Timeline boards: Flexible time-based roadmaps

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Timeline boards help you build roadmaps organized around a single timeline, allowing you to plan with objectives, initiatives, and features over broad intervals without sacrificing the ability to get granular where you need to. They're like simplified Gantt charts!

In this article:

Relevant to new boards only

Creating a new timeline board

  1. Hover on a teamspace or folder in the main menu and click the + Create a new board or folder button which appears next to it. Select Timeline from the menu.
  2. Choose the main item type of your timeline. Your options here may differ by plan. Select:
    • Objectives for high-level strategic planning.
    • Initiatives to connect tactical execution to high-level strategy.
    • Features for tactical planning.
    • Releases to plan horizons or milestones.
  3. All items that have a timeframe will be populated automatically on the board. If you don't see an item appear, make sure it has a timeframe set, or else add it manually to your timeline.

  4. You can rename your board at any time by clicking on the board’s name at the top of the screen or by clicking ••• More actions and selecting the Rename option.

Adding and adjusting items

You can add new main items to a timeline by hovering over an empty section of the roadmap and clicking + Click to add item. From the menu that appears, you can choose a pre-existing item that lacks a timeframe, or you can create a brand new item.

Note: If a newly-added item doesn’t match your board’s filters, it will immediately disappear and you’ll see an alert pop up with options.

Click the ••• More actions button on any main item and select Add to add new or pre-existing underlying items, assuming your board controls are set up to show underlying items (see below). 

Moving items around

You can click and drag items around on a timeline or drag their edges in or out to position them however you like. Doing so also adjusts that item's timeframe field.

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Changing the main item type and showing underlying items

You can change your board's item types from the Items section in the Board controls menu. The item at the top of the list is considered to be your main item, and any below it are considered underlying items. You can choose to hide items which have no underlying items by checking the Hide empty items box.

You can then click the arrow on any main item to collapse or expand entities with underlying items. Item types can be nested up to four levels deep. 

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Viewing your timeline by weeks, months, or quarters

You can adjust the granularity of your timeline to display items over weeks, months, or quarters. Months and quarters are great for high-level strategic roadmaps, while drilling down into individual weeks works well for low-level tactical plans. 

  1. Click Configure in the top right corner. 
  2. Select Quarters, Months, or Weeks.

You can use the zoom controls in the bottom right to further adjust the scope of your chosen granularity level. 

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Applying filters and swimlanes

Use filters and swimlanes to make sure your roadmaps are structured appropriately for their audiences. 

Filters

Each board has its own filters, which you can set from the Board controls menu or from the dedicated Filtered by button in the board header. See Advanced filters on New boards to learn more about how these filters work.

Swimlanes

Group your data into swimlanes by clicking Add grouping in the Board controls menu. You can click Add grouping again to add a nested swimlane.

See Organize your New roadmaps (timelines and columns boards) with swimlanes for details. 

Searching for items on a timeline

  1. Click on the search bar to activate the search.
  2. Type your search input.
  3. Select your search result and you will be taken to the result’s location on the board.

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Adding attributes to roadmap item cards

Card attributes in Productboard allow you to display key information directly on roadmap cards, enhancing visibility and streamlining your workflow. This feature is accessible from the Configure menu in the top-right corner of your timeline, and is available across all item types.

See Customize your roadmaps with card attributes for details.

See also

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