Engagement timelines you can build with the client in the room.
NeoGantt is Gantt chart software for consultants who need the same engagement timeline in the proposal, the mobilisation workshop and every steering committee pack. You can draw it live while the sponsor talks, and a solo practice fits on the Free plan: one person, up to five charts.
Four moments in an engagement, one chart.
A timeline that makes the SOW believable
Phases, decision gates and the final readout on one page. Buyers skim proposals, and a clean Gantt chart answers “how long, and when do we see something?” before the pricing page does.
Planning live, on the screen in the room
Share your screen and draw the plan while the sponsor talks. Click-drag makes a task, dragging a phase moves everything in it. The meeting ends with a plan, not an action to write one.
The same page every month
Milestones mark each committee and gate. Export the chart as a one-page PDF for the pack, or send the live link so members see today's version instead of last month's attachment.
A record of what was agreed
Save an iteration when the SOW is signed. When scope shifts, the next iteration lists every date that moved, which is useful when the change request gets priced.
Shaping an engagement plan.
Most engagements fit the same skeleton: a handful of phases, a few decisions the client has to make, and a lot of waiting on information. Build it that way.
- Phases as groups. Diagnose, design, implement, or whatever your method calls them. Each group’s bar spans its tasks, so the one-page view reads at phase level.
- Gates and committees as milestones. Steering committee dates, sign-offs and the final readout are diamonds, easy to spot from across the table.
- Client dependencies as client tasks. Data requests, interview access and document reviews are where engagements stall. Flag them as client-owned and the client’s logo sits on those bars.
- Real working days. Durations skip weekends, and you can add the client’s shutdown weeks or public holidays as non-working periods, so a ten-day diagnostic doesn’t run straight through the Christmas break.
The project plan template has this shape already: initiation, planning, delivery and close, with approval milestones.
What it costs, by practice size.
| Practice | Plan | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Independent consultant | Free: 1 person, up to 5 charts | $0 |
| Boutique firm, or you plus associates | Small: up to 5 people, unlimited charts | $15 a month, or $99 a year |
| Growing firm | Medium: 6 to 15 people, unlimited charts | $25 a month, or $199 a year |
The associates you bring in count towards the plan; the client’s steering committee reading your share link doesn’t. If you’re solo, the free Gantt chart maker page sets out what the Free plan covers, and pricing has the rest.
Built for the steering committee pack
The PDF export fits the whole engagement on one A4 page, portrait or landscape, as vector output. Drop it into slide 3 of the pack and the task names are still legible from the back of the boardroom. Your logo replaces NeoGantt’s, and the live link can be printed under the title for anyone who wants the current version. More on PDF export.
Questions from consultants
Is the Free plan really enough for a solo consultant?
For most, yes. It's one person and up to five charts, and nothing is held back: share links, PDF export, iterations and your logo all work. Once you're running more than five engagements, or bringing in associates, move to a team plan from inside NeoGantt.
Can the client edit the plan during a workshop?
Not directly. People outside your organisation get view-only links. In practice you drive and they call out changes, which keeps the workshop moving: shifting a bar is a single drag.
Can I reuse the structure of a past engagement?
Yes. Save any chart as your own template, or duplicate it, and start the next proposal from your standard phases and gates.
Make your first chart
Free for one person with up to 5 charts. No card, nothing to install.