Estimate a realistic project timeline with dependencies
A list of phases with durations guessed independently ignores that some of them can't start until others finish.
- Use it for
- Anyone estimating a project timeline who wants realistic durations that account for real dependencies, not just a list of guesses.
Estimating a project timeline by guessing a duration for each phase independently and adding them up ignores two things that matter: some phases can actually run in parallel, and others genuinely can't start until a specific earlier one finishes. A realistic timeline needs the dependencies mapped, not just the durations guessed.
When not to use this
For a genuinely simple, linear project with no parallel work possible, a straightforward duration list is fine — this is for a project with real dependency complexity worth mapping.
Did this work?
You have a timeline that accounts for which phases can run in parallel and which must wait on others, not a simple sum of independently-guessed durations.
Tested on claude-opus-5. Evidence status is draft; it moves to battle-tested only on recorded runs, never by hand.