Project timeline: this short article explains the project timeline in a practical way. Next to what it is, this article also highlights benefits, popular tools, steps for developing a projec timeline and tips. Enjoy reading!
Project timeline: this short article explains the project timeline in a practical way. Next to what it is, this article also highlights benefits, popular tools, steps for developing a projec timeline and tips. Enjoy reading!
A project timeline is a visual reference that helps teams understand the steps required to complete a project on time. It provides an overview of all required tasks, including assignments, priority levels, and milestones.
Having a timeline, even a simple one, allows for better time management and efficiency.
Establishing a timeline for projects of all sizes can provide significant benefits to each team member. Having a plan to refer to when things get unclear allows everyone to stay focused and work as efficiently as possible.
A project timeline ensures that deadlines are met and that the entire team is united and working together towards a common goal.
Timelines also give team leaders the ability to track progress and change course if necessary. And because no one likes to be tightly managed, a project timeline provides the space and flexibility for team members to work on tasks at their own pace.
There are several free and paid management tools available that provide project timeline features. Trello, Asana, and Monday.com are all popular options that many companies rely on to manage timelines.
With employees increasingly working remotely, using an online platform can help keep projects organized and maintain a balanced workload, even remotely.
While organizing using software programs can be beneficial, it is often too extensive for some projects.
If you have a small team or prefer simplicity, basic Microsoft or Google Docs provide the opportunity to share and collaborate as well.
If you physically work in the office, brainstorming and outlining projects on a whiteboard may be the optimal solution for your group.
There is no single proven system that guarantees a successful project timeline, but rather several possibilities that may be suitable.
Which option you choose depends on several factors, such as budget, project size, the composition of your team and how many elements you need to keep track of.
The first step involves gathering information such as descriptions, goals, potential challenges, estimated costs, and deadlines. A project overview requires this information to be summarized so that all important points are highlighted and the overview can be viewed quickly.
The overview serves as a reference point for managers, investors or clients who want to get a quick overview of the project.
Elements of a project overview:
This step involves making a list of all the steps required to bring the project to a successful conclusion. It doesn’t matter how big these steps are; they will be broken down into smaller, manageable chunks later.
For example, if a project goal is “update a client’s website”, then this step can be broken down into smaller tasks such as:
Breaking down these subsets makes it easier to assign tasks because it shows which items take priority over others.
Once it has been determined who will complete each step, an estimate must be made of the time each task will take. To maintain a successful project timeline, it is important to allocate a reasonable amount of time without overdoing it.
For example, an estimate of the time to update a website might look like this:
When assigning tasks, some tasks can be performed simultaneously, allowing each team member to keep busy independently.
Eventually, the project will come to a point where some steps depend on the completion of other steps.
It saves time identifying potential dependencies before work is done. This allows enough time for each step to be completed and avoids backlogs.
Now that the estimated time for tasks and dependencies has been determined, there should be a system to track the progress of the project. By setting milestones at the beginning or end of each step, team members can evaluate the phases of the project. Milestones can be dates, events, or specific deliverables – anything that provides a concrete way to track progress.
These milestones serve as important checkpoints, especially if you are working on a project with several phases. They are not deadlines, but rather small victories that indicate progress and move forward towards the final goal.
The final step in creating a project timeline is to officially build it.
Here you can choose to use a project management platform, use a pre-made template such as a Gantt Chart, or create a simple shared spreadsheet. Ultimately, the choice should be based on the best method for both the project and the team.
Start by selecting a time frame – days, weeks, months – depending on the time you’ve determined for the project to be completed. Then add the tasks and steps based on their priority, time estimates, and dependencies.
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