ProjectManager’s award-winning project and portfolio management software is more dynamic than static project portfolio management templates. Our software has tools to plan, manage and track programs, portfolios, resources and more. However, for those not ready to upgrade, we also have over 100 free project and portfolio management templates for Excel and Word that can help. Below are just some that address the needs of project portfolio management.

1. PPM Dashboard Template

Project portfolio managers must closely monitor projects to ensure they’re meeting milestones, but also to properly allocate resources. Using this free PPM dashboard template for Excel gives them a high-level overview of the key performance indicators (KPIs) to track and analyze the progress and performance of multiple projects. The free project portfolio management template identifies trends and helps managers make more informed decisions when managing a portfolio of projects.

The only problem with this project portfolio template is that it must be manually updated. The data is never current, which makes it harder to allocate resources and ensure that projects are delivering on the strategic goals. ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software with portfolio dashboards that deliver real-time data automatically. Once the baseline is set on the Gantt chart or roadmap, our software constantly updates to reflect actual data against the planned effort. Easy-to-read graphs and charts display KPIs, such as time, cost, workload and more across the portfolio of projects. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

2. Project Portfolio Template for PPM

With all projects visible in one place, leaders and portfolio managers don’t have to gather information from many separate project trackers. This makes it easier to understand the “big picture.” This free project portfolio template for Excel provides a structured spreadsheet layout where you list every project in your organization’s portfolio, including project names, objectives, start and end dates, status, budget (planned vs actual), priority, assigned teams or owners and other relevant data.

It organizes all projects in a single “master view,” so you can see at a glance how many projects are active, which are upcoming or completed, and where each stands relative to schedule, cost and priority.

3. Project Intake Template for PPM

Managing a portfolio means choosing the right projects to initiate. This free project intake form template for Word formalizes that process to ensure that proposed projects align with organizational goals and objectives. Use this project portfolio management template to review and approve formally proposed projects to evaluate their feasibility and determine their priority within the broader portfolio. This reduces the risk of inefficiencies or wasted resources. Ultimately, it leads to better outcomes, improved resource and risk management and improved communications between stakeholders about expectations, goals and requirements.

The project portfolio template is designed to address all the issues that need to be judged when reviewing a project for approval. These include describing the project, its goals and objectives. There’s also space to explain how the project contributes to the business, operational and strategic objectives. The project scope statement is included to summarize the work that will be executed as well as resource planning and an estimate of the project’s costs. There’s a timeline, a cost-benefit analysis and a risk management overview. This all leads to the final section, which is the assessment, which explains why the project should be approved or rejected or if additional information is needed.

4. PPM Program Roadmap Template

A program roadmap is a high-level visual plan that outlines the major initiatives, milestones, timelines and dependencies within a program; a coordinated group of related projects working toward a shared strategic objective. Download this free program roadmap template for a clear, consolidated timeline view of all the projects within a program: multiple related projects, their start and end dates, milestones and phases, all on one chart.

Because you can see when projects overlap or depend on each other, you can more effectively allocate resources (people, budget, time) across multiple projects, reducing conflicts, bottlenecks or overcommitments.

5. PPM Cost Benefit Analysis Template

Use this free PPM cost benefit analysis template for Excel to compare what the organization would expect to pay for a project against what benefits or opportunities the project could provide. This is an essential tool when determining whether a project is viable for the portfolio or whether it’s better to pass on. The more research on the project before committing to it, the better. This project portfolio management template is key to determining if the proposed project is a good fit.

This project portfolio template does this by placing a dollar amount for every cost and benefit in the project. By subtracting the benefits from the costs, the profit, both financially and in terms of business objectives and goals, is revealed. When the benefits outweigh the costs, the project is likely worth pursuing. Therefore, this is a decision-making tool that all portfolio managers will want to have in their toolshed.

6. PPM Project Prioritization Matrix

Another value project portfolio management template is the free PPM project prioritization matrix template. This tool helps compare projects objectively to determine which will bring value to the organization and those which can be passed on. This versatile tool can prioritize projects, manage time and reach a consensus. The origin dates back to President Eisenhower’s administration, where the tool was called an Eisenhower matrix, as he used it to help decide what was most important to focus on first.

The project portfolio template is simple in design, but very useful in execution. It is divided into two axes; the vertical axis is divided into two rows. One row is crucial, the other not crucial. The horizontal axis is divided into two columns, one for do now and the other for do later. This breaks up the matrix into four quadrants. The top left is for what must be done immediately, the top right is for that which can be scheduled shortly. The bottom left is to delegate and the bottom right is to delete or move.

7. PPM Resource Capacity Planning Template

Capacity planning is one of the pillars of project portfolio management, which is simply the process of managing resources, time, teams and work. The free PPM resource capacity planning template is used to balance available resources to meet the project’s capacity needs. This project portfolio management template helps portfolio managers keep up with changing demands.

Using this project portfolio template allows portfolio managers to see the utilization, time and effort of teams across projects. It does this by first providing an overview of the project and then listing the tasks and their estimated duration, including start and end dates. Next, there’s a list of resources, with an hourly rate for each resource. That’s followed by the project timeline and resource availability, utilization and remaining resource availability. Users can also see who is over or under-allocated, the resource utilization rate and costs per resource.

