Do you want to learn how to create a timeline in Microsoft Excel? This Excel tutorial will help you all the way from ideation to practicing and implementation.

If you’re managing a project in a worksheet where you record all project activities and milestones, you can use the same dataset to create a project timeline in Excel. You don’t have to switch to a different software or web app to create the project timeline. This will save you time and money!

There are multiple ways to achieve this task in Excel. I’ve outlined the tried and tested methods to build a timeline in the least possible time. Let’s get started!

Using an Excel Timeline Template

Using a pre-configured worksheet template is the best way to create a project timeline in the least possible time and effort. You’ll find many such templates in your Excel 365 desktop app.

Open a new Excel workbook and click on the File tab.

Click on the New command in the left side navigation panel on the Excel backstage.

Type in Timeline in the Search field and hit Enter.

All of the project timeline templates will open on the New screen.

Click once on the template thumbnail to see the details about the template.

If you like what you see, click on the Create button.

A new workbook for the template file will open instantly.

In this tutorial, I’ve used the Milestone and task project timeline by Vertex42.

This template has the following two tables that you need to edit with your own dataset for the project you’re managing.

• Tasks: Replace the items in this table with similar content from your own dataset. For example, you might be maintaining a project management dataset containing columns like Start Date, End Date, Duration, and Label/Task Name.
• Milestones: These are dates when your team made significant changes or developments in the project. It should contain the Date and Label columns.

As you replace the dummy project data with real-world project data in the template, it takes the similar shape of what you see when you’ve downloaded the template worksheet for the first time.

The Tasks and Milestones table also contains a column named Vert. Position. The values in this column allow you to move the visual representation of each task above or below the central horizontal line.

For example, if you enter -25 in the Vert. Position column for a project task line item, it’ll be shown -25 points below the central horizontal line. All of the Vert. Position column cell values should be in negative so the tasks show below the central horizontal line.

Contrarily, if you enter 25 in any cell of the Position column of the Milestone table, the task will go above the central horizontal line. You can assign positive values to the milestones so they show above the central horizontal line, separate from the project tasks.

Using a SmartArt

Sometimes, you might find that pre-configured templates aren’t enough to appropriately and functionally visualize project tasks into a visual timeline. Not to mention, not all datasets are compatible with the timeline templates available in the Excel templates portal. In such situations, you can use SmartArt objects to create a functional project timeline. Let me show you the process in easy steps below:

Navigate to the Excel worksheet that contains your project management details in a table or simple dataset.

Click on the SmartArt command inside the Illustrations block of the Insert tab.

Select the Processes category on the left side panel of the Choose a SmartArt Graphic dialog box.

On the right side, all the SmartArt graphics that match process timelines will show up.

Scroll down the list to find the SmartArt timeline object suitable for your project management dataset.

For example, you can try the Picture Accent Process SmartArt graphics. You can choose any SmartArt graphic, and the process to edit the stock SmartArt object is the same for all of the templates.

Once you select a SmartArt, click OK to insert it into the active worksheet containing your project management data.

Click on the SmartArt graphics on the worksheet to bring up the Type your text here panel on the left side of the object.

Now, start entering the Task Names in the parent Text block, as shown in the above screenshot.

If there are more than three tasks in your project, you can copy one of the tasks that you’ve just entered in the SmartArt object and paste it below as many times as you need.

Now, start populating the child text data, like Statuses, Assignees, and Priorities, as shown in the above screenshot.

You can now adjust the size of the SmarArt so that the timeline becomes clearly visible.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully created a timeline in Excel using the SmartArt tool.

Using a Bar Chart

If you wish to add start dates and duration of tasks in your project timeline, you can also use a bar chart. Follow along with the steps outlined below:

Ensure your source dataset has at least the following columns:

• Task Name
• Start Date
• Duration (Days)

Go to the Insert tab and click on the Insert Column or Bar Chart command in the Charts block.

Select the 2-D Stacked Bar chart option from the context menu.

A blank bar chart scaffold will show up.

Right-click on the bar chart scaffold and click on the Select Data option from the context menu.

The Select Data Source dialog box will show up. Click on the Add button below the Series section.

The Edit Series dialog box will show up. Click on the Series name field and select the Start Date column header in your dataset.

Click on the Series values field and select the values from the Start Date column.

Click OK to include the data.

Now, again click on the Add button, and this time select the Duration column header and its values using the Edit Series dialog box.

You should now be back on the Select Data Source dialog box.

Click on the Edit button below the Horizontal section and select the entire column of the Task Name except the column header.

You’ve successfully imported data to the chart. Click OK on the Select Data Source dialog box to create the bar chart.

Ensure that the bars of the chart show two separate colors. You can click on these color-coded areas to ensure that data from the Start Date and Duration have been plotted successfully.

Right-click on the task name axis and select Format Axis from the context menu.

The Format Axis sidebar will open on the right side. Checkmark the check box for the Categories in reverse order option.

Now, select the blue shaded areas on the chart, right-click, and select the Fill drop-down menu.

Choose the No Fill option from the context menu.

Right-click on the orange shaded bars and click on the Add Data Labels command.

That’s it! You’ve successfully created a timeline in Excel using the stacked bar chart.

Using PivotTable Timeline

Using the PivotTable tool, you can also create a timeline-like data representation in Excel. Let me walk you through the process below:

Select your project management dataset, which must have the following columns:

• Task Name
• Start Date
• Duration (Days)

Select the entire dataset and click on the PivotTable command inside the Tables block of the Insert tab.

The PivotTable from table or range dialog box will show up. If you wish to create the timeline in a different worksheet, select the New Worksheet option.

Alternatively, select the Existing Worksheet option if you wish to get the timeline in the same worksheet as the source dataset.

Select the destination cell on the active worksheet or the new worksheet to create the PivotTable scaffold.

You should now see the PivotTable Fields sidebar on the right side.

Now, drag the Task Name item on the Rows field.

Then, drag and drop the Start Date column into the Columns field.

Finally, drag and drop the Duration (Days) column into the Values field.

If you’ve got additional columns in the source dataset, like Status, Assigned To, and Priority, drop them into the Filter field of the PivotTable Fields console.

Now, click anywhere on the PivotTable and navigate to the PivotTable Analyze tab on the Excel ribbon menu.

Click on the Insert Timeline command in the Filter block.

Select the Start Date option in the Insert Timelines dialog box and click OK.

The Start Date timeline will show up on the active worksheet.

Now, click on any of the month tabs of the timeline object to filter the PivotTable instantly by the duration of the tasks in your project management dataset.

Ensure you select an appropriate month in the timeline object that is relevant to any of the tasks of the source dataset.

If you select a month that doesn’t exist in the source data, the PivotTable won’t show any values.

Conclusions

These are some of the proven ways to create a timeline in Microsoft Excel from a project management dataset. Choose the method that you find the most suitable for your dataset and your Excel usage expertise level.

If you’ve found this Excel tutorial helpful, drop a few lines below in the comment box. You’re also welcome to share feedback to improve the guide.