cStart (Date)\u201d cell as shown below. The difference between these two values will determine the duration of each task measured in days.<\/p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-69317 size-large\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Excel-project-timeline-formula-1600x743.png\" alt=\"Excel project timeline formula\" width=\"1600\" height=\"743\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Excel-project-timeline-formula-1600x743.png 1600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Excel-project-timeline-formula-600x279.png 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Excel-project-timeline-formula-300x139.png 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Excel-project-timeline-formula-768x357.png 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Excel-project-timeline-formula-1536x714.png 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Excel-project-timeline-formula-450x209.png 450w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Excel-project-timeline-formula.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/>\n<p>Apply the same formula to the remaining cells in the task duration column. Then you should have a table that indicates your project tasks, their due dates and duration. Now it\u2019s time to create a Gantt chart so you can visualize your project timeline.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Insert a Stacked Bar Chart for Your Excel Project Timeline<\/h3>\n<p>Select all values in the \u201cStart (Date)\u201d column and then insert a stacked bar chart following these steps:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Click on the \u201cInsert\u201d tab at the top left corner of your screen<\/li>\n<li>Click the chart icon<\/li>\n<li>Select the stacked bar chart<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-69319 size-large\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Excel-project-timeline-stacked-bar-chart-1600x746.png\" alt=\"Steps to create a stacked bar chart for your Excel project timeline\" width=\"1600\" height=\"746\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Excel-project-timeline-stacked-bar-chart-1600x746.png 1600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Excel-project-timeline-stacked-bar-chart-600x280.png 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Excel-project-timeline-stacked-bar-chart-300x140.png 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Excel-project-timeline-stacked-bar-chart-768x358.png 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Excel-project-timeline-stacked-bar-chart-1536x716.png 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Excel-project-timeline-stacked-bar-chart-450x210.png 450w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Excel-project-timeline-stacked-bar-chart.png 1916w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/>\n<h3>4. Select Data for Your Excel Project Timeline Gantt Chart<\/h3>\n<p>Once you complete the last step, a stacked bar chart should automatically appear. Now we\u2019ll need to add some data to it so it shows your project timeline information.\u00a0Right-click your stacked bar chart and click select data from the dropdown menu.<\/p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-69322 size-large\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/select-data-window-pop-up-1600x748.png\" alt=\"Select data for your project timeline\" width=\"1600\" height=\"748\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/select-data-window-pop-up-1600x748.png 1600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/select-data-window-pop-up-600x280.png 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/select-data-window-pop-up-300x140.png 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/select-data-window-pop-up-768x359.png 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/select-data-window-pop-up-1536x718.png 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/select-data-window-pop-up-450x210.png 450w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/select-data-window-pop-up.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/>\n<p>A window will pop up. Now, click \u201cadd\u201d as shown in the example below.<\/p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-69321 size-large\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/data-source-for-excel-project-timeline-1600x742.png\" alt=\"select the data for your Excel project timeline stacked bar chart\" width=\"1600\" height=\"742\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/data-source-for-excel-project-timeline-1600x742.png 1600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/data-source-for-excel-project-timeline-600x278.png 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/data-source-for-excel-project-timeline-300x139.png 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/data-source-for-excel-project-timeline-768x356.png 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/data-source-for-excel-project-timeline-1536x712.png 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/data-source-for-excel-project-timeline-450x209.png 450w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/data-source-for-excel-project-timeline.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/>\n<p>Now choose the \u201cDuration (Days)\u201d column header as the series name and then, select all the numeric values in the \u201cDuration (Days)\u201d column as the series value.<\/p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-69320 size-large\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Stacked-bar-chart-settings-for-project-timeline-excel-1600x742.png\" alt=\"Select data \" width=\"1600\" height=\"742\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Stacked-bar-chart-settings-for-project-timeline-excel-1600x742.png 1600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Stacked-bar-chart-settings-for-project-timeline-excel-600x278.png 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Stacked-bar-chart-settings-for-project-timeline-excel-300x139.png 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Stacked-bar-chart-settings-for-project-timeline-excel-768x356.png 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Stacked-bar-chart-settings-for-project-timeline-excel-1536x712.png 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Stacked-bar-chart-settings-for-project-timeline-excel-450x209.png 450w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Stacked-bar-chart-settings-for-project-timeline-excel.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/>\n<p>Again, right-click your stacked bar chart and click on select data. This time, select edit under \u201chorizontal (category) axis labels\u201d once the window pops up and then select the values from the task name column as shown in the examples below.