8. PPM Project Budget Template

While portfolio management is often focused on governance and resource management, costs are always part of the larger picture. That’s why it’s so important to use this free PPM project budget template for Excel. When planning on whether to include a project or when that decision has been made and the project’s costs have to be forecast, this project portfolio management template helps accurately estimate what the financial commitment will be.

This project portfolio template lists all the project tasks and even the subtasks. Then each task or subtask is broken down into how much it’ll cost to execute. There are columns to capture the planned labor costs, actual hours and rates. Some columns identify the materials used, including how many units and the price per unit. Of course, projects often have other costs, which is why there are columns for travel, equipment and food. The template is also fully customizable so users can add any other expenses they might have.

9. Multiple Project Tracking Template for PPM

Use this free multiple project tracking template for Excel to monitor the progress of a portfolio. It captures all the relevant project information in a single document. This project portfolio management template can be used throughout the portfolio’s life cycle. Projects are constantly in flux and the best way to allocate resources effectively is by tracking those projects to understand what they need and when they need it.

The project portfolio template lists all the projects, their tasks and their dependencies. It shows who’s assigned to which tasks, the priority as well as the start date, planned end date and actual end date. The planned and actual costs are also listed. As this data is added to the template, it is easy to see which projects are overspending or falling behind schedule. Then those projects that aren’t tracking as expected can be adjusted to get back on schedule or within budget.

10. Program Roadmap Template for PPM

A roadmap is a tool that helps view the strategy of all the project phases, objectives, milestones, deliverables, resources, risks, dependencies and the planned project timeline. This is an invaluable project portfolio management template. Use this free program roadmap template to help make large decisions about projects within the context of its strategy, resource allocation and more.

This project portfolio template keeps the project teams and stakeholders aware of project objectives. It’s also an integral part of the process to respond quickly to market changes or when a project pivots, as it shows how those changes will affect the larger strategy. Roadmaps help set expectations, get buy-in and update stakeholders on progress.

11. PPM Project Update Template

Keeping a portfolio on track requires consistent updates. This free project update template for Excel is the perfect tool for portfolio management. Because portfolio management involves overseeing multiple projects simultaneously, often with different scopes, teams and timelines, having standardized updates from each project is extremely useful.

Because the template is ready-made, project managers don’t have to reinvent the reporting structure each time. That saves time, reduces reporting errors and ensures completeness. The template acts as a standard communication backbone for a project portfolio, enabling clarity, alignment and strategic oversight across multiple initiatives.

12. PPM Status Report Template

When portfolio managers need to check in on the progress and performance of their projects or keep their stakeholders informed, they can use this free PPM status report template for Excel. This project portfolio management template improves communication and helps to deliver project update presentations with greater impact by capturing the current status of projects in terms of health and progress.

The project portfolio template covers everything from project information to a summary of the project’s status, which includes completed work, upcoming work, project deliverables and milestones. There’s a section on the project’s health, which includes overviews of the budget, schedule, scope and quality control. There are even risk and change management logs.

13. Project Request Form for PPM

Need to propose new projects to stakeholders or teams? Utilize our free project request form. It captures key information upfront—such as the project’s purpose, expected benefits, scope, costs, required resources, risks and alignment with organizational goals. This gives the PMO or portfolio managers enough detail to evaluate whether the proposed project should move forward.

Use this template to bring structure and fairness to how new projects enter the portfolio. Instead of informal conversations or unclear requests, every idea is documented, comparable and evaluated against the same criteria. This helps the PMO prioritize high-value initiatives, prevent resource overload, screen out low-impact projects and maintain alignment with strategy.

14. Project List Template for PPM

In project portfolio management (PPM), a project list serves as a master registry of every active, planned, or archived initiative across the organization. This project list template gives visibility into the full scope of work, showing which projects are underway, which are coming next and how they relate to strategic goals. With a reliable project list, portfolio managers can better prioritize, balance resources, and ensure alignment across teams and departments.

The template provides a ready-to-use spreadsheet to capture essential details for each project, including the name, owner, status, priority, start and end dates and other metadata. This standardization makes it easy to maintain, filter, and sort projects, ensuring nothing gets lost. By consolidating all projects in one place, it simplifies oversight, helps detect conflicts or overcommitments, and supports clearer decision-making and reporting at the portfolio level.

15. Resource Plan Template for PPM

Use this free resource plan template for Excel to always have the right resources at the right time. This project portfolio management template does that by identifying, listing and organizing all the resources needed to complete the projects as well as determining the quantity needed for each resource, including cost and when it’s needed in the project.

When using this free project portfolio template, there are fields to fill in on the project info, resources and costs. Once this section is completed, there’s a calendar to the right. It goes for a month, but this customizable template can be changed to reflect a week or several months, depending on the project’s needs. Then fill in the calendar to plan resources and ensure that the project is always covered.

How ProjectManager Helps PPM

Project portfolio management templates aren’t the ideal tool to manage multiple projects. Projects are dynamic, templates are static. It’s simply a poor match. Someone has to manually update those templates, which takes time away from more valuable work. Project portfolio management software is a far better solution. ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software that has features that automatically update in real time, like the project portfolio dashboard that provides a real-time overview of project health without having to do anything but toggle over to the tool.

Manage Resources With Roadmaps

Our powerful project portfolio roadmaps work better than project portfolio templates. Our software can collect all the projects in a portfolio and display them on a Gantt chart that can help with resource management, time tracking and task management. Users can filter by assignee, project manager or customer to make forecasts. View which projects are open and see who is assigned to which tasks. It also helps highlight key metrics to keep stakeholders informed.

