Breakthrough Software
{{Short description|Software Company in Novato, California}}
{{Infobox company
| industry = Software
| location = Novato, California, U.S.
| founded = By 1984
| defunct = 1987
| fate = Merged into Symantec
| products = Project management software
| brands = Time Line, Timeline
}}
Breakthrough Software was a software company based in Novato, California. Breakthrough developed and sold the Time Line project management software for PC DOS computers, releasing the first version in 1984,[https://books.google.com/books?id=0OsESSRYEc0C&dq=breakthrough+software+novato&pg=PA86 Breakthrough offers project management software for IBM micro]. Computerworld, 3 Sept 1984. and version 2.0 in July, 1985.Hank Bannister. [https://books.google.com/books?id=my8EAAAAMBAJ&dq=breakthrough+software+novato&pg=PA1 Project Software Demand Growing]. InfoWorld, Jan 27, 1986. page 5. Company staff in the 1980s included William Lohse (1984-1985) as president,[https://books.google.com/books?id=EFea26Iy2kQC&dq=breakthrough+software+novato&pg=RA1-PA57 Vendors search for next big win]. Computerworld, Mar 25, 1985. page 57. Victoria Lohse as COO and CEO[https://books.google.com/books?id=pDwEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Victoria+Lohse+Breakthrough&pg=PA31 Issco agrees to buy maker of Time Line]. InfoWorld, 13 Oct 1986. and Andrew Layman as president starting in 1986.
Negotiations to merge Breakthrough into Integrated Software Systems Corp. (ISSCO) reached an agreement in principle in October, 1986 but broke down soon afterwards when Computer Associates, developer of a different project management program, announced an agreement to acquire ISSCO.Rachel Parker. [https://books.google.com/books?id=bDwEAAAAMBAJ&dq=breakthrough+software+novato&pg=PA16 Breakthrough to Withdraw from Merge Plans with ISSCO]. InfoWorld, 15 Dec 1986.
Breakthrough was acquired by Symantec in 1987. Symantec continued to release versions of Timeline until at least version 6.0 in 1994.William Brandel. [https://books.google.com/books?id=j7EPRo-7juEC&dq=last+version+of+Timeline+software+Symantec&pg=PA30 Symantec to purchase rival]. Computerworld. 11 April 1994. page 30.