Create more than just project timelines

Yes, Asana helps teams create an online timeline by turning project tasks into a schedule that shows when work starts, when it’s due, who owns it, and which tasks depend on each other. Asana describes Timeline as a live view that helps teams see how project work fits together, share plans, adapt as problems arise, and track work against deadlines.

An online timeline works especially well for project management because it connects the schedule to the actual work. Instead of building a static timeline in a presentation, teams can update task dates, add dependencies, attach files, leave comments, and share status updates as the project changes.

The best timeline software should help you build a visual timeline that connects tasks, owners, deadlines, milestones, and dependencies. It should also make schedule changes easy, especially when one delayed task affects the rest of the project.

Look for timeline software that includes:

• Multiple timeline layouts or project views, such as Timeline, Gantt, Calendar, List, and Board.

• Drag-and-drop scheduling to move tasks and adjust dates.

• Task dependencies, milestones, owners, and due dates.

• Sharing options for stakeholders who need to review deadlines and progress.

• Project management features that connect the timeline to tasks, files, comments, and status updates.

Design-focused tools may offer more themes, fonts, and presentation options. For team projects, prioritize timeline tools that help people plan, assign, update, and finish the work behind the schedule.

The best software for creating a timeline depends on what kind of timeline you need. For project planning, Asana is a good option because it connects timeline planning to tasks, owners, dependencies, milestones, and status updates. Teams can use it to plan launches, roadmaps, campaigns, events, and other work that changes over time.

For presentation design or historical timelines, tools like Canva, Lucidchart, Office Timeline, Preceden, Tiki-Toki, Time.Graphics, TimelineJS, or Timetoast may fit different needs. Those tools often focus more on visual storytelling, historical events, or slide-based timelines. Asana fits best when the timeline needs to help a team manage real work, not just present dates.

You can create a free project timeline template in Asana to organize phases, tasks, milestones, and deadlines. Timeline and Gantt views are available on select paid plans, but teams can start planning timeline work with Asana templates and then choose the plan that fits their project needs.

Yes, you can use Asana as a horizontal timeline maker for project schedules, launch plans, roadmaps, campaigns, and other team workflows. In Timeline view, tasks appear along a horizontal schedule so teams can review dates, task duration, milestones, and dependencies.

Asana works best as a horizontal timeline maker for active projects. If you need a historical timeline about historical events, or a highly designed timeline with custom themes and fonts, a visual design tool may work better. If you need timeline software that connects dates to owners, tasks, blockers, and project updates, Asana is the better fit.