9 Free Excel Project Management Templates & Examples
Use these Excel project management templates to streamline your project planning and stay organized throughout your project lifecycle.
Gone are the days of lengthy spreadsheets, hundreds of notes scattered across notebooks, and important project decisions lost in a very full inbox. Every project needs clear, precise project communication to hit the ground running. With the right project management tools and templates, you'll hit your goals with ease.
We've created nine Microsoft Excel templates catered to certain types of projects or stages in the project. Need somewhere to track your project expenses and make sure you stay on budget? Maybe you need a template for quick weekly status report updates to send out to your team. Your scheduling, budgeting, and tracking can all live within these templates as a one-stop-shop for all project-related information. You'll streamline the process and reduce the risk of missing out of pivotal opportunities. Check them out below.
Project tracker template
Whether your project status reports come through as emails or during a meeting, you'll want to keep organized so your updates stay on track. Plug in updates to this project status tracker template to save you and your team time. What milestones did your team hit? Call out these individuals to give them props. Are there any risks or issues that need to be addressed? Here is a place to document potential setbacks and offer solutions. Use the project tracker template to give updates to your team as well as company leadership.
Take this template a step further by archiving it for future reference. You can assess what went wrong and what worked well. Project tracker templates are customizable for your unique work case.
Project task list template
Think of your project task list template as the high-level overview of all tasks and subtasks related to your project. Break it down into sections that parallels the stages of the project. List tasks, their stakeholders, due dates, and priority. Give stakeholders access to leave project task updates as they work, including start and end dates, percent completion, and when it's done. Treat this template as the authoritative who is responsible for what resource. Stakeholders with questions can reference this document when looking for someone to answer their questions or to learn who they will be collaborating closely with.
Get creative with your project task list template, by keeping it side-by-side with your project plan to compare progress and highlight small wins.
Action item list template
Each and every project has a prioritized list of action items necessary to hit benchmarks and end goals. Introducing an action item template into your workflow provides a visual representation of these action items. In your template, you can characterize these action items as high, medium, or low priority. You can list due dates and responsible stakeholders. Depending on the scope of your project, the action item list template can be organized for one stage of the project or catered to one team's tasks.
The action item template works well to show which tasks depend on the completion of other tasks, while providing a list view of how tasks are connected from project start to finish.
Gantt chart template
If you have a team of visual learners, here's a template that might work for you. A Gantt Chart is a visual breakdown of project phases, stakeholders, and tasks using color-coded bars seated on a horizontal calendar view. Choose one color per team or individual stakeholder. You can see each task's progress as it appears on the project's timeline calendar. There can also be a list view that shows tasks in a more traditional lineup.
Using these two layouts in combination can help each stakeholder feel like they can track the project in a way that makes the most sense for them. If a typical list layout is unappealing, give the option of a more eye-catching design for your project tracking.
Project management budget template
Nearly every project, big or small, will have a budget attached to it. A project's budget is definitely not the place for potential errors or miscommunication. It's important to track expenses throughout the duration of the project to avoid hefty unforeseen bills at the end. At the start of the project, layout expected expenses in the template. Divide them out based on the stage of the project, team, or however else makes sense for your project. Next, use the template as a guide to keep track of various expenses and make sure they align with your projections.
This is a quick and easy way to know if you're on budget. You'll also be alerted immediately if you're at risk of spending more than you projected. Using a standardized budget template will help you clearly communicate financial expectations to the team.
Critical path template
For those who want a different kind of visual representation of their project that shows direct connections between tasks, a critical path method template might be for you. This template depicts a series of circles (project tasks or benchmarks) connected by lines that lead from start to finish. They might have offshoots for each team or series of related tasks. When all fleshed out, your critical path method resembles a web of tasks and resources.
This Excel project management style is ideal for maximizing team efficiency. It clearly shows a network diagram of tasks needed to complete each stage. High priority and low priority tasks can be marked as such. This layout can also help with scheduling deadlines and developing a project timeline.
Burndown chart template
A burndown chart looks like a regular chart graph with the horizontal line (x axis) as the project timeline and the vertical line (y axis) representing the work that needs to be completed. Dots along each line are used to represent benchmarks or milestones throughout the process. This template works hand-in-hand with your project plan. It's a high-level view of the project timeline that supports project documentation and objectives.