Get Detailed Portfolio Reports

Keep stakeholders informed with high-level and in-depth reporting features that share progress and more. Customized project portfolio reporting goes deeper into the data, generating reports on portfolio status, tasks and timelines as well as customizing reports to see only the data that users want to see. There are also reports on variance, timesheets and workload, among others.

Related PPM Content

Project portfolio management templates are only a small part of project portfolio management. To learn more about the best ways to manage multiple projects, check out the recent posts below.

• Free PMO Templates for Excel and Word
• How to Make a Portfolio Management Report: A Quick Guide
• Best Project Portfolio Management Software
• How to Manage Multiple Projects: Strategies & Tools
• Project Intake Process: Prioritizing Project Requests
• Project Selection: Use These 8 Selection Methods

ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects teams, whether they’re in the office or out in the field. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app notifications. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

The post 15 Free Project Portfolio Management Templates for Excel and Word appeared first on ProjectManager.

Project reports are tools that project managers use to extract valuable project data. Excel report templates are a great tool to determine how you’re doing and keep your stakeholders updated.

Using Excel Report Templates for Project Management

The great thing about Excel report templates is that they’re free to download. Below are 15 essential Excel reporting templates you can use now to get valuable data on your project. These templates cover everything from status reports to risk registers for a clear view of how your project is doing.

Microsoft Excel is a great tool, as these templates show, but they only go so far. Excel reporting templates must be input manually and are labor-intensive. They also don’t reflect real-time data so they’re always slightly behind. Project management software is the next step to gaining greater efficiency in managing your project, but if you’re not ready for that, Excel report templates will help.

Excel Report Templates for Project Management

Below are Excel report templates for project management, but they’re only a small sampling of the free project management templates we have to download on our template page. There are dozens of Word and Excel templates to help you through every stage of your project’s lifecycle.

We’ve culled through that pack of templates to highlight our free Excel report templates. Download one or all of them now and use them to extract the information you need to deliver a successful project. When you’re ready to take your project templates one step further, read to the end and see how project management software leaves Excel project templates in the dust.

1. Project Dashboard Template

Just as the dashboard on your car helps you track speed, mileage, gas consumption and more, our free project dashboard template is a window into the progress and performance of your project. It’s made up of a variety of graphs, such as a pie graph that shows how your team is progressing on their tasks, to bar charts on workload, task lengths and project costs.

The free project dashboard template is a high-level view of your project. It gives project managers a glimpse into what’s going on in the project so they can make better decisions. This Excel report template makes for a great communicative tool. Numbers can end up floating around on the page if math isn’t your strong suit, but the visual elements of the free project dashboard template create a quick and easily digestible way to deliver project data to stakeholders.

ProjectManager software delivers more than any template. ProjectManager is online software that isn’t static like a template but instead connects to your project plan, schedule, resources and more. Our real-time dashboard receives live data as teams update their status so you’re always seeing current and accurate project information. There’s no data to input and it’s all done automatically. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

2. Project Status Report Template

Being able to get a snapshot of your project that shows its current state is critical for proper management. Our free project status report template lets you see the health of your project and how it’s progressing against your project plan. It can be used to communicate with stakeholders who prefer a more general synopsis of how the project is doing.

This Excel report template is still a wealth of important information, from a summary to project health to risks and recommendations. That includes key accomplishments, what work is completed, what’s still ahead, milestones that have been reached and deliverables. There’s also a place for action items, overviews of the budget, schedule, quality and scope, and even roadblocks that need to be addressed.

3. Progress Report Template

Knowing the progress of your project is one of the best ways to make sure you’re meeting scheduled milestones. Our free progress report template is a way to record the movement of your project over a specific period of time. That timeframe can be a week, a month or whatever is appropriate for your project Our free Excel report template captures the data.

The Excel report template provides a summary of the project status, scope, schedule, cost and risk and then goes into more detail about all the tasks executed over the timeframe. It also looks at any issues that came up over this period and how they impacted the budget. It then notes any existing or expected accomplishments.

4. Project Task Tracking Template

Keeping a project on schedule is one of the main responsibilities of a project manager. One way to accomplish this goal is with our free project task tracking template. It’s a tool that allows you to create a task list and use that to make sure each task in your project is on track to make its deadline. If not, you can reallocate resources to get it back on schedule.

The Excel report template is set up to capture the task and a brief description. It outlines if it’s a dependent task and who it’s assigned to. There are also pulldown menus to note the priority, start date, planned end date and actual end date for each task. There’s a status column to note if the tasks are opened or closed and a space to add other details not collected already.

Of course, tracking tasks is even easier in project management software like ProjectManager. You can create subtasks, assign work, filter for tags and update progress in real time. Managing tasks in the kanban board lets you visually monitor a task’s lifecycle and eliminate bottlenecks to keep work moving.

5. Cost Benefit Analysis Template

This Excel report template is a bit different. You use a cost-benefit analysis template to see if the project is viable and worth funding. There are always questions to answer before initiating a project, such as whether will meet a need, provide a service and whether you can deliver on deadline and for a reasonable cost.

The cost-benefit analysis is a way to answer those questions before investing and risking the financial solvency of the organization. It lets you examine the numbers and make a knowledgeable decision about whether to go through with the project or not. This might be one of the most important Excel report templates you’ll use and it should always be part of your research.

