Amal Nagm: Create a timeline to show a snapshot of your schedule Visio 2007

Create a timeline to show a snapshot of your schedule Visio 2007

Author: mety Labels:: Create a timeline to show a snapshot of your schedule Visio 2007

Capturing and communicating project milestones is easy with a timeline — a horizontal or vertical line that represents the life of a project, with markers that indicate project phases and milestones.

Timeline diagram

Lay the foundation

The first step in creating a timeline is to choose a timeline shape to represent the time span of the project. The timeline shape is the foundation to which you add the project milestones and events. You can choose from a variety of styles, such as Cylindrical or Line, to set the tone of the timeline.
Different styles of timelines

Create the foundation of a timeline

In Microsoft Office Visio, on the File menu, point to New, point to Schedule, and then click Timeline.
From the Timeline Shapes stencil, drag one of the six timeline shapes (Block, Line, Ruler, Divided, or Cylindrical) onto the drawing page.
The Configure Timeline dialog box opens.
On the Time Period tab, in the Start box, type or select the start date for the project.
In the Finish box, type or select the end date for the project.
In the Time scale list, choose a time scale unit for the timeline.
If you choose Weeks, you can choose which day that you want the weeks to begin on.
On the Time Format tab, in the Language box, choose the language that you want for your timeline.
Leave the Show start and finish dates on timeline check box selected, if you want the begin and end dates you chose in steps 4 and 5 to be visible at the ends of the timeline.
In the first Date format list, choose how you want the dates to look.
Leave the Show interim time scale markings on timeline check box selected if you want each time scale unit (the unit you specified in step 6 above) to appear on the timeline.
In the second Date format list, choose how you want the unit labels to look.
Leave the Automatically update dates when markers are moved check box selected. This will ensure that the dates associated with the markers update automatically when you reposition any milestones, intervals, or other markers on your timeline.
Click OK.

Note To change any of these settings later, you can open the Configure Timeline dialog box again by right-clicking the timeline, and then clicking Configure Timeline.

Add milestones, intervals, and markers

After you have the timeline foundation in place, you can start adding the vital content: markers that indicate important milestones and events.

Marker type	Use to
Milestone	Indicate a specific milestone date on the timeline (for example, the date when a writing project must be handed off to a publisher).
Interval	Indicate a critical time span on the timeline (for example, the time required to write a first draft). Choose an interval shape that matches the style of the timeline.
Today marker	Reflect the amount of time that has passed since the project began. A Today marker shifts automatically as the real-world date changes to reveal, at a glance, the status of your schedule in relation to your next deadline.

Indicate a milestone on a timeline

Drag a milestone shape from the Timeline Shapes stencil and drop it directly on top of the timeline.
In the Configure Milestone dialog box, type or select the date and time for the milestone.
In the Description box, type a description of the milestone.
In the Date format list, choose how you want the date to look.
Click OK.

Tip To quickly change a milestone's date, drag the milestone where you want it on the timeline. The date on the milestone changes to match the new position.

Indicate a time span on a timeline

Drag an interval shape from the Timeline Shapes stencil and drop it directly on top of the timeline.
In the Start date and Finish date boxes, type or select start and end dates for the time span.
In the Description box, type a description of the interval.
In the Date format list, choose how you want the dates to look.
Click OK.

Tip To quickly change the time span of an interval, drag the green selection handles or move the interval where you want it on the timeline. The date on the interval changes to match the new position.

Move the text off a timeline

Timelines can sometimes get crowded. To make your timeline more readable, you can move the text off the timeline itself, as shown in the following illustration.

Click the yellow control handle to select the interval.

Drag the control handle above the interval shape to move the text to a better location.

A bracket automatically marks the beginning and end of the interval.

Indicate elapsed time on a timeline

Drag the Elapsed time shape from the Timeline Shapes stencil and drop it directly on top of the timeline. The shape aligns its left end with the beginning of the timeline and extends to the current date.
Drag the Today marker shape from the Timeline Shapes stencil onto the timeline.
The shape is positioned at the current real-world date.

Each time you open a timeline drawing with an Elapsed time or Today marker shape on it, the shapes shift to align with the current real-world date.

Show details for a section of a timeline

You can expand a segment of an existing timeline as a second timeline to show more detail. The expanded timeline represents a segment of the original timeline, but you work with it individually; for example, you add milestones or intervals to the expanded timeline just as you would to the original timeline. If you add a milestone or interval to the original timeline, it will also be added to the expanded timeline. If you add a milestone or interval to the expanded timeline, however, it will not be added to the original timeline.

Note You must have a timeline on the drawing page to create an expanded timeline.

Show details for a section

From Timeline Shapes, drag the Expanded Timeline shape onto the page.
In the Configure Timeline dialog box, specify the options you want for the expanded timeline on the Time Period and Time Format tabs, and then click OK (The start and finish dates must be within the time period of the original timeline).
The expanded timeline appears on the drawing page and displays the following:
- Gray dashed lines to associate the two timelines and indicate the section of the original timeline that the expanded timeline represents.
- Shared milestones and intervals. These synchronize automatically so that if you change them on one timeline, they also change on the other.
Note The expanded timeline uses the same shape type as the original timeline by default. To change the shape type, right-click the expanded timeline, and then click Set Timeline Type.

Tip To quickly change the time span of an expanded timeline, drag the yellow control handles. The date on the expanded timeline changes to match the new position.

Refine a timeline

Inevitably, milestone dates, predictions about how long a process will take, and even project end dates shift. You can easily revise and refine a Visio timeline in response to changes.

What you want to change	Action to take
Project start or finish dates	Right-click the timeline shape, click Configure Timeline, then go to the Time Period tab Type or select the new start or finish dates, and then click OK.
Number of divisions on a timeline bar	Right-click the timeline shape, click Configure Timeline, then go to the Time Period tab. In the Time scale list, choose a different time unit, and then click OK.
Visibility of timeline dates and divisions	Right-click the timeline shape, click Configure Timeline, then go to the Time Format tab. Under Formatting, select or clear check boxes to show or hide dates or time scale markings on the timeline. Click OK.
Appearance of arrowheads on a timeline bar	Right-click the timeline shape, and then click Show Start Arrowhead or Show Finish Arrowhead.
Milestone type	Right-click the milestone, and then click Set Milestone Type. In the Milestone Type list, click the style that you want, and then click OK.
Interval type	Right-click the interval shape, and then click Set Interval Type. Choose the style that you want, and then click OK.
Milestone date	Right-click the milestone, and then click Configure Milestone. Enter the date that you want, and then click OK.
Time span dates	Right-click the interval, and then click Configure Interval. Enter the dates that you want, and then click OK.
Milestone or time span description	Double-click the text associated with the milestone or interval. Select the description, and then type the new description that you want.
Position of text associated with a milestone, interval, or today marker	Select the shape. Drag a control handle to change the distance between the text and timeline bar or the angle of the text.
Date format	Right-click the timeline, milestone, or interval, and then click Configure Timeline, Configure Milestone, or Configure Interval. In the Date format list, click the format that you want, and then click OK.

0 comments |

Amal Nagm