Plan on a Timeline

Loading…

All tools › Planning and structure

Plan on a Timeline

A plan as bars, with the dependency that points backwards named

It runs entirely in this browser tab: the names, addresses and figures you paste are never uploaded, and what comes out is a laid-out document as SVG source, which prints at the exact size with the text still text.

What it takes

Start a line with `#` to begin a stage and with `*` for a milestone. The columns are the task, when it starts, how long it lasts, which task it follows and how far along it is.

An example

# Discovery
Interviews	0	10
Write it up	10	5	1
# Build
Prototype	15	20	2
Review	35	5	3
* Signed off	40

Settings

What it is about
Goes at the top and names the document
Starts at
The clock time the first item begins at
Unit
Choices: days, weeks, months.
Today is at
A vertical line at that point; zero draws none A number from 0 to 999.
Accent colour
One colour, used for the rules and the headings
Show how far along
The filled part of each bar
Paper
Choices: A4, A3, US Letter.
Orientation
Choices: Landscape, Portrait.

How to use it

  1. Paste your text into the box above, or open a file.
  2. Adjust the settings beside it until the result is what you wanted.
  3. Copy the result, or save it as a file. The result updates as you type.

Questions

Is what I paste uploaded anywhere?
No. The whole application is carried as WebAssembly and runs on your own device. That matters most for these tools in particular: a mail merge takes a customer table, an org chart takes a staff list, a timesheet has somebody's hours on it and an expense claim has what they spent.
Why is there no PDF?
Because writing a PDF means embedding a typeface, and a typeface is a binary asset this workspace does not ship. SVG opens in every browser, prints at the exact size, and keeps the text as text rather than as a picture of text — which means it can still be searched, copied and corrected.
Will it print at the right size?
It says the right size: every document states its width and height in millimetres and the arithmetic behind it is exact rather than approximate. What no file can control is the printer, so tell it to print at actual size rather than to fit the page.
Is this legal or professional advice?
No. Every template here is a starting point. A purchase order, a delivery note, a reference and a risk register all follow conventions that differ by country and by trade, and the wording is yours to change.

Other tools for planning and structure

SWOT Analysis
Four quadrants, with the inside and the outside kept apart

Risk Register
Risks scored and drawn, with what a score does not mean said

Business Card
A card at the size a guillotine will cut it to, with its bleed

All twenty-three tools