6. Gap Analysis Template

Whether you’re managing a project or an organization, you’re always on the lookout for ways to innovate and be more efficient and effective in meeting your long-term goals. A gap analysis template is a tool that helps conduct a strategic analysis of when you are, where you want to be and, most importantly, how to get there.

Using this Excel report template is the first step to making an action plan that can help you close the gap you’ve found in your analysis. It helps you see the path to achieving those strategic long-term goals that help you grow and stay competitive. Like many Excel report templates, it also acts as a communication tool for stakeholders and employees, providing a lodestar to follow.

7. Lessons Learned Template

After you’ve delivered a project, it’s important to learn from it. What worked? What didn’t work? You can then take that knowledge and apply it to future projects to manage them better. One of the most important Excel report templates you can use is this free lessons learned template.

The lessons learned template creates a space in which you can capture all the information you need from what is a win or a loss, describing what happened, the impact, how to change things to improve and then a list of action items to implement those changes. Use this Excel report template when doing a post-mortem with the project team. Get their feedback as they were on the front lines of the project and can offer a unique perspective.

8. Executive Project Status Report Template

This executive project status report template is an ideal way to keep executives and stakeholders informed on progress without overwhelming them with unnecessary information.

The template standardizes how this information is presented, making updates faster to prepare and much easier to understand. It ensures consistency across projects, supports better decision-making and helps leadership stay aligned on progress, priorities, and potential problems.

9. Timesheet Template

Another Excel report template is our free timesheet template. It’s a tool that not only helps with payroll but allows project managers to track the time each team member is spending on their tasks. You can track cost per hour, vacation and overtime to help stay on schedule.

This free Excel report template captures the personal data of each team member, including the department in which they work, their supervisor and their hourly rate. Their weekly hours are then collected and totaled to show you how much time they put in and what tasks they’ve completed or are still working on. Finally, there’s a signature line for the employee and supervisor.

10. Risk Register Template

All projects have risks associated with them. We think of risks as bad, but some risks are good in that they open up an unforeseen opportunity. Our free risk register template helps you plan for risks, set priorities and outline who on the team is responsible for following through.

This free Excel report template is important in helping you identify and respond quickly to any issues that show up in the project. You can’t know every risk that might show up, but with the help of your team’s experience, you can outline a majority of the likely risks and have a plan in place to effectively mitigate risks or take advantage of them.

11. Project Update Template

A project update template gives you a structured, repeatable format to report on project status. It includes sections for key information such as what has been completed recently, what’s coming up next, current milestones and deliverables, risks or issues and any support or decisions needed.

Using this template standardizes communication; every update has the same format, so stakeholders always know where to look for what matters. It saves time compared to building a fresh report from scratch each time, reducing administrative overhead.

12. Change Log Template

Having a change log template is key to any change management process. Project plans are important but they’re not etched in stone. When changes occur in your project, whether external or internal, you need to have this free Excel report template to capture that change and track it throughout the project or until it’s resolved.

The free change log template has a place for everything you need to identify and track changes in your project, such as when it was first discovered and who discovered it. The more data around the change, the more you can control it and make sure it doesn’t derail your project.

13. Daily Report Template

Use this free daily report template to record and communicate key activities, progress and issues that occur within a single workday. It helps teams stay updated, track productivity, and ensure accountability in projects or operations.

This Excel report template streamlines the work management process. It collects the tasks collected over the day and those that are ongoing, including priority, estimated duration, who’s assigned and more. The template also tracks upcoming tasks to help keep the team prepared.

14. Budget Dashboard Template

A budget dashboard is a visual representation of the financial aspects of a project. It shows key budget-related metrics in easy-to-read graphs and charts. Download this free budget dashboard to help keep projects on budget.

Use this Excel report template to track planned vs. actual costs, expenses and forecasts. This allows project managers to quickly assess whether a project is within its financial constraints or not. It also helps to efficiently allocate resources, highlight potential overspending or delays and make more informed decisions.

15. Task Tracker Dashboard Template

An Excel report template that is useful when monitoring, managing and tracking the progress of tasks is this free task tracker dashboard template. It helps to keep project managers and their teams organized, prioritize work and help meet deadlines.

The task tracker dashboard provides a visual tool that can be tailored to meet one’s needs, whether by adding columns for priority, deadlines or task owners. It can also be customized with color to represent different statuses.

16. Highlight Report Template

A highlight report gives stakeholders a brief, high-level snapshot of a project’s status over a set period, often weekly or monthly. Use this highlight report template for Excel to communicate only the most important information: key accomplishments, upcoming work, major risks or issues, milestone progress and the overall health of the project (often shown with a RAG status: red, amber, green).

It helps busy stakeholders stay informed without reading detailed reports, supports quick decision-making and ensures everyone understands what’s progressing well and what needs attention. It’s essentially a concise progress check-in that keeps communication clear and consistent.

17. Balance Sheet Template

A balance sheet provides a snapshot of an organization’s financial position at a specific point in time. Use this free balance sheet template for Excel to outline assets, liabilities and equity to help stakeholders assess the financial health, liquidity and solvency of the organization.

