Visio is a great resource for creating advanced diagrams. It may be that you already have data available in another programme such as Microsoft Project and would like to create and personalise a diagram using this data. It would be tedious and time consuming to have to enter all the data and build the timeline manually Visio. Instead, Visio has a feature which allows the user to import the data directly from Project. An automatic timeline or Gantt chart will be created which can then be edited, formatted and personalised as required.

This can then be added to a presentation or external report making Visio a practical part of your project planning. As a project manager, once you have created the timeline within Project, you may well want to create an enhanced diagram that looks more aesthetically pleasing to a person not familiar with the Project package. Importing the timeline directly into Visio will allow you to create one.

There are templates for Gantt charts, PERT charts and timelines which can all be useful for the project processes. This will give you time to work on the design rather than the data. Open Visio and go to File, New and select Schedule from the template category. Choose the Timeline diagram. Click the Create button and you will be presented with a blank timeline canvas. On the ribbon, the Timeline section will automatically appear with all the options for that diagram. Go to the Timeline section and click Import data. This will allow you to browse to the project file and import the information. You can choose various symbols to use for the timeline, intervals and milestones using the Import Wizard. Once this is all completed you will have a working timeline with all your project information in it.

The timeline information can be reconfigured once imported. It may be that the timeline is currently labelled in days, but for the purposes of a presentation it should be labelled in months. Highlight the timeline and select the Configure button in the timeline area on the ribbon. This presents options for the start and end date and the breakdown of the Scale. Individual milestones can also be configured in a similar way.

Being presented with a finished timeline does not mean that you must stop there. Visio allows you to reposition the elements and change colours and themes as required. This gives the user the freedom to completely personalise the timeline as required. It may be that you wish to add additional notes and symbols etc. that are not present within Project. On the left of the screen is a full list of all the available symbols categorised as Timeline symbols. There are various shapes comprising nine possible symbols for milestones, elapsed time, Ruler intervals, Cylindrical Intervals and many others.

It may be that other diagram symbols from a different category such as flowcharts are also required. There is a section on the list called More Shapes which allows a user to explore the different categories and symbols and mix them in with the current chart they are using. Each element of the chart including the labels can be individually formatted. To do this, right click on a label for example, or double click it if you wish to zoom in and format from the colour and font choices that will automatically pop up. This functionality is extremely useful when a timeline is required for presentation or external report purposes. A user can essentially brand the charts with their own company or the client company colour schemes and fonts. This helps create a professional report set for inclusion in your presentations.