How to Create a Timeline in Excel

A timeline presents a visual representation of events that allows you to understand better history, a narrative, a procedure, or some other type of a chronologically ordered series of events shown along a line (usually drawn from left to right or from top to bottom).

Timeline can be used to describe what happens in a particular environment or during a specific period, beginning with the earliest occurrence and as we advance over time. Timeline is more commonly illustrated in the format of infographic, which combine text and graphic images for a better presentation.

1.1 The Benefits of A Timeline

• A timeline helps visualize and record a specific event's progress, creating an easy-to-understand overview and allowing audiences to understand the past and current events quickly. It simplifies complex tracking methods of any activity.
• In project management, learning how to build a timeline for a project is one of the most crucial skills of a project manager because a timeline is incredibly helpful for displaying key goals, deadlines, and other relevant dates and activities over the project's life cycle. Project managers can create detailed schedules that are realistic, and timeline can help a planner get any project started on the right path.
• Timeline can allow you to imagine three key progress factors: expected time, real-time in progress that indicates how long projects have been in progress, and time of completion. Project managers know that setting goals for completion time is an essential and challenging management factor. Timeline can help in scheduling and mapping out the process that, in turn, can help prevent delays and submissions of shoddy quality work.

Excel provides a few tools to help build schedules; it is essential to bear in mind that Microsoft Excel is designed for creating spreadsheets, and creating a timeline can take some time. Follow those steps to help you build your Excel timeline map from beginning to end.

Step 1 Open and get your Microsoft Excel application ready.

To start your timeline, open a blank Excel page. Click Insert > Illustrations > SmartArt > Process, then from the template options, and pick a timeline. To find Microsoft's Excel timeline design, open Microsoft Excel and type ‘Timeline’ in the search window, and then click enter.

Source: EdrawMind

Step 2 Enter your timetable details.

It can create a timeline map inside Excel. To insert your project goals, start dates, and end dates, please click on the placeholder code. After punching in your details, click "Enter" to open a new data line.

Source: EdrawMind

Step 3 Timeline customization.

Excel helps you to configure both the complete timeline and individual data points within the diagram. Click on the map to adjust your display’s look, click on the paintbrush icon, and then choose from different timeline formats. You can also color-code your timeline effectively to organize your content.

Source: EdrawMind

EdrawMind simplifies creating a timeline. You can easily create a timeline with EdrawMind’s intuitive software. Follow the easy steps given below to create your timeline.

Step 1 Open EdrawMind on your desktop or laptop -> and select a blank canvas.

Source: EdrawMind

Step 2 Use the wide range of symbols from the libraries available to create your timeline. Add in your text and design the timeline to suit the requirements. You can also utilize icons from the multitude of options available.

Source: EdrawMind

Step 3 Save and export your diagram to any file type you wish to. EdrawMind is compatible with multiple file types like Office, PDF, Evernote, and graphic files. You can also export the timeline as an Excel file.

Source: EdrawMind

EdrawMind is an easy-to-use, flexible mind mapping tool designed to help you generate modern, fresh visuals and mind maps. By combining the points into a timeline, EdrawMind lets you organize the thoughts or concepts visually appealing and show progress. 

Source: EdrawMind

• Visually Appealing

Visualization or presentation is the most prevalent way of exploring concepts and sharing knowledge, especially when it comes to timeline. You can export the slides as an editable PPT or PDF file once you have finished the process.

Source: EdrawMind

• Group & Collaboration

While working with a team or other external partners, the project plans will be updated for everyone automatically and in real-time. Just email people or create a EdrawMind link. You choose who can edit or only view the timeline.

Source: EdrawMind

• Smart Layout

While you concentrate on your thinking process, EdrawMind handles the rest. The intelligent layout keeps the branches ordered and readable. The software has fully automatic layouts for a timeline.

Source: EdrawMind

A timeline is required for any business process. From tracking progress to analyzing past and present strategies, a timeline is essential. Creating a timeline shouldn’t be a burden, and that is why when it comes to how to create a timeline in excel, which is made for spreadsheets, it may not be the ideal choice.

With the pre-made templates, the specialized map-making tool can help you quickly create your mind map and reduce the time required. EdrawMind is the perfect tool to fix all your mapping needs, and you can create a mind map, treemap, fishbone, timeline, bubble map, circular map.

• This easy-to-use, flexible mind mapping tool is designed to help you generate modern, fresh visuals. Through combining the bullet points into a timeline for your project, EdrawMind lets you organize the thoughts or concepts and create essential strategies.
• The software provides 12 different map types, 33 themes, and more than 700 clip art materials to design the mind maps with almost unlimited possibilities.