Overview
Available exclusively in Expert plans, the Planned vs. Actual feature shows how actual progress compares to the 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
D) Planned vs. Actual Milestones
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.
Customers on an Expert plan who do not see the ability to enable/disable Planned vs. Actual, may need to update to the latest build of Office Timeline. 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, a grey line underneath each tasks will become visible. This is the baseline and represents the 'Planned' duration of the task.
- Enable/disable Planned vs. Actual from the side panel of the Edit Data tab.
Update the style of baselines using the style pane.
B) Edit tasks in the Edit Timeline tab
Drag and drop Actual & Planned in the Edit Timeline tab.
C) Edit Planned Start and End dates in the Edit Data tab
When Planned vs. Actual is enabled, notice that their are additional columns in the Edit Data tab:
- Planned Start/End: Baseline start and end date.
- Actual Start/End: Actual start and end date.
Planned vs. Actual Milestones
While there are no visible baselines for milestones, Delays or Advances can still be seen using conditional formatting (see Styling Planned vs. Actual).
Adjust the planned and actual dates for milestones in the Edit Data tab.
D) Styling Planned vs. Actual
Customize the appearance of both the 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 holds the ability to modify the color and transparency of Baselines. Additionally, you can switch the visibility of baselines on/off.
Also in the Planned tab is the ability to set Conditional Formatting.
Here, you can adjust the default colors for Delay and Advance.
E) Disable Planned vs. Actual
Disable Planned vs. Actual via the toggle switches located in the Edit Timeline and Edit Data tabs.
Upon disabling Planned vs. Actual, choose if you wish to keep the 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 customers 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?
Yes. Planned and Actual dates can be adjusted from the Edit Timeline tab.
Can I import my Planned vs. Actual data?
Yes. It is possible to import Planned vs. Actual data into Office Timeline. Use this Excel sample to assist with imports. For detailed instructions on importing Planned vs. Actual data, please refer to this article.
What customization options are available?
It is possible to adjust the color and transparency of the baseline bar, as well as toggle its visibility for individual tasks. Use Conditional Formatting to set defaults for any delays or advances in tasks.
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.