What should a project timeline include?

At minimum: the major phases or milestones, their dates, and who is responsible for each. Many timelines also show dependencies between tasks and the key deliverables for each milestone.

What is the difference between a timeline and a Gantt chart?

A timeline shows events or milestones in order. A Gantt chart also shows how long each task takes and how tasks overlap, which makes it better for detailed scheduling. A timeline is easier to read for overviews and presentations.

Quick Diagrams

Timeline Template

By RP Hobbyist · Updated October 2026

A timeline places events in chronological order so you can see what happens when, how long the gaps are, and how one step leads to the next. Timelines are used for project schedules and roadmaps, for history and study notes, and for telling the story of a company, a product or a person.

This template is a chain of four milestones, each following the previous one. Rename each milestone with a date and a short label, add details such as owners or deliverables as child nodes, and extend the chain for as many stages as you need.

Timeline template as a mind map — The Timeline template as it opens in the editor.

It opens as a new map with 5 topics already filled in. You don't need an account.

Open in the editor

When to use a Timeline

Planning project phases and milestones
Building a product roadmap to share with a team
Summarizing historical events for study or teaching
Showing a company's or a person's story in order

What goes in each branch

Timeline: The root: the subject or project the timeline covers, with its overall time span.
Milestone 1 to 4: Events or phases in order. Start each label with the date or period ("Q1 2027", "1969") and keep the description short; put details in child nodes.

Example: A four-month plan to launch a small online course

Month 1: outline the course and record a sample lesson
Month 2: record all lessons and write the worksheets
Month 3: build the course page and invite beta students
Month 4: act on feedback, launch publicly and announce it

Tips

Use the same date format on every milestone.
Mark fixed deadlines in a different color from flexible target dates.
Note dependencies, so it is clear which milestone must finish first.
For long projects, keep one high-level timeline and make a more detailed map for each phase.

Using this template in Neuron Mapping

Click Open in the editor. The template opens as a new map.
Select a topic and press Tab to add a branch under it, or double-click a topic to change its text.
Select a topic to change its color and shape, or add notes to it in Markdown.
When you're done, export the map as a PDF or PNG, or save it to keep editing later.

Everything runs locally in your browser: your map is saved on your device, works offline, and can be exported as PDF, PNG or an editable .nmm file.