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 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:

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. In this example, we'll use Flag 1. Place a Yes or No in the flag column to indicate which tasks you want to include in the multi-project timeline.
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. In this example, we'll call it "Master Project View".
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) as shown below:
   
   
   
   
7. Specify a Snapshot (status) date for your portfolio timeline and click Create new project view. OnePager will import your selected tasks and milestones and create a high-level portfolio timeline that shows the schedule for each individual project plan:
   
   
   
   

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

This means OnePager Pro can help you create a portfolio-level project timeline for executives, while creating separate timelines 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.