<\/p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-69325 size-large\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/excel-project-timeline-horizontal-axis-1600x741.png\" alt=\"Excel Project Timeline Horizontal Axis 1600X741\" width=\"1600\" height=\"741\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/excel-project-timeline-horizontal-axis-1600x741.png 1600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/excel-project-timeline-horizontal-axis-600x278.png 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/excel-project-timeline-horizontal-axis-300x139.png 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/excel-project-timeline-horizontal-axis-768x356.png 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/excel-project-timeline-horizontal-axis-1536x711.png 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/excel-project-timeline-horizontal-axis-450x208.png 450w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/excel-project-timeline-horizontal-axis.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-69324 size-large\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/task-names-project-timeline-for-excel-1600x730.png\" alt=\"Assign task names to the Excel project timeline stacked bar chart\" width=\"1600\" height=\"730\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/task-names-project-timeline-for-excel-1600x730.png 1600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/task-names-project-timeline-for-excel-600x274.png 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/task-names-project-timeline-for-excel-300x137.png 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/task-names-project-timeline-for-excel-768x351.png 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/task-names-project-timeline-for-excel-1536x701.png 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/task-names-project-timeline-for-excel-450x205.png 450w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/task-names-project-timeline-for-excel.png 1919w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/>\n<h3>5. Format Your Excel Project Timeline<\/h3>\n<p>Now your project timeline\u2019s Gantt chart has the right data. Now it\u2019s time for the final formatting steps to create your project timeline in Excel. Right-click on the blue bars of your stacked bar chart, go to the \u201cfill\u201d options and select no fill. This will make those blue bars disappear and will show your project tasks as the remaining stacked bars.<\/p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-66459 size-full\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/REMOVE-THE-FILL-COLOR.png\" alt=\"Remove The Fill Color\" width=\"948\" height=\"482\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/REMOVE-THE-FILL-COLOR.png 948w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/REMOVE-THE-FILL-COLOR-600x305.png 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/REMOVE-THE-FILL-COLOR-300x153.png 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/REMOVE-THE-FILL-COLOR-768x390.png 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/REMOVE-THE-FILL-COLOR-450x229.png 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 948px) 100vw, 948px\" \/>\n<p>Now right-click the task names, select \u201cFormat Axis\u2026\u201d and then check the \u201ccategories in reverse order\u201d checkbox on the right side of your screen. Finally, your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/guides\/project-scheduling\">project schedule<\/a> is taking shape.<\/p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-66460 size-full\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Categories-in-reverse-order-final.png\" alt=\"Categories In Reverse Order (Final)\" width=\"1186\" height=\"613\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Categories-in-reverse-order-final.png 1186w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Categories-in-reverse-order-final-600x310.png 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Categories-in-reverse-order-final-300x155.png 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Categories-in-reverse-order-final-768x397.png 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Categories-in-reverse-order-final-450x233.png 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1186px) 100vw, 1186px\" \/>\n<p>Congratulations! You\u2019ve created an Excel project timeline equipped with a working Gantt chart that&#8217;ll adjust itself based on the task information data you add to the table.<\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"\/templates\/project-timeline-template\">Project Timeline Excel Template<\/a><\/h2>\n<p>This project timeline Excel template is ideal for creating a project timeline you can share with your project team members or stakeholders. Simply enter your project information and estimate your project timeline in minutes.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_66020\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-66020\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"\/templates\/project-timeline-template\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1537\" height=\"641\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-66020\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Project-Timeline-Screenshot.jpg\" alt=\"Project timeline template for Excel\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Project-Timeline-Screenshot.jpg 1537w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Project-Timeline-Screenshot-600x250.jpg 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Project-Timeline-Screenshot-300x125.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Project-Timeline-Screenshot-768x320.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Project-Timeline-Screenshot-450x188.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1537px) 100vw, 1537px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-66020\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Free Project Timeline template. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/templates\/project-timeline-template\">Download now<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Once you\u2019re ready to try project management software, you can upload this project timeline Excel template to <a href=\"\/\">ProjectManager<\/a> and use its advanced project management tools such as Gantt charts, project calendars, dashboards and much more.<\/p>\n<h2>Advantages of an Excel Project Timeline<\/h2>\n<p>Now that you\u2019ve learned how to make a project timeline in Excel, it\u2019s important that you clearly understand both the pros and cons of using Excel for project scheduling or <a href=\"\/guides\/project-management\">project management<\/a>. Let\u2019s start with the advantages of using a project timeline for Excel.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Most People Are Familiar With Excel:<\/strong> Excel is a very popular software that\u2019s widely used by organizations across industries, so your team members are likely familiar with it.