Which tool do you use for creating good looking project timelines?

Question

Which tool(s) do you use for creating good project timelines? I don't mean Gantt charts, but a timeline that summarizes the milestones so the team / others can have an overview of the plan ahead.

Thanks in advance

Answer 1

I have used the following:

• Most of the time for high-level timelines I use MS PowerPoint. I find it works really well if you are well-versed with the software well but I wouldn't advise it if you are a "beginner".
• Visio (there is a built-in layout for timelines).
• MS Project:
  • if you have a version older than 2010, what you can do is limited, but to draw and print a high-level timeline I use a custom column to identify the activities/milestones I want to show, then filter on that column and use the formatting options available.
  • the MS Project 2010 version has a “visually enhanced timeline” feature: see more info in this article on TechRepublic.

Additional note: I have written a post on the subject of communicating about plans/timelines (it includes an example of a high-level timeline done in PPT) on my blog here.

Answer 2

you might want to check out: http://sprintr.com/tour/ especially created to enhance agile methodologies, you can generate timelines, burndowncharts, maintain the backlog and stories etc.

Answer 3

One of the goals of our gantt chart product is to create presentable gantt charts. One option for distributing the schedule to a team is to send a permalink to the project, reading permalinked gantt charts is free and does not require login. http://gantto.com/features/share

Before gantto I either used print-screen and MS Project or I manually drew gantt charts out in Powerpoint or Illustrator.

Answer 4

I'm using Visio. I'm lucky enough to have access to a large format printer, so I make this diagram in D size paper divided in 10 columns. Each column represents a sprint.

I manage a team that is responsible to implement stories related to hardware design, electronics design, firmware and normal software development. Each area has a different icon, and then I have items distributed into sprints (columns).

I also have red vertical lines in future sprints defining hard deadlines (shows where the product is going to be presented, etc)

As sprints go by, I draw a big green checkmark on top of the stories that were successfully delivered on demo day, and a red cross otherwise. I print one of such plots at the begining of each sprint. It also helps visualizing the velocity adjusting itself as time goes by.

Answer 5

An MSProject GANTT chart can be made useful at a higher level by creating summary tasks, and then just showing the highest level of outline.

Answer 6

Personally, I go with post-it notes and a sharpie! That said, either Visio or the Draw app in the open office suite have timeline stencils.