Timeline chart is a type of chart that visually shows the chronological sequence of past or future events on a timescale. The chart’s timescale can be in days, weeks, months, quarters, years or other units of time depending on the type of events shown on it.

Timeline chart is mainly used in project management for showing milestones, deadlines and other significant dates and events of a project. Unlike a Gantt chart, it is not very detailed and just provides a general overview of a sequence of events over time. Timeline chart can also be used in other areas and professions to illustrate the chronology of key events and developments.

Timeline chart is most commonly in horizontal form, consisting of a horizontal axis marked with units of time and events, but can also be in various other forms such as vertical, circular, etc. Although Excel does not offer a built-in timeline chart type, you can quickly and easily create one yourself by formatting a column chart type.

Note: This tutorial uses Excel 2016. In other Excel versions, there may be some slight differences in the described steps.

Watch the video below to see how to create a timeline chart in Excel quickly and easily. If you prefer written instructions, then continue reading.

To create a timeline chart in Excel, take the following steps:

1. Arrange your data in columns in chronological order. To create a timeline chart in Excel, you need the following three columns of data:

1) Unit of time – this column will contain units of time.
2) Event name – this column will contain event names.
3) Event height & direction – this column will contain numbers that will set the heights (distance from the horizontal axis) and directions (above or below the horizontal axis) of events. The numbers in this column can be positive or negative. Positive numbers will place events above the horizontal axis while negative numbers will place events below the horizontal axis. Use a combination of positive and negative numbers to vary the heights and directions of events. This will ensure that the timeline chart does not look overcrowded and event names do not overlap.

For the purpose of this tutorial, suppose you have the following data for each respective column: a list of months, key stages of a new product development project to be completed in those months and the numbers 2, 4, -3, 5, 4, -2, 3.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Select the cells of the “Unit of time” and “Event height & direction” columns, excluding the column headers. On the Insert tab of the ribbon, in the Charts group, click on the Insert Column or Bar Chart button. In the opened menu, click on the first option, which is Clustered Column, among the 2-D Column charts.

Note: You can increase the width of the inserted chart if you wish.

3. Click on the Chart Elements button. In the Chart Elements menu, click on the arrow to the right of the Data Labels option. In the opened submenu, select More options.

4. This opens the Format Data Labels task pane. Here, uncheck the Value option and check the Value From Cells option.

5. This opens the Data Label Range dialog box. Select the cells of the “Event name” column and click OK.

6. Click on the data series (columns) to select them and on the Format tab under Chart Tools select No Fill in the Shape Fill drop down menu.

7. Click on the Chart Elements button again. In the Chart Elements menu, click on the arrow to the right of the Error Bars option. In the opened submenu, select More options.

8. This opens the Format Error Bars task pane. Here, select Minus for Direction, No Cap for End Style and Percentage for Error Amount. Set the Percentage to 100%.

9. Remove the vertical axis and the gridlines from the chart by unchecking the Primary Vertical and the Gridlines options in the Chart Elements menu.

10. Click on the Horizontal Axis to select it and on the Format tab under Chart Tools, in the Shape Outline drop down menu, make the following changes:

• Select a brighter color such as Blue.

• Change the Weight to 3 pt.

• Select Arrow Style 5.

11. Click on the error bars to select them and then select Blue in the Shape Outline drop down menu.

12. Finally, type a title for the chart in the Chart Title box.

These are all the steps you need to create a timeline chart in Excel quickly and easily.

To download the Timeline Chart Excel File, click here.

What other ways of creating a timeline chart in Excel do you know? Write in the comment section below.