This Excel report template simplifies financial reporting by performing essential calculations automatically. It sums current and non-current assets, liabilities and equity, for more accurate financial tracking. It also computes critical financial ratios, including debt ratio, current ratio, working capital, assets-to-equity ratio and debt-to-equity ratio.

18. Profit and Loss Statement Template

Use this free profit and loss statement template for Excel for businesses to track financial performance over a given period of time. This Excel report template provides a clear breakdown of revenue, expenses and net income to help understand profitability and more informed decisions.

Use this profit and loss statement template to automatically sum up revenue, cost of goods sold, operating expenses and other crucial components. Because the template is automated, it makes sure results for gross profit, operating income and net income are accurate.

How ProjectManager Makes Reporting More Robust

These Excel report templates are a good start, but if you want to cross that project finish line on time and without accruing extra costs, then you need project management software. ProjectManager is online project management software that automates reporting and delivers real-time data for more accuracy and better decision-making.

Use Real-Time Dashboards

The dashboard template only gives you a taste of what a dashboard can do. Our real-time dashboard automatically captures live data. You don’t have to manually input it. It also does the calculations for you and then displays the results in easy-to-read graphs and charts. This high-level view is constantly updating so it’s like a high-level status report that’s always at your fingertips. While other project management tools have dashboards, often you have to set them up. That wastes time. Our dashboard is ready to go when you are.

Get Customizable Reports

All of the Excel report templates we’ve featured for free download are static documents. Our reports can be generated quickly and each can be filtered to show only the data you want to see or share with stakeholders. There are reports on portfolio status, project status, project plan, task, timesheets, availability, workload and various others to help you see in real time how the project is progressing and performing. Excel report templates don’t take the complex data from your project and turn it into helpful and digestible information, but our software does.

The dashboard and reports are all collecting data from the many features that make our software unique in the project management space. We have robust Gantt charts that schedule tasks, resources and costs. Our kanban boards help to visualize your workflow while the sheet, list and calendar views are all designed to help you work how you want. Our collaborative platform connects everyone on your team, different departments and even outside enterprises so your reports can be shared with those who need to see them.

Related Excel Project Management Content

While Excel is not a project management software, it can still be a very helpful for managing various aspects of your projects. That’s why we’ve created dozens of blogs, templates and guides to help you use Excel for project management.

• Free Manufacturing Excel Templates
• Free Excel Construction Templates
• Free Word & Excel Templates for Business
• Excel Spreadsheet Templates for Tracking Tasks, Costs and Time
• How to Create a Project Timeline in Excel (Free Template Included)
• How to Make a Gantt Chart In Excel Step-By-Step (Template Included)
• 25 Must-Have Project Management Excel Templates and Spreadsheets

ProjectManager is award-winning project management software that creates efficiencies by connecting everyone in real time. With features to plan, monitor and report on projects, and manage resources and risks, we have the one tool for all your project management needs. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

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There are also planning charts, diagrams and matrices for each of the key 10 project management areas such as cost, schedule, resource or stakeholder management.

Luckily for project managers, there are many alternatives when it comes to choosing a project management chart to facilitate project planning efforts. In fact, using those charts is often a need for project managers. You’ll need to use a Gantt chart or a work breakdown structure to build your project plan, which is the foundation of your project.

What Are Project Management Charts?

Project management charts are visual representations of data that turn difficult project management concepts into easily digestible assets. They’re mostly used for project planning and take many shapes such as flowcharts, network diagrams or bar charts. Gantt charts, PERT charts, CPM diagrams and WBS diagrams are great examples.

Project management charts are especially useful when you’re communicating complex project planning information. They visualize data and turn complex concepts such as the project schedule or scope into digestible data for the project management team and stakeholders.

Data from project planning charts are even more useful when it’s tied to real-time project management software like ProjectManager. Our software takes a static chart and turns it into a dynamic tool for planning, execution and reporting. For example, our Gantt chart is ideal for showing a plan visually, scheduling tasks, resources and costs on a spreadsheet and a timeline. More than having the entire project on one page, project managers can link all four types of task dependencies to avoid delays and cost overruns. It’s easy to filter for the critical path and identify essential tasks. Plus, set a baseline to compare the planned effort against the actual effort in real time to keep the project on track. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

Top 22 Project Management Charts

Before considering which project management chart is best for you, it’s important that you first decide which project management methodology you’ll use as there are differences between waterfall and agile project planning. It’s also important to note that you’ll need a variety of project management charts as each serves different project planning purposes such as creating a project timeline, allocating project resources, planning project work and more.

Below, we’ve selected the best project management charts for project planning so you can decide which are best for your project.

1. Gantt Charts

Experienced project managers are familiar with the Gantt chart. It’s a dynamic bar chart that shows the project schedule on a timeline. Although Gantt charts started out as a basic tool, they’ve matured and include enticing features such as task dependencies that note when one task is related to another.

Gantt charts are essential for modern project planning and scheduling because they allow project managers to visualize all of the activities that make up the project on a timeline. They’re also useful to monitor progress once the execution phase begins.

With new computing power, Gantt charts evolved from a basic bar chart to an essential project management tool that allows project managers to identify the critical path, assign tasks, establish task dependencies, generate a project timeline and much more. This is why most modern project planning software now includes Gantt charts.

One of the biggest advantages of using Gantt charts is that it also allows to create roadmaps to visualize the timelines of multiple projects in a program or project portfolio.