You'll often see burndown chart templates with two lines, one representing the ideal timeline and the other representing the actual timeline. At the project's end, compare these two lines to see how the project's progress stacked up against its original goals.
Project management dashboard template
A project dashboard might be one of the most familiar layouts for project management. They can be catered to each individual user to show their unique tasks and how those tasks fit into the project on a larger scale. Here is where you can take multiple kinds of templates and store them all in one place. Breakdown the dashboard into collections of tasks to quickly assess nearing deadlines, potential trouble spots, and project status.
Dashboards are effective at communicating key performance metrics and project status through a variety of mediums. For example, use a bar graph to show which tasks are on time and which are falling behind. Take stock of each stakeholder's workload and how much time is being spent on each task. A project dashboard template can be an all-encompassing location for all project stats and metrics.
Project roadmap template
This high-level project roadmap contains project timeline, stages, goals, and deliverables all in a concise collection of lists, summaries, and charts. It can be as visual or copy-dense as you like and identify key project elements. Separate your project roadmap template into stages. Provide each stage with a description or list of tasks relevant in that phase.
Think of this template as one of the first steps in the project's conceptualization phase. You and your team have done the initial brainstorming, set your objectives, and named goals. Now, you need to convey that information to all stakeholders. Combine visual elements with concise copy to communicate the project's plan through a project roadmap template.
The benefits of using Excel project management templates
Using project management templates can provide numerous benefits to individuals and organizations of all sizes. Templates provide a standardized framework for managing projects, which ensures consistency, clarity, and accountability throughout the project lifecycle. They also save time and effort by eliminating the need to create project documents from scratch. Excel templates can be customized to fit the unique needs of a project and provide a starting point for project planning, execution, and monitoring.
With templates, project managers can better track progress, identify potential issues and risks, and adjust plans accordingly. Templates also promote collaboration and communication among project stakeholders by providing a clear and concise structure for sharing information. Overall, project management templates can help organizations streamline their project management processes, improve project outcomes, and enhance overall team performance.
Gone are the days of lengthy spreadsheets, hundreds of notes scattered across notebooks, and important project decisions lost in a very full inbox. Every project needs clear, precise project communication to hit the ground running. With the right project management tools and templates, you'll hit your goals with ease.
We've created nine Microsoft Excel templates catered to certain types of projects or stages in the project. Need somewhere to track your project expenses and make sure you stay on budget? Maybe you need a template for quick weekly status report updates to send out to your team. Your scheduling, budgeting, and tracking can all live within these templates as a one-stop-shop for all project-related information. You'll streamline the process and reduce the risk of missing out of pivotal opportunities. Check them out below.
Project tracker template
Whether your project status reports come through as emails or during a meeting, you'll want to keep organized so your updates stay on track. Plug in updates to this project status tracker template to save you and your team time. What milestones did your team hit? Call out these individuals to give them props. Are there any risks or issues that need to be addressed? Here is a place to document potential setbacks and offer solutions. Use the project tracker template to give updates to your team as well as company leadership.
Take this template a step further by archiving it for future reference. You can assess what went wrong and what worked well. Project tracker templates are customizable for your unique work case.
Project task list template
Think of your project task list template as the high-level overview of all tasks and subtasks related to your project. Break it down into sections that parallels the stages of the project. List tasks, their stakeholders, due dates, and priority. Give stakeholders access to leave project task updates as they work, including start and end dates, percent completion, and when it's done. Treat this template as the authoritative who is responsible for what resource. Stakeholders with questions can reference this document when looking for someone to answer their questions or to learn who they will be collaborating closely with.
Get creative with your project task list template, by keeping it side-by-side with your project plan to compare progress and highlight small wins.
Action item list template
Each and every project has a prioritized list of action items necessary to hit benchmarks and end goals. Introducing an action item template into your workflow provides a visual representation of these action items. In your template, you can characterize these action items as high, medium, or low priority. You can list due dates and responsible stakeholders. Depending on the scope of your project, the action item list template can be organized for one stage of the project or catered to one team's tasks.
