has anyone ever seen a timeline for a business plan in scheduling software? it would make sense...

John,

the software can be used for creating business plan or for feasibility study if it can model not only expenses but also incomes, takes into account cost discounting and inflation rates, calculates NPV, IRR, payback periods and simulates project risks and uncertainties.

I don't remember this functionality in MS Project and Primavera P6.

John, 

Spider Project + Power BI (or PowerPlatform).

Spider Project can give you the math (dates, cost, benefits, resources, risks, etc..) 

Power BI can produce visuals to your organisation’s requirements. Many companies could already provide reports for Business Plan.

Then, if you wish you would also be able to control execution (with trend analysis) and deviations.

I was not looking for an all in one solution, just the schedule aspects.  I just don't like re-inventing the wheel when there are templates out there.  I think I am better off looking at the MS Office library.

John,

The guys over at PlanAcademy also wrote an article about this same thing that has some methods/tools also:

11 Project Timeline Tools To Create Visual Project Reports (planacademy.com)

And here's another one that integrates with P6/MSP:

Gantt Chart & Timeline Software | OnePager

Hello everyone,

I would like to share that I have made a publication that addresses all the aspects discussed here using just one tool. This publication covers everything from creating business plan schedules to integrating detailed financial calculations such as NPV, IRR, payback periods, and the simulation of risks and uncertainties. Additionally, the tool allows for modeling inflation and uncertainty in sales and production costs.

This integrated approach has been available for over five years, but only now did I have the time to document it in a didactic manner.

I also participated in a workshop at a congress here in Brazil last month, where I demonstrated this solution. The video of my presentation is available, and with the help of YouTube tools, it can be understood in other languages.

I hope this is useful for those looking for integrated solutions for project planning and control.

Best regards,

marcus possi

@mpossi     Telegram