Timelines tell us how things happened, how things are going, and how we want them to go. Expedite your own design timeline with examples and templates from Adobe Express.
Timelines exist to help us, so understanding what they are and how to construct them is an essential part of project management. Below, we break down a variety of timeline types and their uses, with free Adobe Express templates for you to try out until you find the perfect timeline for your team needs.
Understanding timelines
At their root, timelines exist to help us not only organize our time and tasks but also understand what’s expected of us and how best to proceed. As they’re used to visualize processes and projects, timelines can meet any manner of need, including breaking down a team’s agenda into explicit parts, laying out an overview of events, boiling down important information for relevant stakeholders, and presenting notable moments in time that can inform future events.
When structuring a timeline, consider adding a title or details about the subject that indicates what you’ll be covering, events, milestones, significant dates, and the individuals involved. This is a prime context in which specificity can only help you in your goals.
Importance of timelines in visual storytelling
Every team member learns differently, which is why visual tools are so important in expanding how your team grows together. Timelines are essential to telling the story of what your team is doing and how collaboration and completion can be prioritized with grace for ever-changing timelines and resources. The visual aspect of timelines is also helpful for showing stakeholders what you’re accomplishing with their needs in mind.
Benefits of timelines and their applications
Each type of timeline highlights a specific need and projected goal, which is why so many exist for a myriad of purposes based on your brand or business. For example, infographic timelines help convey a series of historical events using visual elements and text. For a business, infographic timelines help teams visualize goals for each quarter and beyond. So you can better select a timeline for you and your team’s project needs, examine the timeline types below to find out what can assist you in minimizing that task list.
Timeline examples by type
There are many kinds of timelines to assist in completing your tasks and moving your project forward. Read on to find out which timeline will improve your workstream and level up your time and task management.
Sequential timelines
Sequential timelines, also called linear timelines, are the ABC’s of timelines, as they simply show the chronological order and progression of your tasks. If you need to get down to the essence of your project needs, it can be helpful to start with a sequential timeline before you bring in other timeline types to expand your scope.
