Reporting project timeline and dependency planner
Updated: Oct 7
Use this planner to connect reporting tasks with the deliverables they depend on. Enter a project start, target finish and fixed as-of date, then set task durations and up to two predecessor IDs. The workbook calculates an explicit calendar-day plan and highlights missing or unsupported dependencies.
The download contains a blank 60-task Project plan, a separate Fictional example and a Read me explaining every field and formula. All dates and durations in the example are invented teaching assumptions. They are not filing deadlines or a standard engagement timetable.
Check whether this planner fits your project
This is a deliberately bounded finish-to-start planner. Every predecessor must be above its successor in the worksheet, each task may have at most two predecessors, and lags must be nonnegative whole calendar days. It does not adjust for weekends or holidays.
It does not calculate a critical path, total float or resource capacity. It does not support negative leads, partial-day durations, multiple calendars or automatic rescheduling. Use a suitable project-management tool when those features are necessary. The restrictions are visible so that a simple workbook cannot be mistaken for a more capable scheduling engine.
Build the plan in dependency order
Enter the project label, start date, target finish and fixed as-of date. Confirm external deadlines separately; the workbook supplies none.
List boundary decisions, collection tasks, reconciliations, reviews and internal approvals in the order their dependencies require. Give each task a unique stable text ID, stage, owner and deliverable.
Enter a whole duration from 0 to 3650 calendar days. Zero is a same-day milestone. A one-day task also finishes on its start date.
For each predecessor, enter its exact earlier-row ID and a whole lag from 0 to 3650. A lag of zero releases the successor on the next calendar day after predecessor finish.
Use an optional earliest-start date to delay a task further. Add a task-specific target when the project target is not the right comparison.
Filter to review stages or owners. Do not sort the task table. If rows move, rebuild the earlier-row order and check every affected dependency.
Follow the calculation in the fictional example
A fictional boundary task starts on 1 April 2026 and lasts two calendar days, finishing on 2 April. With zero lag, the facilities collection task starts on 3 April. Its five-day duration ends on 7 April. A parallel finance task starts on 3 April and finishes on 5 April.
Reconciliation depends on both tasks. Its facilities link has a one-day lag, so the release is 7 April + 1 + 1 = 9 April. Its finance link releases on 6 April. The later release controls, so reconciliation starts on 9 April and finishes on 11 April after three calendar days. Against its entered 10 April target, the difference is one day late. The zero-duration approval milestone falls on 12 April.
Another example row deliberately names a missing predecessor. Its dates remain unavailable and the dependency warning stays visible. It is not silently treated as an independent task.
What happens when a dependency or date is wrong
Self-links, links to later rows, missing IDs, duplicate keys and case-mismatched references are blocked. A network cycle cannot be represented by valid earlier-row links; the workbook rejects the unsupported link rather than enabling circular spreadsheet calculations. It does not diagnose every graph cycle by name.
Invalid or unavailable predecessor dates suppress successor dates. Date arithmetic beyond 31 December 9999 is flagged. Cancelled tasks have no plan dates and dependent successors remain unavailable. Blocked tasks retain their calculated plan and require a recorded reason.
A Complete task requires an actual finish date and evidence reference. Actual finish dates do not change the planned baseline or successors. As-of prompts show whether a planned finish has passed; they do not shift the plan automatically. The latest planned finish covers calculated rows only, so inspect unresolved-dependency counts before relying on it.
Download and review a working copy
The workbook supports 60 task rows, 15–74, with formulas and validation already present. Amber cells are editable, pale green cells contain formulas and dropdown labels are case- and whitespace-sensitive. No macros, external connections or automated messages are included. Extend all bounded ranges together before increasing capacity.
The scheduling arithmetic and examples are original Nitium workflow conventions. Calculation, export, reopening and rendered-sheet checks were performed with the artifact spreadsheet engine. A headless LibreOffice import/export check also compared formula cached results for the supplied blank and example states. Desktop Excel/LibreOffice interaction has not been tested. Check the saved copy in your intended application before relying on it.
Connect tasks to the agreed reporting outputs
Start with a clear project brief so that a task named Review has a defined input, owner and decision. Keep evidence-version references with completed deliverables.
Nitium Advisory can help organise BRSR disclosure mapping, data requests, gap tracking and draft reporting within an agreed scope.
Version 1.0.0. Prepared 6 October 2026. This optional planner does not establish legal deadlines, reporting applicability or assurance. AI-assisted preparation; no independent professional sign-off is claimed.
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