Mermaid for
Timelines
Tell the story of a project in order
Lay out events, phases, and key moments in a clear, linear view, from a product launch to a company history.
What is a timeline?
A timeline is a diagram that arranges events or milestones chronologically along a single axis. A Gantt chart tracks tasks, dates, and durations. A timeline shows what happened, or what’s planned, and in what order. It is a format for communicating, not scheduling.
Timelines are one of the oldest diagram formats; Joseph Priestley’s *A Chart of Biography* (1765) is an early example. In Mermaid, you write a timeline as text: a title, a list of time periods, and one or more events under each period. Sections group periods into phases such as quarters or eras.
What you can map
with a
timeline
Product roadmaps and release history
Project milestones and delivery dates
Company history and growth stages
Incident post-mortems and event sequences
Campaign or go-to-market phases
Onboarding and ramp timelines
Strategic planning and OKR periods
Product roadmaps and release history
Project milestones and delivery dates
Company history and growth stages
Incident post-mortems and event sequences
Campaign or go-to-market phases
Onboarding and ramp timelines
Strategic planning and OKR periods
Who uses timelines
on Mermaid
Startup Founders
Show investors and new hires where the company has been and what comes next.
Business Analysts
Document event sequences in process reviews or incident analyses without building a deck.
When a timeline is
the right call
Key phases from discovery through launch — with milestones for design, development, and go-to-market.
Seed through Series B — mapping key rounds, valuations, and strategic moments.
The chain of events from first alert to resolution — useful for retrospectives and runbook updates.
First day to 90 days — with checkpoints for HR, IT, and the hiring manager.
Less time syncing, more time building
One shared canvas for mapping ideas, collaborating live, and keeping teams on the same page, literally.
FAQ
Common questions about building timelines in Mermaid.