Online Gantt Charts for More Flexibility

All Gantt charts aren’t equal; other project management software programs have Gantt charts, but they’re basic in functionality. ProjectManager offers Gantt chart features that the competition hasn’t yet considered.

To start, ProjectManager can import your task list and schedule from a static spreadsheet. If your plan was developed in Microsoft Project but you want to move that plan online to share with your team, know that ProjectManager facilitates the import of Microsoft Project files.

Once you have your project plan in ProjectManager, our online Gantt chart is a project management chart on steroids. You can link task dependencies to prevent team members from getting blocked. You can also assign tasks directly from the Gantt view, which is an interactive project timeline that you can adjust in real time. Comment at the task level and all status updates are instantly reflected on the Gantt chart, which feeds into a real-time dashboard with project metrics that can be filtered and shared.

2. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Diagram

One aspect of project planning is organizing project activities, deliverables and timelines. That’s where a work breakdown structure (WBS) comes in handy. It’s a way to take the tasks a team must accomplish and split them into manageable sections.

The WBS is a deliverable-oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team. In other words, it’s a great way to visualize the tasks that need to be done in order to complete the project. It acts as a slightly higher-level view than a Gantt chart, which is useful for complex projects. A WBS can be represented as a list, a tree diagram, a spreadsheet or a column on a Gantt chart.

Once you have that information collected in our WBS diagram template, if you want a more dynamic tool that has more options, connect it to ProjectManager’s work breakdown structure software.

Upon moving the WBS diagram to ProjectManager, content is reflected over the different views in the software including the Gantt, task list and kanban board, a visual workflow tool. The online Gantt chart turns the WBS diagram into a powerhouse for project planning.

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Work Breakdown Structure Template

Use this free Work Breakdown Structure Template to manage your projects better.

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3. Flow Chart

Flow charts are another tool project managers should have in their toolbox when project planning. These charts help visualize processes as a way to improve project efficiency. The flow chart is a graphic display of the project’s objective and helps create a logical order of the work required to reach that goal. Planning a project is all about control, and a flow chart gives a project manager a tool to exercise control over tasks, resources and time. This means all processes, including planning and monitoring, refer to the flow chart to increase efficiency.

This flowchart template has the basic symbols you need to represent a process.

• An oval means the start or finish of the process
• A rectangle represents an activity, or step in the process
• An arrow represents the direction from one step to another
• A diamond represents a decision

The example below shows the process of creating a project plan, and getting it approved.

4. Project Network Diagram

A project network diagram visually maps the sequence of activities that make up a project, showing how tasks connect and depend on one another. It highlights the logical flow of work from start to finish and reveals relationships such as finish-to-start dependencies, which makes it an important tool during the project planning phase. By organizing tasks into a network, teams can use this project management chart to identify the critical path, anticipate delays, and better coordinate resources. This tool supports scheduling, risk awareness and more predictable delivery.

This free project network diagram template for Excel gives you a clear framework to organize tasks, durations and dependencies in a Precedence Diagram Method (PDM) format or an Arrow Diagram Method (ADM). It starts with a simple task table for entering predecessors and estimated time, then translates that data into a visual flow from start to finish. Users can quickly evaluate parallel paths, pinpoint critical activities, and improve scheduling accuracy while keeping the entire team aligned.

5. Critical Path Diagram (CPM)

Another visual planning tool is the critical path diagram (based on the critical path method, or CPM). It’s used to show the activities that are required to complete the project. The diagram illustrates the duration of each activity and the preceding activity, how the two are related and lag (the amount of time between two activities).

A critical path diagram helps project managers break down a more extensive project into necessary activities in order to deliver a successful project. These activities are represented on the diagram as boxes. Between these activities or boxes are lines that represent the flow to show how each activity is connected and interconnected.

The purpose of using a critical path diagram is to allow project managers to calculate the total duration of a project. The critical path is made up of critical activities but non-critical activities are also shown. Non-critical activities allow for more flexibility as they don’t have a major impact on the project.

6. RACI Matrix

RACI is an acronym that stands for responsible, accountable, consulted and informed. A RACI matrix is a chart that helps assign responsibilities in project management. This table helps project managers identify stakeholders in their projects and gauge each level of involvement. This is done by noting next to each the initial R, A, C or I to categorize engagement.

For example, a responsible stakeholder means they’re directly responsible for the task. Accountable defines someone who delegates and reviews the work. Consulted means you’ll want this person’s input and feedback on the work being done, and informed are individuals who need to be updated on the progress of the work.

This is useful for assigning the responsibilities of team members on a project. But it can also be used to manage stakeholders. The RACI matrix helps a project manager to figure out which stakeholders need to know what and the frequency by which they should be updated on the progress of the project.

7. PERT Chart

This visual project management tool is great when you’re mapping out tasks and project timelines. PERT is another acronym that stands for project (or program) evaluation and review technique. It provides a graphical view of the project’s tasks, schedule and timelines.

A PERT chart is not a Gantt chart, though similar. Gantt charts are bar graphs while a PERT is freeform. PERT charts are made of nodes, boxes or circles that represent milestones. Connecting arrows show what must be completed between nodes and they represent the duration of each task.

Some Gantt charts don’t show task dependencies, but all PERT charts do. They use directional, concurrent arrows to indicate a series of tasks that must be completed in a specific sequence. Diverging arrows indicate work that can be done in parallel.

