Multiple Project Timelines

Combining several Microsoft Project plans into a single timeline with OnePager Pro

Most project managers track individual project plans in separate Microsoft Project files. But what happens when you want to create a summary-level timeline of multiple projects so that you can see the schedule for the entire program?

This article describes how to create a master project plan in Microsoft Project and then use OnePager Pro to create a multi-project summary timeline using the Microsoft Project data you already have:

1. Start with a blank Microsoft Project file.
2. Link your new Microsoft Project file to your existing individual projects. If you are using Microsoft Project 2003 or 2007, go to Insert -> Project... and select the project(s) you would like to add to your program-level project plan. In Project 2010, go to the Project tab and click on the Subproject button before selecting subprojects. Once you have associated all of your subprojects with the master project plan, your project plan should look something like this:
   
   
   
   

Now that you have combined all of your projects into one schedule, it's time to build a summary-level timeline chart. This can be challenging, because each subproject may have hundreds or even thousands of individual tasks, which make it difficult to create an executive-level timeline for the entire project portfolio. Thankfully, OnePager Pro, a Microsoft Project add-in from Chronicle Graphics, lets you choose which pieces of each subproject are most important and will build a full-color timeline using the data you have already assembled in Microsoft Project. We call it Gantt Art and here's how to do it:

3. To select which individual tasks and milestones you want to import into OnePager Pro, insert a Flag column into your Microsoft Project master file (to insert a Flag column simply right click on any column heading and then select "Insert Column"). In this example, we'll use Flag 1. Simply place a Yes in the flag column you chose to indicate which tasks you want to pull in to your OnePager document.
4. Click the OnePager Pro button on your Microsoft Project toolbar (Project 2003, 2007) or Add-Ins tab (Project 2010). Don't have OnePager Pro yet? You can download a 15-day free trial to see how it works.
5. When OnePager Pro launches, you'll want to name your Project View (OnePager document). In this example, we'll call it "Project Portfolio - Tasks by Project".
6. Now, you can specify which Microsoft Project flag field you want to use to filter your subproject tasks and milestones. Click on Select tasks with 'YES' in column and then choose a flag field (in this example, Flag 1).
7. Specify a Snapshot date for your portfolio schedule to represent the point in time the OnePager document they are looking at will be accurate to.
8. Finally, at the top of the form, go to the Template Choice menu and choose "Multi-Project Gantt Chart - Detailed". This profile is a set of pre-configured settings that make it easy for you to build multi-project presentations. You can always change these settings later.
9. Your OnePager launch screen should look something like this:





10. Click Create new project view. OnePager will import your selected tasks and milestones and create instant Gantt Art; a high-level portfolio view that shows the schedule for each individual project plan. Initially, your OnePager result will be driven by your Profile Choice that was selected earlier and may look like this:
    
    
    
    
11. You can further customize your chart to meet your multi-project presentation needs. For example, if you want to color-code each project using a value different from the Resource Names column, click the Properties of the Project View Button on the Main tab to open the Properties of the Project View menu and then click on the Task Bars tab. Locate the Gantt Bar/Milestone Fill Color section and choose "Project name" as shown below. This tells OnePager you want to color-code all of your project tasks based on their parent project. Click Apply.
    
    
    
    
12. You can also convert the chart to display milestone symbols instead of task bars. In the same Properties of the Project View Menu, go to the Advanced tab and choose "Milestone at end" in the Task representation section, as shown below. Click OK.
    
    
    
    
13. With some additional formatting, like using text-driven rules (conditional formatting) to change the shapes of milestones based Project name, you can create a multi-project view that looks like this:
    
    
    
    

It's that easy! Since Microsoft Project gives you multiple Flag fields, you can create separate project views using the same Microsoft Project master file. For example, instead showing a detailed multi-project chart like we did using Flag 1, we could insert a Flag 2 and select a different set of tasks (e.g. summary level) that were important to a particular team or audience.

This means OnePager Pro can help you create a portfolio-level project plan for executives, while creating separate schedules for your engineers, designers, and marketing team, all using the same Microsoft Project file.

Get started today by downloading a free trial or attending one of our demonstration webinars.

Get started today by downloading a free trial or attending one of our demonstration webinars.