Timephased

Timephased refers to data that are distributed across time periods rather than aggregated into a single value. In practice, timephased data record measurements, costs, or resources for individual time intervals such as days, weeks, or months. This approach enables analysts and planners to model how a variable evolves over time and to project needs or performance more precisely than a one-off figure.

Common domains include project management, budgeting, forecasting, and manufacturing. In project management, timephased budgets and schedules underpin time-based analyses of work progress and cash flows; the terms Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled (BCWS), Budgeted Cost of Work Performed (BCWP), and Actual Cost of Work Performed (ACWP) are often defined over timephased intervals. In budgeting, timephased cost curves power cash-flow forecasting and resource planning.

Data representation: typically a sequence of periods with a value for each period, stored as a time series or a matrix. Granularity ranges from daily to quarterly, depending on need. Visualization often uses Gantt charts, line graphs, or burn-down/burn-up charts; in ERP and MRP systems, timephased demand or supply drives replenishment and production scheduling.

Advantages and challenges: timephased data enables fine-grained planning, trend analysis, and scenario testing. The trade-off is higher data volume and the need for reliable input data; forecasts can compound errors across periods if inputs are inaccurate.

See also: time series, Earned Value Management, Gantt chart, cash flow, resource planning.