Project Planning Timeline Template

Every project has a starting and an ending time. Clients wait for that time and they want the project team to deliver it to them by that deadline. So, a project team usually has a lot of pressure to complete things in a specific period.

Whenever a project is started, considerable time is taken to design a timeline. A project team designs a schedule and it is distributed among everyone so that everyone knows what the schedule is and when to deliver the milestones of the project.

What is a project planning timeline worksheet?

A timeline worksheet is used to give a clear and understandable overview of the entire timeline of the project. This worksheet is very helpful for people who are working on a project because it helps them stay organized. Those who value their time always know how important it is for them to design a timeline or use a tool that can help them design and use a schedule.

Importance of the worksheet for a schedule:

The project team often has to feel embarrassed in front of its clients when the work is not yet complete and the deadline has already passed. The easiest way to prevent this type of situation is to make a simple and realistic timeline to determine how much you can easily do in a given period after considering all the ups and downs during the lifecycle of the project. For some people, creating a timeline is a big hassle.

So, for them, using a worksheet can be very effective as they easily schedule everything with the help of the worksheet and also view their progress.

A worksheet of a schedule also provides the user with a roadmap that automatically redirects people toward their goals by following the timeline that has been generated with the help of the worksheet.

What does a project planning schedule worksheet consist of?

If you are thinking of designing a worksheet or using a readymade, you should know what you can expect to see in this worksheet. Some common elements are:

Schedule of a project:

Whenever you have to work on a project that has an ending date, you will need to create a schedule. A schedule tells you when to start your work, how many activities you will have to execute in a specific period, how much work you can assign to each task or activity when the team is allowed to give a gap and much more. The schedule divides the available time into days, weeks, or months. It becomes easy for the project team to measure the task and its length when a schedule is given.

A list of tasks:

A project is a combination of multiple small chunks of work that are completed to take the project from the start to the ending phase. These tasks or activities are divided into subtasks and assigned to different people. The team never forgets to execute any task because it has already made a to-do list and it is always kept in view when a project is underway.

Allocation of time:

In front of every activity or task, you should mention the duration of time in which that task will be completed. This section enables you to allocate time to each activity as time is one of the most expensive resources available to a project team, and its sensible use is essential for the success of the project and the team.

Track the progress:

At every given point, when you want to determine how far you have gone or how much work is left, you can use different ways to view the progress. Usually, people use pie charts, graphs, and other types of representations to track the progress of the work. Some people highlight work they have performed that keeps them motivated as they see they have achieved different milestones. With this, they can see if they are late or on time. This way, they can be in a position to submit the assigned work by the deadline.