When creating a timeline, first choose a horizontal bar to represent the time span of the project. The bar you choose serves as the foundation upon which you add the project milestones and events. It also establishes the style and tone of the timeline. Even when they present the same data timelines created using different bar shapes create different impressions. After you have the timeline foundation in place, you can start adding the vital content: markers that indicate important milestones and events.

For example, you can indicate a specific milestone date on the timeline (for example, the date when product plans are due in manufacturing). If a milestone date changes, you can quickly update the timeline by dragging a milestone marker to its new position. You can also indicate a critical time span on the timeline (for example, the time required to complete a manufacturing process). Choose an interval marker shape that matches the style of the timeline bar. If a time span changes, you can quickly update the timeline by dragging an interval marker to its new position. There are also methods for reflecting the amount of time that has passed since the project began. An elapsed time indicator in Visio® 2000 or 2002 shifts automatically as the date changes to reveal, at a glance, the status of your schedule in relation to your next deadline. Each time you open a timeline diagram with elapsed time markers on it, the markers automatically shift to align with the current date.

Inevitably, milestone dates, predictions about how long a process will take, and even project end dates, shift. You can revise and refine a Visio® timeline easily in response to changes such as these. After you've plotted the major tasks and milestones on a timeline diagram, you can then convert the timeline to a Gantt chart to communicate more detailed task and schedule information for your project.