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When Timing Matters

Business cases are great for modeling the financial impact of a purchase. But by default, use cases apply to the entire length of a contract. That works for many deals, but sometimes you need to get more specific. Value Timelines let you place use cases on a monthly calendar with start and end dates. Your calculated benefit and ROI then reflect when each use case actually starts delivering value. You can keep using the timeline after a deal closes to agree on the rollout plan with your customer.

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What Is a Value Timeline?

Think of a value timeline as a Gantt chart for ROI. Each use case gets a bar that runs from its start month to its end month. The timeline shows:
  • When each use case starts
  • How long it delivers value
  • What the cumulative benefit is at each point in the contract
You might wait to add a timeline until a deal has firmed up. Once you’ve answered what you can do for a buyer, the timeline answers how and when. The whole contract fits on one screen, so you never scroll sideways. Contracts of up to 12 months show one column per month. Contracts of up to three years are grouped by quarter, and longer contracts are grouped by year.

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How to Create a Timeline

Every business case has a Timeline tab that’s hidden by default. Internal users at your organization can see it, but external users won’t know it exists until you make it visible.

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Step 1: Add the Timeline

  1. Open the Timeline tab in your business case
  2. Click “Add Timeline”
  3. You’ll see your use cases on the left and the contract months across the top

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Step 2: Place Use Cases on the Timeline

  1. Hover over an empty use case row. A preview bar follows your cursor.
  2. Click to place the bar. Its default length scales with the contract.
  3. Drag the bar to move it, or drag either edge to change the start or end month.
  4. Watch the Cumulative Benefit row at the bottom update. Hover over a value to see how it breaks down.
To take a use case off the timeline, click its bar and select “Remove from timeline”.

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Example Rollout

Imagine you’re selling a platform that takes time to implement:
  • Months 1-12: Place your core “Activation” use case, which carries most of your value
  • Month 6 onward: Add supporting use cases that start once the customer knows your product
  • The cumulative benefit and your total calculated benefit both reflect the phased approach

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How a Timeline Changes Your Business Case

Adding a timeline changes how use cases contribute to benefit. Before you add a timeline:
Use cases apply to the entire length of the contract. After you click “Add Timeline”:
Use cases count only for the months between their start and end dates. A use case that isn’t on the timeline has no dates and isn’t included in the total benefit. Tab visibility (public vs. hidden):
This controls whether external users see the Timeline tab. Even when the tab is hidden, use case dates and ramping still apply. To go back to full-contract calculations for a use case, remove it from the timeline.
If some use case dates fall outside the contract, for example after you shorten it, click “Reset all use case dates that fall outside the contract window” above the timeline. Those use cases are set to run for the full contract.

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Change the Contract Dates

Click the Contract button above the timeline to change the contract’s start month or duration.
  • If you move the start month and use cases already have dates, you choose whether to move all use cases with the contract or keep them where they are.
  • If you shorten the contract, phases and use case dates outside the new period are shortened or removed.

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Add Context with Phases and Notes

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Phases

Phases mark multi-month periods in the band above the months. Many companies use phases to describe their rollout: Initial Setup, Team Onboarding, Full Deployment.
  1. Hover over the phase band above the months
  2. Click to add a phase, or drag across months to set its length
  3. Give the phase a title in the editor that opens
  4. Drag the phase to move it, or drag an edge to resize it
Click a phase at any time to rename it, change its dates, set a ramp percentage for every use case in it, or delete it. Learn more about ramping.
Phases can’t overlap. If you drag a phase onto another one, it turns red, and it stays where it was when you let go.

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Use Case Notes

Hover over a use case bar and click “Add Note” below it. Use notes to explain why a use case starts when it does, or to give your buyer context when you’re not in the room. Hover over a note to read it, and click it to edit or delete it. Only internal users can add or edit notes. External users (customers and collaborators) can read them but not change them.

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Set Dates Precisely

Dragging is quick, but you can also pick exact months:
  1. Click the date range under a use case name
  2. Choose the start and end month
  3. The bar on the timeline updates to match

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Ramp Value Over Time

Not every use case delivers full value from its first month. Click “Edit Ramp” above the timeline, or click a use case bar and select “Edit Ramp”, to set the percentage of its benefit a use case delivers each month. See ramping for the details.

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Key Takeaways

✅ Timelines let you model phased rollouts month by month
✅ Once you add a timeline, use cases without dates add no benefit
✅ Hiding the Timeline tab from external users keeps your dates and the date-based calculation
✅ Internal users can edit the timeline; external users can view it when the tab is visible
✅ Phases, ramping, and use case notes turn the timeline into a rollout plan your buyer can trust

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Frequently Asked Questions

Once you add a timeline, use cases need dates to count toward the calculated benefit. Place each use case on the timeline, or click the date range under its name to pick a start and end month.
On the Timeline tab, set visibility to Hidden to hide it from external users. Hiding the tab doesn’t change your calculations: use case dates and ramping stay active.To model benefit across the full contract again, remove each use case from the timeline. You can make the tab visible again at any time.
Internal users can add and edit timelines. When the tab is visible, external users can see the timeline in the editor and as a slide in presentation mode.
Check that the use case is on the timeline. If it is, you’ll see a start and end month under the use case name.Still stuck? Contact our support team at support@minoa.io.
The use case may be hidden. Turn on Show hidden use cases above the timeline, then click the eye icon next to the use case name to show it again.If it’s still missing, it may have been removed from the business case. Go to the Value Summary tab and click Add Use Case to add it back from your value framework.