[email protected] +1.303.779.0344

Which Template Should I Choose?

How Templates Work

Before selecting a template, it's important to understand how templates work. Specifically, templates contain settings that drive the initial look and feel of your chart. However, a template is just a starting point, and you can always adjust the settings of your chart after it has been created by going to Home > Chart Properties.

In addition, keep in mind that a template is only half of the equation when it comes to the look and feel of your chart. The other driving factor in how your OnePager chart looks is your project plan itself. If you create two charts using the same template but two very different project plans, you can expect two very different-looking charts, even though the template was the same.

Please keep this in mind when reviewing the examples below.

Example Templates

The following are some of the most popular OnePager templates, listed in alphabetical order. Each template shows what an example chart might look like, plus a description of what each template is designed to do. Click on any thumbnail to enlarge the examples.


Birds on a Wire

This template will create a chart in a birds on a wire layout, with milestones sitting on top of the parent task bar.

Birds on a Wire Template

Key Features:

  • Data Source: Single Project
  • Layout: Timeline
  • Swimlanes: Level 1 Summary Name (Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or Primavera P6) / Parent Task (Excel)
  • Color: Level 1 Summary Name (Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or Primavera P6) / Parent Task (Excel)
  • Data Display: Task Names
  • Time Axis: Year, Quarter, Month

Deadline View

This template creates a chart with a focus on deadlines, and highlights deadlines in red if they have been missed.

Deadline View Template

Key Features:

  • Data Source: Single Project
  • Layout: Gantt
  • Swimlanes: Level 1 Summary Name (Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or Primavera P6) / Parent Task (Excel)
  • Color: Level 1 Summary Name (Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or Primavera P6) / Parent Task (Excel)
  • Data Display: Task Names, Deadlines, Deadline Dates
  • Time Axis: Quarter

Hourly View

This template will create a chart with detail tracked down to hours and minutes instead of day-by-day.

Hourly View Template

Key Features:

  • Data Source: Single Project
  • Layout: Gantt Chart
  • Swimlanes: Level 1 Summary Name (Microsoft Project, Primavera P6) / Parent Task (Excel)
  • Color: Single color
  • Data Display: Task Names, Start Time, End Time
  • Time Axis: Day, Hour

Multi-Project Gantt Chart - Detailed

This template creates a Gantt chart that pulls from more than one project file. Swimlanes are grouped by the project name, so that each project is in its own section of the report.

Multi-Project Gantt Chart - Detailed Template

Key Features:

  • Data Source: Multiple Projects
  • Layout: Gantt Chart
  • Swimlanes: Project Name
  • Color: Project Name
  • Data Display: Task Names, Percent Complete, Baselines, Critical Path
  • Time Axis: Year, Quarter

Multi-Project Timeline

This template creates a chart that pulls from multiple project files. Swimlanes are grouped by the project name, and within a swimlane is a timeline for each phase of the project.

Multi-Project Timeline Template

Key Features:

  • Data Source: Multiple Projects
  • Layout: Timeline
  • Swimlanes: Project Name
  • Timeline: Level 1 Summary Name (Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or Primavera P6) / Parent Task (Excel)
  • Color: Level 1 Summary Name (Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or Primavera P6) / Parent Task (Excel)
  • Data Display: Task Names
  • Time Axis: Year, Quarter, Month

Multi-Resource Allocation View

This template creates a chart that performs special treatment for multiple resource assignments, creating copies of each task for each assigned resource. This is useful if you have tasks with more than one resource assigned and you need to have the same task to appear in multiple places--one for each resource assigned.

Multi-Resource Allocation View Template

Key Features:

  • Data Source: One or more projects
  • Layout: Gantt Chart
  • Swimlanes: Resource Names (Microsoft Project, Primavera P6), Assigned To (Smartsheet)
  • Color: Resource Names (Microsoft Project, Primavera P6), Assigned To (Smartsheet)
  • Data Display: Task Names, Percent Complete
  • Time Axis: Year, Quarter, Month

Progress View

This template creates a chart that focuses on the progress (percent complete) of each task and milestone.

Progress View Template

Key Features:

  • Data Source: Single Project
  • Layout: Gantt Chart
  • Swimlanes: Level 1 Summary Name (Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or Primavera P6) / Parent Task (Excel)
  • Color: Completed work shown in black; Incomplete work shown in blue
  • Data Display: Task Names, Percent Complete as progress bars, Percent Complete as text
  • Time Axis: Year, Quarter, Month

Single Project Gantt View - Detailed

This is a basic Gantt chart, designed to report on a single project. This template is the most popular, and as a result, is the default template for all new OnePager installations.

Single Project Gantt View Detailed Template

Key Features:

  • Data Source: Single Project
  • Layout: Gantt
  • Swimlanes: Level 1 Summary Name (Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or Primavera P6) / Parent Task (Excel)
  • Color: Resources
  • Data Display: Task Names, Percent Complete, Baselines, and Critical Path
  • Time Axis: Year, Quarter, Month

Single Project Milestone View

This template creates a chart where only the finish dates for each are shown, so it's ideal for tracking delivery milestones where the overall task duration is less important. Incomplete milestones are left hollow, while completed milestones are filled in a solid color.

Single Project Milestone View Template

Key Features:

  • Data Source: Single Project
  • Layout: Gantt
  • Swimlanes: Level 1 Summary Name (Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or Primavera P6) / Parent Task (Excel)
  • Color: Resources
  • Data Display: Milestone Names, Percent Complete (Filled/Unfilled), Baselines
  • Time Axis: Year, Quarter, Month

Single Project Timeline

This template creates a chart with a series of timelines, with multiple tasks aligned left-to-right for each phase of the project.

Single Project Timeline Template

Key Features:

  • Data Source: Single Project
  • Layout: Timeline
  • Swimlanes: Level 1 Summary Name (Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or Primavera P6) / Parent Task (Excel)
  • Timeline: Level 1 Summary Name (Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or Primavera P6) / Parent Task (Excel)
  • Color: Level 1 Summary Name (Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or Primavera P6) / Parent Task (Excel)
  • Data Display: Task Names
  • Time Axis: Year, Quarter, Month

Status (RAG) View

This template creates a red-amber-green status report.

Status (RAG) View Template

Key Features:

  • Data Source: Single Project
  • Layout: Gantt
  • Swimlanes: Level 1 Summary Name (Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or Primavera P6) / Parent Task (Excel)
  • Conditional Formatting: Colors and shapes automatically assigned based on status
  • Data Display: Task Names, Percent Complete
  • Time Axis: Year, Quarter, Month

Swimlanes with Multiple Levels

This template creates a chart with multiple swimlane levels, which is ideal for larger projects or programs.

Swimlanes with Multiple Levels Template

Key Features:

  • Data Source: Single Project
  • Layout: Gantt
  • Swimlanes: Level 1 Summary Name (Program), then Level 2 Summary Name (Project), then Level 3 Summary Name (Phase)
  • Conditional Formatting: Colors automatically assigned based on status
  • Data Display: Task Names, Percent Complete
  • Time Axis: Year, Quarter, Month


Last Updated: April 25, 2022