Swimlane Diagram Template

Swimlane Diagram Template

Without a doubt, timeline and Gantt chart makers can be incredibly powerful tools for any project manger, whose primary job is to design the framework of a project, from scheduling activities to task assignment and resource management. If you’re looking to maximize productivity and handle through those tricky stakeholder meetings like a pro, these visual representations of the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) are your ace in the hole. Using Office Timeline, you can even create a Gantt chart or timeline in PowerPoint in under 2 minutes, as shown in this how-to video.

But what do you do when so you have so many concurrent tasks and milestones overlapping that your project roadmap becomes unreadable?

You have two options: splitting the timeline into multiple slides or using a swimlane diagram template. To find out more about the first option, you can check out our support article for Excel, while those who prefer Microsoft Project can visit our support article for MS Project instead.

Let’s explore the swimlane option.

What are swimlane diagrams?

Swimlane diagrams bring an extra layer of order to your project roadmaps by grouping certain milestones, tasks or processes into “swimlanes” (also written as “swim lanes”) according to their category - it can be departments, employees, steps, or procedures. For instance, in our swimlane diagram example, the lanes are used to showcase the synchronized phases of a product roadmap, each with its specific tasks and milestones.

The beauty of swimlane diagrams comes from their flexibility, since their application and scope are up to you. Generally, swimlane diagrams are found in the context of:

• Kanban boards;
• Gantt chart makers & timeline makers;
• Flowchart makers;

To learn more about swimlanes and the best project management software apps that employ them, check out our blog post “Top 10 Swimlane Software for Project Management”.

Swimlanes in PowerPoint

We’ve created this swimlane PowerPoint template that you can use to showcase your project roadmap to clients and stakeholders using the Office Timeline Pro Add-in, the only version of the software that integrates unlimited swimlanes. Editing can be done manually via PowerPoint or automatically, using our plug-in.

You can customize it functionally - to fit your specific project data - but also visually, in terms of colors, shapes and positioning. At the same time, you can leverage all PowerPoint's native features to add your company branding, your client's logo or a legend detailing your color codes. Bring that wow! factor to your PowerPoint presentations every time without spending hours on the design of your slides.

Swimlane diagrams – just the tip of the iceberg

Besides being one of the very few timeline and Gantt chart makers to feature swimlane diagrams, Office Timeline brings a wide variety of convenient options that compliment them. Use our add-in to easily:

• Import data from Excel or MS Project directly into a swimlane diagram template;
• Rearrange the tasks, milestones or the swimlane itself with intuitive drag & drop controls;
• Create and save your own customized Gantt chart and timeline templates with swimlanes

Download the free version of Office Timeline to get started or give the Pro Edition a try for a full, no-holds-barred experience in designing presentations that will make your next strategy meeting a smashing success.