It can be hard to manage a project with multiple moving parts. It needs a lot of hard work to align the assorted tasks such that they are brought together neatly to make sure that everyone in the project work with the same objective. When a project needs scheduling of bulk tasks, a project timeline can come in handy. With a project timeline, it will be possible for you to see what should be done at what time. With this possibility, it will be possible for you to see the overall timeline of a project. Without it, the entire project can descend and derail and can turn out to be complete chaos. We are here to understand how to create a project timeline. But, it is better to first understand what a project timeline is all about.

Project Timeline – An Introduction:

A project timeline is a visual reference point that permits teams to understand the flow of steps required for the timely completion of a project. From a project timeline, you can give a complete overview of the tasks required along with their milestones, priority levels, and assignments. With a project timeline, you can make sure of the utmost time management and efficiency. In short, a project timeline will help with the smooth completion of your project. It is time to understand how to build a project timeline now.

Steps to Create a Project Timeline:

No project charter or plan becomes wholesome without a project management timeline. With it, you can get a simple visual representation of a project right from the instigation to the end. In turn, it can help with increased work efficiency among teams. Even though looking at a project timeline on paper can be easy, preparing one can be an overwhelming task for project managers. If you are into the creation of a project management timeline for the first time, here are the steps involved:

1. Start with a Project Scope Statement:

Before you create a project timeline, you should first create a project scope statement. The purpose of this statement is to list out the deliverables that you plan to produce at the close of the project. For instance, you can understand the scope with an example. Let us consider that you wish to plant a garden and produce some vegetables. In this case, the scope statement should read like you will plant a 100 square feet vegetable garden that will produce brinjal, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes and green chilies.

2. Create A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS):

To create a WBS, you should begin with your scope statement and should break your deliverables into smaller pieces. This part in the process before creating a project timeline can be called by another name like scope baseline. Also, each sub-deliverable is known as a work package. In continuation to the example above, your WBS should read as follows:

• 20 square feet for green chilies
• 20 Sq. ft for tomatoes
• 20 Sq. ft for potatoes
• 20 Sq. ft for carrots
• 20 Sq. ft of brinjal

These numbers can vary according to your requirement. The idea here is that the WBS should give details of the deliverables split into pieces.

3. Divide Each Work Package into Tasks:

In this step, you will have to make a to-do list for every work package. Here, you will have to think about the gap between the project foundation and the objective. In other words, this step should explain what should be done right from the beginning point to the end point. Here, you will have to take note of tasks that are similar across the work package. With this step, you can spot the dependencies in the following steps. 

For instance, in the example above, you can write down the steps involved. They are tilling the ground, fertilizing the dirt, buying the appropriate plant suitable for producing each vegetable, buying cages to safeguard the plants, planting them, caging them, watering them, and weeding them. As you can understand, these steps will differ based on the type of project.

4. Spot Project Dependencies:

Dependencies are tasks that cannot begin until another task has been completed. For instance, in the example above, you cannot plant your potatoes until the ground is tilled. In this case, it can be easy to determine project dependencies. But, in the case of complex projects, you will have to map the dependencies.

5. Spot the Time Required for Each Task:

Now, get back to the list of tasks required to be performed for the project. It is time to judge the time required for each task. When judging the time, it would be good to assume that the parties responsible for each task will work diligently without any interruptions. In case, you are not in a position to estimate the accurate time, you can create this section with the help of an expert, who can guide you in this regard. 

6. Identify the Resource Availability:

In most instances, your restricting resource will be the presence of your employees or members. Here, you will have to judge when your employees or team members will be in a position to spend time working on an allotted task. Let us consider that your team will have to handle multiple projects at the same time. In this case, even though it is possible to complete a particular task within a day, it is better to keep two or three days or even a week. In turn, time management will become easier. With this step, you can create a project timeline with several days in reserve for each task.

7. Spot Crucial Milestones:

Project milestones permit you to keep an eye on the project’s progress from the beginning to the end. In case, you get behind, you will stay well in advance of your final deadline and will be in a position to alter your anticipations or strategies so that it will be possible to keep pace with the target.

8. Build your Project Management Timeline:

The crucial part of your question about how to prepare a timeline for the project is here. In this stage, you will have to arrange the tasks from A to Z. Once arranged, adjust their lengths to reflect the time required for each task. Then, add milestones for polishing things. Now, your project timeline is ready. Nowadays, you can find different tools available to ease your project timeline preparation. In addition to creating project timelines, some of these tools help with easy management when you will have to manage multiple projects at the same time.

Why Are Project Timelines Helpful?

You will understand the importance of learning how to create a project management timeline only when you find answers to the question of why create project timelines. 

Irrespective of the nature of the project and regardless of the methodology it follows and the industry of operation, the project timeline is important. With a timeline, it will be possible to keep all projects together and it will give you insights into the progress of all projects in one place. With it, you can have a clear idea of what you try to achieve. Here, you can understand how project timelines can help:

1. Improves Communication:

Having a project timeline will help with improving communication. The reason is that every team member will be in a position to know what to expect and the present project standing. In addition to helping new members to know what is happening, it also ensures that everyone stays in the loop.

2. Great Help during Monitoring and Controlling Phases:

Every project will have phases for monitoring and controlling once everything is set up and starts moving forward. With a project timeline, project managers can get to know where the project stands and can react immediately based on the situation. 

3. Ensures everything is According to the Plan:

Project management can be an excellent motivator for your team. As everything moves on smoothly, your team will approach its tasks with the right attitude and things will automatically begin to move smoothly.

4. Great Visibility:

Project timelines can turn out to be a great visibility tool for your organization. It will give you a lot of data just at a glance. With a project timeline, it will be possible to get a clear idea of the dependencies in project management. You can get to know how tasks are given priority. As dependencies are automatically ingrained in the project timeline, you will be in a position to see how a delay in a particular task has an effect on the overall project.

5. Get To Know Workload:

Project timelines also tell how much workload a particular team member will have in a particular period. As a project manager, you can use the information to make sure of equal distribution of tasks and the prevention of overburdening of the team. Overburdening has always been one of the biggest reasons for project burnout in many instances.  

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Conclusion:

With this knowledge of how to create a project timeline, you can create the most useful project timeline that can bring many advantages to your effective project management.