Time Location Chart -
Time Location Diagrams
Time location charts
Time Location Charts or Time Location Diagrams fall into a category of linear scheduling or location-based scheduling and are known by many other names depending upon the industry or region, other names (referenced from Kenley, Russell; Seppänen, Olli (2010). “Chapter 1: Introduction”. Location-Based Management for Construction.) are explained below.

Download Turbo-Chart and
trial for 14 days for free
trial for 14 days for free
Turbo-Chart Features
An Alternative Form Of Representing Project Schedules
They are an alternative form of representing project schedules that are ideally suited to linear projects where work progresses in a repetitive manner and/or in a continuous linear-direction over the project’s physical location and also where works occur in fixed locations that interface with the linear works. Examples of linear projects include:
Roads
Railways
Tunnels
Pipelines
High-rise vertical buildings

Traditional Project Bar or GANTT Charts
Features of traditional project schedule outputs are:
– Horizontal time axis, units of hours, days, weeks etc…
– Vertical axis uses a work breakdown structure that can be:
- A static hierarchical structure (e.g. P6 WBS feature)
- Develop a flexible flat or hierarchical structure using coding, user-defined fields (e.g. phase, discipline)
- Single task per row
- When used for location, requires defined discrete values
Time Distance Diagram / Time Location Chart
An alternative project schedule output is to switch the axes and present schedule tasks differently, known as Time Distance diagrams or Time Location Charts:
- Vertical axis now represents time
- Horizontal axis represents physical work areas, using a continuous range from a defined start point to an endpoint
- Schedule activities are shown progressing through the physical locations

Key Features of Time Location Charts
Grids
Chart Features: Time and Distance Grids
Such charts feature two axes, that may be rotated to be either orientation:- Time as one axis, this may represent the entire project timeline or filtered to a specific period
- Distance or location along the project physical alignment as the other axis, this may represent the entire project alignment or filtered to a specific location range.
Shapes
Chart Features: Time and Distance Diagram Shapes On Activity Grid
The shapes used to represent project tasks have different meanings depending on the work they represent:
- Shapes are the core element in the interpreting chart
- Shapes with a gradient, such as lines represent a rate of progress for the scheduled activity being represented. Shallow equals fast, steep equals slow e.g. track laying
- Shapes such as milestones represent events at a point in time, and can also indicate a range of locations over which this event occurs e.g. access to site
- Polygons such as rectangles can be used to represent activities that occur over a given location span for a period of time, e.g. earthworks
- Shape colour, thickness, patterns to represent the differing scope of work
Gradients
Time and Distance Diagram Shapes on Activity Grid – Gradients
Linear tasks progressing along the linear alignment are represented by shapes with a gradient:- Parallel bar shapes can be used to represent tasks that progress along with a project location
- Time offsets can represent the task occupying a fixed amount of time as work progresses, e.g. concrete curing
- Location offsets can represent physical space (location) occupied by the task as it progresses, e.g. Work train or limited spacing between tasks
- Shapes can also combine both offsets
- Non-Work periods represented as periods of no linear progression

Triangles
Time and Distance Diagram Shapes on Activity Grid – Triangles
Triangle Shapes can be used to represent works that occupy locations over time around them:- Triangle shapes can be used to represent tasks that progress along with a project location and that occupy time and/or locations in front or behind them, meaning other works will interfere if they are planned in the same area/time
- Consider the examples shown. Task moves from a to b in time from t1 to t2

Activity Legend
Chart Features: Activity Legend
Time Location charts are enhanced by the use of legends to assist in identifying the works
Orientation
