Project Timeline Maker — Gantt-Style Charts in the Browser
Build project timelines: tasks, durations, dependencies, milestones. Gantt-style view, export PNG. Free, no sign-up.
About Project Timeline Maker
A project timeline maker visualises a project's tasks as horizontal bars on a calendar, showing each task's start, duration, end, and dependencies — the classic Gantt-chart format Henry Gantt formalised in the 1910s and that remains the default for project planning a century later. The ZTools Project Timeline Maker runs entirely in the browser, supports task list with start dates and durations, dependency arrows (task B starts after task A), milestones (zero-duration markers), critical-path highlighting, and PNG / SVG export.
Use cases
- Software product release. Design / development / QA / launch with handoff dependencies. Timeline shows the critical path; slipping a task on it slips the launch. Slipping off-path tasks may not affect launch — visible at a glance.
- Wedding or event planning. Vendor bookings, invitations, fittings, day-of tasks. Some tasks have hard dependencies (cake order before tasting); others run parallel. Timeline prevents missed lead times.
- Research project / thesis. Literature review → study design → IRB approval → data collection → analysis → writeup. Dependencies enforced; deadline reverse-engineering exposes whether the schedule is realistic.
- Construction or renovation. Demolition → framing → electrical → drywall → finishes. Trades hand off; one delay cascades. Gantt-style timeline surfaces cascade risk early.
How it works
- Add tasks. Task name, start date (or "after task X"), duration in days. Each task becomes a horizontal bar on the timeline.
- Set dependencies. Mark "task B starts after task A finishes". Tool draws arrow + reschedules B if A moves.
- Add milestones. Zero-duration markers for key dates (launch, deadline, review meeting). Visual reference points.
- Compute critical path. Tool identifies the longest dependency chain — the path that determines project end date. Highlighted in red.
- Export. PNG for slide decks, SVG for printing, JSON for re-importing or sharing.
Examples
Input: 6-week product launch: design 2w → dev 3w → QA 1w → launch milestone
Output: Critical path = 6 weeks; design slip 3 days = launch slip 3 days; QA can compress only at quality cost.
Input: Thesis: 4-week lit review || 2-week IRB || then 8-week data collection → 6-week analysis → 4-week writeup = ~22 weeks
Output: Lit review and IRB run parallel; data collection is the constraint; total ≈ 22 weeks.
Input: Renovation with 5 trades, 3 dependencies
Output: Timeline shows trades sequenced; idle gaps where one trade waits for previous; opportunity to compress by overlapping.
Frequently asked questions
When is a Gantt chart overkill?
For projects under 10 tasks with no real dependencies, a checklist works fine. Gantt earns its keep when dependencies + parallel work create coordination cost.
What is the critical path?
The longest sequence of dependent tasks. Total duration of project = sum of critical-path tasks. Slipping any of them slips the project. Slipping off-path tasks may not.
How do I estimate task durations?
Three-point estimation: best, worst, most-likely. Weighted average ((best + 4×most + worst) / 6). More honest than single-point estimates.
How granular should tasks be?
Each task: 1-10 days. Smaller than 1 day clutters; larger than 10 hides risk. Break large tasks into sub-tasks.
How often do I update the timeline?
Weekly minimum. Each week: mark progress, re-baseline future tasks, recompute critical path. Stale Gantt charts deceive worse than no chart.
Can I export to MS Project / Asana?
JSON export captures structure; importing into specialised tools requires their format. PNG / SVG always work for sharing.
Pro tips
- Add buffer at the project level (10-25%), not on every task. Per-task buffers get consumed; project-level buffer is visible.
- Highlight the critical path in red — the team's attention should focus there.
- Update weekly. The Gantt chart is a living plan, not a one-time artifact.
- For long projects, show two views: full timeline (overview) + zoomed-in next 4 weeks (action).
- Identify dependencies early — most slippage comes from unmodeled "I was waiting for X" handoffs.
Reviewed by Ahsan Mahmood · Last updated 2026-05-05 · Part of ZTools.
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