Schedule vs. Timeline

Main Difference

The main difference between Schedule and Timeline is that the Schedule is a time management tool listing times when events are intended to take place and Timeline is a way of displaying a list of events in chronological order

• Schedule

  A schedule or a timetable, as a basic time-management tool, consists of a list of times at which possible tasks, events, or actions are intended to take place, or of a sequence of events in the chronological order in which such things are intended to take place. The process of creating a schedule — deciding how to order these tasks and how to commit resources between the variety of possible tasks — is called scheduling, and a person responsible for making a particular schedule may be called a scheduler. Making and following schedules is an ancient human activity.Some scenarios associate “this kind of planning” with learning “life skills”.

  Schedules are necessary, or at least useful, in situations where individuals need to know what time they must be at a specific location to receive a specific service, and where people need to accomplish a set of goals within a set time period.

  Schedules can usefully span both short periods, such as a daily or weekly schedule, and long-term planning with respect to periods of several months or years. They are often made using a calendar, where the person making the schedule can note the dates and times at which various events are planned to occur. Schedules that do not set forth specific times for events to occur may instead list algorithmically an expected order in which events either can or must take place.

  In some situations, schedules can be uncertain, such as where the conduct of daily life relies on environmental factors outside human control. People who are vacationing or otherwise seeking to reduce stress and achieve relaxation may intentionally avoid having a schedule for a certain period of time.

• Timeline

  A timeline is a display of a list of events in chronological order. It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labelled with dates paralleling it, and usually contemporaneous events; a Gantt chart is a form of timeline used in project management.

  Timelines can use any suitable scale representing time, suiting the subject and data; many use a linear scale, in which a unit of distance is equal to a set amount of time. This timescale is dependent on the events in the timeline. A timeline of evolution can be over millions of years, whereas a timeline for the day of the September 11 attacks can take place over minutes, and that of an explosion over milliseconds. While many timelines use a linear timescale—especially where very large or small timespans are relevant — logarithmic timelines entail a logarithmic scale of time; some “hurry up and wait” chronologies are depicted with zoom lens metaphors.

• Schedule (noun)

  a plan for carrying out a process or procedure, giving lists of intended events and times

  “we have drawn up an engineering schedule”

• Schedule (noun)

  one’s day-to-day plans or timetable

  “take a moment out of your busy schedule”

• Schedule (noun)

  a timetable

  “information on airline schedules”

• Schedule (noun)

  an appendix to a formal document or statute, especially as a list, table, or inventory

  “they need a clear schedule of fixtures and fittings”

• Schedule (noun)

  (with reference to the British system of income tax) any of the forms (named ‘A’, ‘B’, etc.) issued for completion and relating to the various classes into which taxable income is divided.

• Schedule (verb)

  arrange or plan (an event) to take place at a particular time

  “the release of the single is scheduled for April”

• Schedule (verb)

  make arrangements for (someone or something) to do something

  “he is scheduled to be released from prison this spring”

• Schedule (verb)

  include (a building or site) in a list for legal preservation or protection

  “Cowley Bridge has already been scheduled and protected as an ancient monument”