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Compatible With Project Scheduling Software:<\/strong> Excel files can be exported to advanced project management software such as <a href=\"\/blog\/what-is-microsoft-project\">Microsoft Project<\/a> or ProjectManager, which have much more advanced project scheduling features and are easier to use.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Simple to Use Project Timeline Template:<\/strong> Our Excel project timeline is simple to use. All you need to do is fill out the template with your project information and it will automatically generate a Gantt chart project timeline.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Disadvantages of an Excel Project Timeline<\/h2>\n<p>While a project timeline for Excel can help you visualize your project timeline, it\u2019s a very limited tool with very few project scheduling features that can\u2019t compete with more robust <a href=\"\/\">project management software<\/a>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Limited Project Scheduling Functionality:<\/strong> Our Excel project timeline only allows you to get a high-level view of your project timeline, but lacks advanced Gantt chart software features such as assigning tasks to team members, monitoring their progress, identifying task dependencies or finding the <a href=\"\/guides\/critical-path-method\">critical path<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>No Online Collaboration, Hard to Share Files:<\/strong> Excel doesn&#8217;t allow multiple users to collaborate on files online, which means everybody has to work on their copy of the Excel project timeline. Worse than that, that means that whenever someone makes changes to it, it needs to be sent to everyone on your team.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Editing Excel Files Is Time Consuming:<\/strong> In general, creating, editing and maintaining Excel project documents and templates is a time-consuming process that involves too much manual work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>More Free Project Management Templates for Excel and Word<\/h2>\n<p>We\u2019ve created dozens of <a href=\"\/pm-templates\">project management templates<\/a> for Excel, Word and Google Sheets. Here are some that can help you as you go through the process of creating a project timeline.<\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"\/templates\/project-task-tracking-template\">Task Tracker Template<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>As discussed above, your <a href=\"\/blog\/make-timeline-maker-included\">project timeline<\/a> is made up of many individual tasks that need to be completed on time. This task tracker template for Excel helps you to track the due dates, progress and status of your project tasks so you can track their completion. This is very important; if tasks aren&#8217;t completed on time, their duration will extend and so will your project timeline.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61358\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61358\" style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"\/templates\/project-task-tracking-template\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-61358 size-large\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Task-Tracking-Screenshot-1600x515.jpg\" alt=\"task tracker template for Excel\" width=\"1600\" height=\"515\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Task-Tracking-Screenshot-1600x515.jpg 1600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Task-Tracking-Screenshot-600x193.jpg 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Task-Tracking-Screenshot-300x96.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Task-Tracking-Screenshot-768x247.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Task-Tracking-Screenshot-1536x494.jpg 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Task-Tracking-Screenshot-450x145.jpg 450w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Task-Tracking-Screenshot.jpg 1704w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61358\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Free Project Task Tracking template. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/templates\/project-task-tracking-template\">Download now<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><a href=\"\/templates\/project-budget-template\">Project Budget Template<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Creating a project timeline is just one of your responsibilities as a project manager. Besides estimating the duration of your project tasks, you\u2019ll also need to estimate their costs. Once you do so, you\u2019ll need to create a <a href=\"\/training\/create-and-manage-project-budget\">project budget<\/a> which will define how much money will be available for the execution of your project.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61331\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61331\" style=\"width: 1477px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"\/templates\/project-budget-template\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-61331 size-full\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Project-Budget-Screenshot.jpg\" alt=\"project budget template for Excel\" width=\"1477\" height=\"411\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Project-Budget-Screenshot.jpg 1477w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Project-Budget-Screenshot-600x167.jpg 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Project-Budget-Screenshot-300x83.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Project-Budget-Screenshot-768x214.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Project-Budget-Screenshot-450x125.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1477px) 100vw, 1477px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61331\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Free Project Budget template. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/templates\/project-budget-template\">Download now<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><a href=\"\/templates\/project-plan-template\">Project Plan Template<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>A <a href=\"\/guides\/project-planning\">project plan<\/a> is a comprehensive document that describes how a project will be executed. It includes important components such as the project timeline, budget and schedule. It also establishes the guidelines and procedures that the project team should follow for specific project management areas like resource management and risk management.