How to Create a Project Outline Using Free Software

One of the most important jobs of a project manager is creating a great project outline. If you jump into a project with a killer project outline, then you can breathe a little easier knowing that you’ve done everything you can to prepare your team before hand.

A good project outline is vital to the overall success of your project. Luckily, you can use the free software at Toggl Plan to help you create your project outline. Here, we’re going to go over a few of the key features of Toggl Plan that’ll really help you get the edge on your next project’s outline.

What is a project outline?

Let’s start this off with a brief description. A project outline can go by many different names. Some call it a project plan, and others call it a plan outline. With all of these different names, it can get a little confusing, so we’ll sum it up: a project outline is a master plan for the project, and it includes all the little details that go along with it.

Project outlines usually consist of important dates, timelines, deadlines, tasks, and progression trackers like milestones and checklists. Luckily, Toggl Plan offers a super helpful way to master all of these project outline details. Let’s dive a little deeper:

Milestones

Many methodologies nowadays involve using milestones. We can think of these milestones as checkpoints along the project’s journey. These milestones are beneficial for everyone on the team for many reasons:

• You can better monitor deadlines

Maybe it’s not the end of a project, but the development of what you’re working on needs to be at a certain point by a certain day. A milestone helps you highlight that day for everyone to see. Once you’ve established that day, you can schedule accordingly.

• You can better spot important dates

Maybe it’s not a deadline at all. Maybe it’s a mandatory meeting or training day. By adding this milestone dates into everyone’s project outline, they’ll never miss an important update again.

• It gives you something to work towards

Think about how many times scope creep has ruined a project. By setting a milestone, everyone can be on the same page about what needs to be done by that exact date, and you’ll avoid potential bottlenecked projects.

Toggl Plan’s milestone feature is definitely a life saver. On your timeline, it’s as easy as finding the date, and setting it as a milestone. It’ll be visible for everyone to see and you can rest assured that everyone knows what should be going on.

Checklists

I’m sure everyone can relate to the helpfulness of a checklist. Instead of relying on your memory, you have a visual representation of what needs to be done. There are plenty of people out there that are more than capable of remembering many different tasks at one time, but it’s much more convenient when you don’t have to.

Checklists are a simple yet infinitely useful tool that often get overlooked. Here’s why you should be using one:

• They keep you organized

When you’re creating a checklist, you can create them in order of which the tasks need to be completed. It’s like a miniature timeline. As you’re moving along, you can knock out one task at a time and keep you timeline nice and organized.

• They keep you motivated

Checklists inspire us to take action and complete the unchecked task. As more and more tasks are checked off, you’ll have a sense of accomplishment and therefore be motivated to continue.

• They keep you productive

Productivity is a big deal in any project. When there are things to be done, you don’t want to be standing around, wondering what to do. Checklists are great for productivity because you’ll never have to guess what needs to be done or whether or not something has already been done.

• They help you delegate

As project manager, you don’t want to find yourself caught up in the middle of a project. Delegation is often used as a negative word, but it is quite the opposite. Delegation is an important aspect of your role as a project manager.

Checklists allow the project manager to delegate tasks out in a organized and professional manner. Toggl Plan offers a checklist feature to help you and your team knock your next project out of the park. As the project progresses, and milestones approach, you’ll be able to see exactly what needs to be done before the deadline.

Toggl Plan

In addition to milestones and checklists, Toggl Plan offers a variety of features to help you succeed in your next project. Here’s a taste of what you’ll get:

• Team timelines and sharing

It’s one thing to create a timeline, it’s another to be able to share it quickly. Toggl Plan’s timeline is visible immediately to all who have access to your timeline.

• Zoom levels

Zoom levels allow you to zoom out to a week, month, three months, or even a year to get a detailed overview of what’s to come.

• Project roadmaps

Toggl Plan allows you to create a visual roadmap and share it quickly with your team.

• Integrations

We all love our integrations, am I right? You’ll be able to import all your plans to your calendar, get Slack notifications, and add Toggl Plan to any online tool with the Chrome extension.

• Custom colors

We all need a little flare. Custom colors allow you to make your overview look exactly as you want it. It adds an additional layer of organization, and you’ll look good doing it.

With this impressive list of features, it’s no wonder people love and use Toggl Plan. To top it all off, Toggl Plan is free for teams of up to 5 people. Give it a spin and see why so many people continue to choose Toggl Plan over everything else.

You’re now ready to utilize your free software and create an awesome project outline. Take advantage of the helpful features like milestones and checklists, and you’ll always be ready for your next project.

Zach McDaniel

Like many other people, Zach McDaniel gained his knowledge of management and project management through research and necessity. He believes that the most interesting thing about project management, management, and productivity is that there are so many different strategies, so there’s always something new to learn and share.