8. Stakeholder Matrix

Projects rarely move forward without the support of many people, each holding different priorities, influence and different levels of involvement in the project initiation and project planning phases. A stakeholder matrix helps project managers quickly see who has the authority to shape outcomes and who is most invested in the results. By placing stakeholders along power and interest axes, the matrix guides engagement strategies, strengthens communication efforts and reduces surprises that could threaten progress throughout the project lifecycle.

Our free stakeholder matrix template for Excel combines a power-interest grid with a detailed stakeholder register to support structured engagement planning. Users can plot stakeholders in the appropriate quadrant of this project management chart to determine how closely they should be managed. Alongside the diagram, the table captures roles, interests, impact, attitudes and preferred communication methods. The result is a practical, ready-to-use tool that simplifies stakeholder analysis and ensures every key partner receives the attention and information they need.

9. Impact Effort Matrix

Imagine a team facing a long list of possible improvements, each one promising benefits but competing for limited time and budget. An impact effort matrix turns that uncertainty into clarity by showing which actions deliver the greatest value relative to the work required. Plotting tasks against effort and impact makes trade-offs visible, helping teams stay focused on what accelerates progress instead of getting bogged down in low-return commitments.

This free impact effort matrix template for Excel organizes work into four categories: quick wins, major projects, fill-ins and time wasters. Items with the highest value and least effort become immediate priorities, while high-effort initiatives can be evaluated with more scrutiny. Lower-impact work is separated to prevent distractions. With clear labels and example entries already included, this template streamlines collaborative decision-making and keeps everyone aligned on what to tackle first and what to set aside.

10. Workflow Diagram

Workflow diagrams visually show the layout of a process, project or job. This is done as a flow chart. Workflow diagrams are commonly used to show the full business process and information flows, help employees understand their roles and responsibilities, expose redundancies and bottlenecks and avoid risks.

This project management chart can be made with software or drawn manually. Whichever route you take, you’ll get significant value from the workflow diagram. They help with operations and create greater efficiency by streamlining work. They also provide documentation for legal, compliance and audit requirements.

They’re a great tool for clear communication across the organization. Visual tools are often easier to digest no matter which department is looking at them. The workflow diagram is also a way to strengthen security. Workflow diagrams track information securely and make sure your organization is on top of any security gaps.

11. Risk Matrix

Risks can be good and bad, and project managers want to either take advantage of these unexpected opportunities or mitigate the impact of problems on the project. A risk matrix is used in project planning to identify and resolve risks as they arise as issues in a project.

The risk matrix lists risks that could occur based on experience and historical data. The matrix represents the likelihood of the risk appearing in the project and the impact it will have if it does show up. Risks are categorized based on probability and severity.

This tool helps project managers with their risk management on a project. It also communicates the risks that might become issues in the project to the project team and stakeholders. This allows teams to quickly capture these issues and resolve them.

12. Milestone Chart

The milestone chart is a visual timeline that helps project managers plan for significant events in their project schedule. Milestones are important events in a project, such as delivering the project plan or the end of one project phase and the beginning of the next one.

Each vertical line of this project management chart shows one milestone. There’s a description of the milestone on the left-hand side of the milestone and a horizontal time scale that charts the entire project. The milestone chart helps keep your team, stakeholders and customers updated on major project events.

Making milestones in your schedule and tracking them throughout the project is one way to stay on schedule. Sharing the milestone chart communicates the major events in the project and ensures that everyone is aware of them. It’s like having advance notice for big deadlines that must be met. Because a milestone chart is a simplified version of a project schedule, they’re commonly used to report on the progress of multiple projects in a program or project portfolio to stakeholders such as executives who need a high-level view project status report.

13. Burndown Chart

In agile project management, a burndown chart is used to visually represent how quickly the project team is going through the customer’s user stories and it shows the description of the features being worked on. These descriptions are from the perspective of the end-user. The burndown chart shows the team’s effort against the full sprint.

The work that’s still to be done is shown on a vertical axis. The time passed from the beginning of the project is shown horizontally. This presents both the past and the future so everyone can see where they are. The burndown chart is updated regularly to make sure it’s accurate.

There are two types of burndown charts: one is used for sprints, or short iterations when their agile team works on user stories, while the other is a product burndown chart. The latter shows the work that remains for the entire project, while the former is only what’s left to accomplish.

14. Decision Matrix

A decision matrix is a project management chart that helps project managers evaluate different choices by assigning a numeric value to them based on a set of decision-making criteria.

Let’s imagine a construction project manager is using a decision matrix to decide what’s the best type of flooring for a residential project. He has three alternatives to choose from, hardwood, cement or carpet. To make the best decision, he should consider criteria, such as the quality, cost, value to the customer and safety that each of these options offer. Depending on how each alternative is scored, the decision matrix helps the construction project manager to logically determine which is the best choice.

The image below shows how the decision matrix would look for this particular scenario. Download our free decision matrix template for Excel to create one for your projects.

15. Eisenhower Matrix

An Eisenhower matrix is a table with four quadrants that are used to prioritize projects or tasks by their level of importance and urgency. To understand how this project management chart works, it’s necessary to define what importance and urgency mean when creating one. In an Eisenhower matrix, importance refers to how impactful a task is for the success of a project, while its urgency defines how soon it should be completed.