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61325\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61325\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"\/templates\/project-plan-template\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"589\" height=\"509\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-61325\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Project-Plan-Screenshot.jpg\" alt=\"project plan template for Word\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Project-Plan-Screenshot.jpg 589w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Project-Plan-Screenshot-300x259.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Project-Plan-Screenshot-450x389.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 589px) 100vw, 589px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61325\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Free Project Plan template. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/templates\/project-plan-template\">Download now<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Using ProjectManager Is Better Than Creating a Project Timeline for Excel<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"\/\">ProjectManager<\/a> offers a wide variety of project management tools that will allow you to create detailed project timelines, collaborate with your team and track your project progress. Here\u2019s a quick overview of some of its key features.<\/p>\n<h3>Multiple Project Scheduling Tools<\/h3>\n<p>ProjectManager offers multiple project management views such as <a href=\"\/guides\/gantt-chart\">Gantt charts<\/a>, kanban boards, task lists and project calendars to give you multiple project planning alternatives. You can use them to assign tasks to your team members, set due dates and adjust your project timelines. All of them sync with each other so the changes you make in one view will reflect on the others.<\/p>\n<a href=\"\/software\/gantt-chart\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1568\" height=\"817\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-66428\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Gantt_Construction_Wide_Zoom-150-1.webp\" alt=\"Gantt chart showing a project timeline\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Gantt_Construction_Wide_Zoom-150-1.webp 1568w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Gantt_Construction_Wide_Zoom-150-1-600x313.webp 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Gantt_Construction_Wide_Zoom-150-1-300x156.webp 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Gantt_Construction_Wide_Zoom-150-1-768x400.webp 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Gantt_Construction_Wide_Zoom-150-1-1536x800.webp 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Gantt_Construction_Wide_Zoom-150-1-450x234.webp 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1568px) 100vw, 1568px\" \/><\/a>\n<h3>Powerful Resource Tracking Features<\/h3>\n<p>To execute your project tasks, you\u2019ll need resources like people, materials and equipment, so you\u2019ll need a tool that helps you allocate them and track their availability and utilization. ProjectManager offers various tools like <a href=\"\/blog\/how-to-manage-your-teams-workload\">workload management<\/a> charts, dashboards and timesheets to help you allocate, schedule and track your project resources and costs.<\/p>\n<a href=\"\/software\/work-management\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-64738 size-full\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/workload-chart.webp\" alt=\"ProjectManager has resource tracking tools for managing resources and project timelines\" width=\"1568\" height=\"817\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/workload-chart.webp 1568w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/workload-chart-600x313.webp 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/workload-chart-300x156.webp 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/workload-chart-768x400.webp 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/workload-chart-1536x800.webp 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/workload-chart-450x234.webp 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1568px) 100vw, 1568px\" \/><\/a>\n<h3>Import and Export Excel Project Timelines<\/h3>\n<p>ProjectManager allows you to import Excel files so you can view and edit your Excel project timeline with its project views. Or in the opposite case, you can create project timelines in ProjectManager and then download your project data as an Excel file.<\/p>\n<h2>Related Excel Project Management Content<\/h2>\n<p>While Excel is not a project management software, it can still be a very helpful for managing various aspects of your projects. That&#8217;s why we&#8217;ve created dozens of blogs, <a href=\"\/pm-templates\">templates<\/a> and guides to help you use Excel for project management.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"\/blog\/10-excel-report-templates\">Essential Excel Report Templates<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/blog\/10-free-manufacturing-excel-templates\">Free Manufacturing Excel Templates<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/blog\/8-free-excel-construction-templates\">Free Excel Construction Templates<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/blog\/free-word-excel-templates-for-business\">Free Word &amp; Excel Templates for Business<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/blog\/tracking-excel-spreadsheets\">Excel Spreadsheet Templates for Tracking Tasks, Costs and Time<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/blog\/how-to-make-a-gantt-chart-in-excel\">How to Make a Gantt Chart In Excel Step-By-Step (Template Included)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/blog\/8-must-pm-excel-templates\">25 Must-Have Project Management Excel Templates and Spreadsheets<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em><a href=\"\/\">ProjectManager<\/a> is online project management software that connects teams whether they\u2019re in the office, out in the field or anywhere else. Excel can\u2019t let you share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app alerts like we do. Join teams at Avis, Nestle and Siemens who use our software to deliver successful projects. <a href=\"\/pricing\">Get started with ProjectManager today for free<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A project timeline is a project scheduling tool that\u2019s used to estimate the total duration of a project from start&#8230;<br \/><a class=\"excerpt-read-more button blue\" href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/project-timeline-excel\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":69517,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":0,"_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","head_code_insert":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[195,131,199],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-planning","category-blog","category-tools"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.3 (Yoast SEO v28.4) - 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