How to Create a Timeline Using Microsoft Excel

If you find time slipping away from you and goal attainment eluding you, consider creating a simple timeline for yourself or your project teams. You can use a timeline to document major activities. You can even use this technique for creating a timeline to a major event like a graduation, wedding, or milestone birthday. Creating an elegant timeline is easy!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Microsoft Excel 2007
• Project tasks and completion dates

1. If you have a set of tasks and dates they must be completed by, you can create a simple timeline by creating a chart from your list. (You can also obtain more sophisticated free templates by clicking on the File menu, choosing New and selecting Microsoft Offic Online. Enter enter "timeline" then click the arrow to search for a timeline template.)

2. Open a new Excel file and in this first row, enter Task in cell A1 and Complete by in cell B1. These are your headings.

3. List your tasks in Column A and your due dates in Column B.

4. 
   Select your tasks and due dates so you can create a chart out of this data.

   Select the information by clicking in cell A1. Then, press the Shift key and press the Down Arrow to select each cell in that row. Click the right arrow to select Column B.

5. 
   Creating a chart is simple!

   Next, click the Insert menu in the tool bar and then the Line chart button. Chose the type of line chart you want.

6. 

   You're done! You have a visual representation of your milestones! Print your chart or copy and paste it into other documents!