Overview
Available exclusively in Expert plans, the Planned vs. Actual feature shows how actual progress compares to your original plan, with customizable styling that helps teams act fast and keep projects on track.
B) Edit tasks in the Edit Timeline tab
C) Edit Planned Start and End dates in the Edit Data tab
E ) Disable Planned vs. Actual
Consult the comprehensive guide, navigate using the links above to access specific sections, or view this video summary:
A) Enable Planned vs. Actual
Navigate to the Advanced Tools in the upper right corner of the Edit Timeline window to enable the Planned vs. Actual feature.
If you are on an Expert plan and do not see the ability to enable/disable Planned vs. Actual, you may need to update to the latest build of Office Timeline. You can download the latest build here.
- Click on Advanced Tools to access options for activating Planned vs. Actual, Dependencies, and Critical Path.
- Toggle the switch next to Planned vs. Actual to activate it.
- Once activated, you will see a grey line underneath each of your tasks. This is your baseline and represents the 'Planned' duration of your task.
- You can also enable/disable Planned vs. Actual from the side panel of the Edit Data tab.
Update the style of your baseline using the style pane.
B) Edit tasks in the Edit Timeline tab
You can drag and drop your Actual tasks in the Edit Timeline tab. When doing so, the line representing Planned will stay in place.
Use the Edit Data tab to edit the Planned Start and Planned End dates.
C) Edit Planned Start and End dates in the Edit Data tab
When Planned vs. Actual is enabled, you will notice that you have additional columns in the Edit Data tab:
- Planned Start/End: Your baseline start and end date.
- Actual Start/End: Your actual start and end date.
D) Styling Planned vs. Actual
The Planned vs. Actual feature allows you to customize the appearance of both your Actual and Planned (Baseline) objects within the Style Pane.
With a task selected, the Actual tab will include all typical task customization, including shape, color, fonts, etc.
The Planned tab enables you to modify the color and transparency of your Baseline. Additionally, you can switch the visibility of your baseline on/off.
E) Disable Planned vs. Actual
You can disable Planned vs. Actual via the toggle switches located in the Edit Timeline and Edit Data tabs.
Upon disabling Planned vs. Actual, you will be asked to choose if you wish to keep your tasks aligned with either the Planned or Actual start/end dates.
F) Frequently Asked Questions
What is Planned vs. Actual?
Planned vs. Actual is a timeline visualization tool that lets you compare planned dates to actual progress using side-by-side bars for each task. It makes delays and trends immediately visible.
Is this feature available on all plans?
Planned vs. Actual is available exclusively with Expert plans.
Can I use this with milestones?
Planned vs. Actual can currently be used with task bars. The feature will be added to milestones in the future.
Can I import my Planned vs. Actual data?
Planned vs. Actual data can currently be entered and edited manually in the Add-in. The feature to import data will be added in the future.
What customization options are available?
You can adjust the color and transparency of the baseline bar, as well as toggle its visibility for individual tasks. Additional styling options will be added over time.
Does it work with dependencies and templates?
Planned vs. Actual works with custom templates and is fully compatible with Office Timeline’s dependency management features.