After you create the timeline you can add events move events change layouts and colors and apply different styles.

Create timeline with excel.

To start your timeline open a blank excel page. When you want to show a sequence of events such as project milestones or events you can use a smartart graphic timeline. Add height values for each event in the column e. A rrange your data in columns in chronological order. Excel will use these plotting points to vary the height of each milestone when plotting them on your timeline template. To create a timeline in excel you will also need to add another column to your table that includes some plotting numbers.

To create a timeline chart in excel you need the following three columns of data. First of all create a very simple data table with the high level actions and events that you want to track on the timeline. It does not transform your existing data so create a new blank spreadsheet for your timeline step 2 open the smartart menu. To create a timeline in excel you can click anywhere on a dataset in your pivottable and then select the analyze tab on the ribbon. Click on the insert timeline button in the filter group. A microsoft excel template is especially useful if you don t have a lot of experience making a project timeline.

See my example below. Click insert illustrations smartart process then from the template options and pick a timeline. Click on the insert timeline button in the filter group. Depending on your version of excel either click the smartart tab in the ribbon menu or click the insert tab then the smartart button. Prepare a table and enter your original data as the following screen shot shown. On the insert tab click smartart process.

Add the new column next to your milestone description column and list out a repetitive sequence of numbers such as 1 2 3 4 or 5 10 15 20 ect. This will be used to create a line on the chart marking today s date. In the first row there is an action called today. The first section will guide you to prepare data for a timeline milestone chart creating in excel. This option is available in excel 2007 or later step 3 select the timeline from the process submenu. The easiest way to make a timeline in excel is to use a pre made template.

All you need to do is enter your project information and dates into a table and the excel timeline will automatically reflect the changes. 1 unit of time this column will contain units of time. Click process in the smartart ribbon. Here s the timeline we ll be creating in excel you can download the spreadsheet here zip 22kb. Create a data table of the key actions events. Step 1 create a new spreadsheet.

To find microsoft s excel timeline design open microsoft excel and type timeline in the search window and then click enter. 2 event name this column will contain event names.