---
title: "Work with the Timeline View"
url: "https://docs.noreja.com/en/article/work-with-the-timeline-view"
language: "en"
last_updated: "2026-10-23T09:18:47.309Z"
---

# Work with the Timeline View

Follow how the average transition duration between two activities develops per week or month, compare relationships, combine them in one chart and limit to positive or negative durations.

The **Timeline** view shows how the transition duration between two activities develops over the calendar: for every relationship of the expected order, the average transition duration per week or month. Use it to spot trends, seasonal peaks and sudden changes, for example invoices that take longer to be released since a certain month. The expected order is explained in [The Expected Order: Perspective Hypothesis, Shortcuts and Backjumps](https://docs.noreja.com/en/article/the-expected-order-perspective-hypothesis-shortcuts-and-backjumps).

> **Permissions:** feature **Analyzer**: **Read** to open analyzer tabs, or a tab shared with you. Settings are saved with the tab only if you may edit it. See [Create and Edit Roles](https://docs.noreja.com/en/article/create-and-edit-roles).

### Open the Timeline View

In an analyzer tab, click **Timeline** at the top of the settings panel. Each relationship of the expected order gets a chart of its own, titled with its two activities, for example "Bestellung erstellt → rechnung erfassung".

![The timeline view of Purchase-to-Pay: line charts per relationship, for example Bestellanforderung durchführen (mit Freigabe) → Bestellfreigabe A, with the duration on the vertical axis and the weeks from January 2025 to January 2026 on the horizontal axis, and the settings Time interval, Synchronization, Combined Timelines and Limit durations to: on the right](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/727afc87-e587-42df-8770-517eb37f74ba)

Horizontal is when, vertical is how long: each point is the average transition duration of the relationship for all cases in that week or month, counted in the week or month in which the first activity happened. Hover over a point to see its date and duration. Drag horizontally to zoom into a period; **Reset zoom** shows the whole range again.

### Settings

| Setting | Options |
| --- | --- |
| **Time interval** | **Week** (default) or **Month**. |
| **Synchronization** | **Duration**: all charts use the same scale for the transition duration, so you can compare their heights. **Time**: all charts cover the same period. |
| **Combined Timelines** | **Combined**: all relationships as lines in one chart. Click a relationship in the legend to hide or show it. |
| **Limit durations to:** | **Positive** or **Negative**: averages only positive or only negative transition durations. Click again to remove it. Charts whose values changed show a plus or minus icon. |

![The combined timeline: one chart with a line per relationship in different colours, the legend of all relationships below, and Combined switched on in the settings](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/cac9a18a-bf1b-470e-b096-35eeefb8bf8e)

### Reading Tips

-   Look at the scale before comparing charts, or switch on **Synchronization** → **Duration**.

-   A steady rise is a trend; peaks that repeat every year point to seasons, for example year-end closing.

-   Negative transition durations mean that the second activity was recorded before the first. They point to steps done in a different order or to data issues; see [Positive and Negative Times](https://docs.noreja.com/en/article/positive-and-negative-times).

-   How the averages are calculated is explained in [Average Time Calculation](https://docs.noreja.com/en/article/average-time-calculation).

-   Compare a change with what happened in the company at that time, for example a new approval rule or a staff change.

### Good to Know

-   The charts use the cases that match the tab's filters; a variant you clicked in the process view doesn't count. See [Filter Cases in the Analyzer and Dashboards](https://docs.noreja.com/en/article/filter-cases-in-the-analyzer-and-dashboards).

-   The settings are saved with the tab if you may edit it.

-   The timeline view isn't available in fullscreen; see [Work with the Process Graph in Fullscreen](https://docs.noreja.com/en/article/work-with-the-process-graph-in-fullscreen).

### Related

-   [Work with the Process View](https://docs.noreja.com/en/article/work-with-the-process-view)

-   [Average Time Calculation](https://docs.noreja.com/en/article/average-time-calculation)

-   [The Expected Order: Perspective Hypothesis, Shortcuts and Backjumps](https://docs.noreja.com/en/article/the-expected-order-perspective-hypothesis-shortcuts-and-backjumps)

-   [Glossary](https://docs.noreja.com/en/article/glossary)