Six phases of a warehouse system rollout, each with its month and deliverable
Project timeline slide with six phases and a deliverable each
A project timeline slide shows the phases a project moves through, when each happens and what marks its end, so sponsors can see progress against a plan. This one shows Corvallon Freight, a fictional logistics firm, moving its Laverton warehouse to a new management system from February to July 2027.
What is on the slide
- Title
- Warehouse System Rollout
- Framing line
- Corvallon Freight moves its Laverton warehouse to a new management system, February to July 2027.
- Feb: Discovery
- Map every receiving, pick and pack process. Deliverable: signed off process maps.
- Mar: Design
- Set bin locations and pick rules. Deliverable: approved system design.
- Apr: Build
- Load 18,500 product lines and set up 60 scanners. Deliverable: test system.
- May: Test
- Two weeks of shadow picking on live orders. Deliverable: test report, no blockers.
- Jun: Go Live
- Switch over on Saturday 12 June. Deliverable: first live dispatch.
- Jul: Support
- Daily floor support, then weekly. Deliverable: handover to the site team.
When this is the right slide
Right when sponsors need six sequential project phases at a glance, each with its month and the deliverable that proves it is finished, building toward one go live.
What to swap it for
Timeline: Vertical Phase Rows. When each phase needs a full line of explanation, or the project has four phases rather than six.
What this slide shows
The title reads Warehouse System Rollout, with the framing line: Corvallon Freight moves its Laverton warehouse to a new management system, February to July 2027. Six columns run across the slide, each with a brand coloured label and a short body, above a navy line that climbs in six steps from lower left to upper right. Feb: Discovery, map every receiving, pick and pack process, deliverable signed off process maps. Mar: Design, set bin locations and pick rules, deliverable approved system design. Apr: Build, load 18,500 product lines and set up 60 scanners, deliverable a test system. May: Test, two weeks of shadow picking on live orders, deliverable a test report with no blockers. Jun: Go Live, switch over on Saturday 12 June, deliverable the first live dispatch. Jul: Support, daily floor support then weekly, deliverable handover to the site team. In this theme the text sits above the staircase rather than on each tread. The framing line names the company, the site and the six month window, so the slide still makes sense when it is lifted into another deck.
When this is the right slide
Use a project timeline slide when a sponsor, board or steering group needs to see the whole project at once: its phases, their order and what marks the end of each. It suits rollouts, migrations, fit outs and implementations of three to nine months where phases mostly follow one another. The staircase form adds a sense of building toward a goal. It is the wrong choice when phases overlap heavily, because the steps imply each one finishes before the next begins; a Gantt shows overlap honestly. It is also the wrong slide for a weekly status meeting, which needs tasks, owners and slippage rather than a six month overview. The slide also gives a project manager a fixed reference for every later status report. When a phase slips, the report can show the original staircase with the affected step marked, so the steering group sees the change against the plan it approved rather than against a moving target.
How to adapt it
First, change the six phases to your own project, keeping the month in each label and a deliverable at the end of each body. Second, if one date carries real risk, such as a cutover weekend or a regulator deadline, name it exactly and leave the rest at month level. Third, when each phase needs more explanation than a sentence and a deliverable, or the project has four phases rather than six, swap to the vertical phase rows layout, which gives each phase a full line of prose on a vertical spine. The vertical phase rows example shows that form for a patient portal rollout across four quarters. Keep the deliverables concrete enough that a sponsor could hold them in their hand or open them on a screen. A report, a signed map or a live dispatch can be checked; progress made cannot.
What makes this slide work
Each phase names its month in the label
Feb: Discovery, Mar: Design, Apr: Build, May: Test, Jun: Go Live, Jul: Support. Putting the month first in every label means the audience reads the calendar and the phase together, so nobody has to look elsewhere on the slide to work out when testing happens.
Every phase ends with a deliverable
Signed off process maps. Approved system design. Test system. Test report with no blockers. First live dispatch. Handover to the site team. Each column closes with the thing that proves the phase is done, which gives the steering group a checklist to hold the project to.
The only exact date is the one that matters
Switch over on Saturday 12 June is the one specific date on the slide. Warehouse staff, drivers and customers need to plan around the go live weekend, while the other phases only need a month. Keeping exact dates to the risky moment stops the slide looking like a contract.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between a phase and a milestone on a timeline?
A phase is a stretch of work with a start and an end, such as a month of testing. A milestone is a single moment, such as go live on Saturday 12 June. This slide shows phases and closes each with a deliverable, which acts as its milestone. Mixing the two without saying which is which makes a timeline hard to read.
How many phases should a project timeline slide show?
Four to seven is readable on one slide; this layout holds exactly six. Fewer than four and the timeline says little; more than seven and the labels shrink. If the project has twelve stages, group them into six phases for the sponsor slide and keep the detailed plan for the project team.
Should every phase on a timeline have a deliverable?
Yes, for a sponsor or steering group. A deliverable is how they tell whether the phase is finished: signed off process maps, an approved design, a test report with no blockers. Phases without deliverables tend to drift, because nobody can say when they are done.
Why show a project timeline as a staircase?
The rising steps show progress building toward a goal, which suits a rollout where each phase depends on the one before. It reads well for audiences who think of a project as climbing to go live. For projects where phases overlap, a Gantt shows the overlap honestly; a staircase implies one phase finishes before the next starts.
Should a project timeline slide show exact dates?
Show the level of detail the audience will act on. Months suit a steering group; this slide uses months plus one exact date, the go live weekend, because staff and customers need it. Exact dates for every phase invite questions about each slip, which belongs in a status report rather than a timeline.
How do I present a project timeline slide to sponsors?
Say where the project is today first, then walk the steps from left to right, naming each deliverable rather than describing the work. Slow down at go live, since that is the date with the most risk. End by saying what you need from the sponsors before the next step, such as sign off on the design.
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