Definition Elements
What is a reverse schedule? 🤔
A reverse timeline is one of the fundamental tools necessary for proper project management. It is a practical document that allows you to plan your work by tasks, subtasks, and over time.
Backward planning, whether it takes the form of a spreadsheet, written notes, a Kanban board, or a calendar, is a breakdown of the sub-tasks that make up a mission or objective. The purpose of backward planning is to project the various sub-tasks over time so you can anticipate the order in which they must be completed, how long each will take, and how they should fit together. It's a way of organizing your work by breaking down each task and placing it within a timeline.
When a mission has tight deadlines or a final deadline, backward planning becomes even more essential. It holds genuine strategic and organizational added value. It's a tool that will facilitate the management of your project.
What for? 🎯
Reverse planning should be used systematically for all assignments and all objectives. It is a guarantee of feasibility and work organization.
What a reverse schedule lets you
- Develop a pragmatic and strategic vision of the work to be accomplished in order to achieve a goal within a set timeframe by anticipating the diversity of tasks to be performed and the time they require ;
- Set daily agenda items;
- Organize your schedule over a long period with daily visibility into the time spent on a task;
- Target and solicit in advance people engaged in a task and determine the duration of their engagement;
- Track the daily progress of a task;
- Measure the allocated time (delays, remaining time outside the time required to complete the task);
- Readjust the objectives and mission flow during its execution;
- Review the obstacles encountered or the free time remaining to use elsewhere during a day.
How to build your project timeline?
There are several ways to build a backward schedule using different tools. Choose the tool that best suits your needs and environment (collaboration, accessibility). Among commonly used tools, you might consider spreadsheet applications like Google Sheets or Excel, as well as project management tools like Notion, Trello, or Basecamp.
Set the roadmap
Identify the chronological boundaries, the mission start date and end date, then propose a detailed timeline (by day, by week, by month) in order to have a detailed calendar.
List tasks to complete
Identify all the tasks and subtasks you will need to complete to achieve your goal.
Prioritize tasks
Establish the chronological order in which each task must be completed, since some depend on the completion of others beforehand – for example, creating an Instagram template before writing and posting content.
Assess the time required
Assess the time each task requires and enter it in the calendar
I'm building my project timeline
✏️ The Médianes team has prepared a practical document to help you apply the learnings from this sheet to your own project. To do so, please click the button below and follow the instructions.
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📖 To read
All our practical guides here.
Our book, “Creating a Media Outlet,” is a practical guide for anyone who wants to launch an independent and socially conscious media outlet.
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