The action item template works well to show which tasks depend on the completion of other tasks, while providing a list view of how tasks are connected from project start to finish.
Gantt chart template
If you have a team of visual learners, here's a template that might work for you. A Gantt Chart is a visual breakdown of project phases, stakeholders, and tasks using color-coded bars seated on a horizontal calendar view. Choose one color per team or individual stakeholder. You can see each task's progress as it appears on the project's timeline calendar. There can also be a list view that shows tasks in a more traditional lineup.
Using these two layouts in combination can help each stakeholder feel like they can track the project in a way that makes the most sense for them. If a typical list layout is unappealing, give the option of a more eye-catching design for your project tracking.
Project management budget template
Nearly every project, big or small, will have a budget attached to it. A project's budget is definitely not the place for potential errors or miscommunication. It's important to track expenses throughout the duration of the project to avoid hefty unforeseen bills at the end. At the start of the project, layout expected expenses in the template. Divide them out based on the stage of the project, team, or however else makes sense for your project. Next, use the template as a guide to keep track of various expenses and make sure they align with your projections.
This is a quick and easy way to know if you're on budget. You'll also be alerted immediately if you're at risk of spending more than you projected. Using a standardized budget template will help you clearly communicate financial expectations to the team.
Critical path template
For those who want a different kind of visual representation of their project that shows direct connections between tasks, a critical path method template might be for you. This template depicts a series of circles (project tasks or benchmarks) connected by lines that lead from start to finish. They might have offshoots for each team or series of related tasks. When all fleshed out, your critical path method resembles a web of tasks and resources.
This Excel project management style is ideal for maximizing team efficiency. It clearly shows a network diagram of tasks needed to complete each stage. High priority and low priority tasks can be marked as such. This layout can also help with scheduling deadlines and developing a project timeline.
Burndown chart template
A burndown chart looks like a regular chart graph with the horizontal line (x axis) as the project timeline and the vertical line (y axis) representing the work that needs to be completed. Dots along each line are used to represent benchmarks or milestones throughout the process. This template works hand-in-hand with your project plan. It's a high-level view of the project timeline that supports project documentation and objectives.
You'll often see burndown chart templates with two lines, one representing the ideal timeline and the other representing the actual timeline. At the project's end, compare these two lines to see how the project's progress stacked up against its original goals.
Project management dashboard template
A project dashboard might be one of the most familiar layouts for project management. They can be catered to each individual user to show their unique tasks and how those tasks fit into the project on a larger scale. Here is where you can take multiple kinds of templates and store them all in one place. Breakdown the dashboard into collections of tasks to quickly assess nearing deadlines, potential trouble spots, and project status.
Dashboards are effective at communicating key performance metrics and project status through a variety of mediums. For example, use a bar graph to show which tasks are on time and which are falling behind. Take stock of each stakeholder's workload and how much time is being spent on each task. A project dashboard template can be an all-encompassing location for all project stats and metrics.
Project roadmap template
This high-level project roadmap contains project timeline, stages, goals, and deliverables all in a concise collection of lists, summaries, and charts. It can be as visual or copy-dense as you like and identify key project elements. Separate your project roadmap template into stages. Provide each stage with a description or list of tasks relevant in that phase.
Think of this template as one of the first steps in the project's conceptualization phase. You and your team have done the initial brainstorming, set your objectives, and named goals. Now, you need to convey that information to all stakeholders. Combine visual elements with concise copy to communicate the project's plan through a project roadmap template.
The benefits of using Excel project management templates
Using project management templates can provide numerous benefits to individuals and organizations of all sizes. Templates provide a standardized framework for managing projects, which ensures consistency, clarity, and accountability throughout the project lifecycle. They also save time and effort by eliminating the need to create project documents from scratch. Excel templates can be customized to fit the unique needs of a project and provide a starting point for project planning, execution, and monitoring.
With templates, project managers can better track progress, identify potential issues and risks, and adjust plans accordingly. Templates also promote collaboration and communication among project stakeholders by providing a clear and concise structure for sharing information. Overall, project management templates can help organizations streamline their project management processes, improve project outcomes, and enhance overall team performance.
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