By placing tasks in the four quadrants of the Eisenhower matrix, project managers can understand the relationship between these two variables. Depending on how important and urgent a task is, there are four possible courses of action, which are completing the task immediately, delaying its completion, delegating or eliminating it.

An Eisenhower matrix can also be used as a project prioritization tool by project management offices (PMO) that need to decide which projects or programs should be executed first.

16. Kanban Board

A kanban board is an essential project management chart that visually maps various phases that a task travels through. Tasks are represented by cards that are placed in the “to do” column and as progress is made, they move through various stages that the project manager defines. One main benefit of using a kanban board is that it allows for easy adjustments to priorities and workflows.

The goal of a kanban board is to maximize efficiency and limit work-in-progress. They offer a shared understanding of the project’s status to help facilitate communication and teamwork. They’re used in a variety of settings from software development to project management to personal task management. They’re a simple yet powerful tool to help boost productivity and achieve goals.

17. Decision Flowchart

A decision flowchart is an example of a project management diagram that helps map out a series of decisions and their potential outcomes. Think of it as a roadmap for the decision-making process as it offers insights through different paths based on the choices that are made. This flowchart includes key elements like start/end symbols, decision diamonds, process boxes and arrows.

Some benefits of using a decision flowchart include that it clarifies complex decisions into smaller and more manageable steps, improves decision making and helps visually communicate the decision-making process to others.

18. Swimlane Diagram

In most projects, different teams often handle different parts of a workflow, which can make responsibilities confusing without a clear map of who does what. A swimlane diagram solves that by dividing a process into horizontal “lanes,” each assigned to a role, department or stakeholder group. As tasks move across lanes, the diagram reveals handoffs, dependencies and potential bottlenecks, helping project managers streamline collaboration and ensure every participant understands their part in the overall process.

This swimlane diagram template visually breaks down a multi-step workflow into distinct lanes for functions like sales, escrow, mortgage, title services and customer relations. The flowchart shapes trace activities from initial engagement through closing day, allowing viewers to see how work passes between teams. With a clean layout and clear symbols, it supports faster process documentation, easier communication and more confidence that every milestone is handled by the right group at the right time.

19. SIPOC Diagram

SIPOC stands for suppliers, inputs, process, outputs and customers. Similar to other project management charts, this is a visual tool that helps document and understand a process, usually before starting on improvement efforts. The main goal of a SIPOC diagram is to offer a high-level overview of a process and its boundaries. It helps define the project scope, focus on the customer, identify improvement opportunities and gain a shared understanding of how the process works.

Ideally, SIPOC diagrams are used at the beginning of a process improvement process, typically when using methodologies like Six Sigma or lean project management.

20. Requirements Traceability Matrix

A requirements traceability matrix (RTM) helps map and trace project requirements throughout the project life cycle. It’s similar to a table that links requirements to different elements like test cases, design documents and risks. Typically, it includes requirements, design documents, risks and test cases. It acts like a roadmap that shows how each requirement is connected to everything else in the project.

An RTM is important because it helps manage scope creep by linking requirements to other elements and ensures that all requirements are addressed in the project deliverables. It also helps testers understand what needs to be tested and ensures a shared understanding of requirements and their relationships.

21. RAID Log

RAID stands for risks, assumptions, issues and decisions. Like other project diagrams we have discussed, it acts as a central repository for information throughout the project life cycle, specifically focusing on risks, assumptions, issues and decisions. It’s created during the planning phase and updated regularly as the project progresses.

Primarily, RAID logs are used to help proactively manage risks by identifying and documenting them early. This allows teams to develop risk mitigation strategies and contingency plans. It also acts as a communication tool to keep stakeholders informed about potential risks, ongoing issues and key decisions.

22. Decision Tree

When a project team faces uncertainty, a decision tree offers a structured way to explore possible choices and their consequences. Each branch represents an action, outcome or risk, allowing teams to compare scenarios side by side. Financial implications, probabilities and potential benefits become easier to assess visually. By laying out decisions in sequence, this tool supports smarter planning, reduces guesswork and helps leaders choose options that maximize value while minimizing downside effects.

This decision tree template illustrates how a single decision can lead to different financial or operational outcomes. Starting with a central choice, it branches into “yes” or “no” paths, followed by results such as success, failure or a neutral outcome. The simple structure encourages teams to break down uncertainty into manageable steps. With clear labels and outcome visuals, this template is ideal for evaluating project investments, innovations or risk-driven decisions.

ProjectManager vs. Project Management Charts

Project management charts are great visual aids and are helpful tools to set up the procedures for your project, but static documents can only do so much. When you start to plan and execute the project, you need project management software to connect teams and streamline work. ProjectManager is award-winnng project and portfolio project management software that automatically updates with real-time data to help you better manage your project. program or portfolio.

Manage Resources to Boost Productivity

ProjectManager’s online Gantt charts are great for scheduling work and sharing plans with teams. When onboarding those teams, set their availability, such as PTO, vacation, global holidays and skill sets, to assign the right person for the right job at the right time. Then get an overview of resource allocation on the color-coded workload chart, which makes it quick and simple to see who’s overallocated or underutilized. Then, right from the chart, balance the team’s workload and keep everyone working at capacity without risking burnout. There’s also a team page that shows a daily or weekly summary of each team member’s activities, which can be filtered by priority, progress and more.

Track Time and Costs With Real-Time Dashboards

With static documents, data has to be manually updated. Who has time for that? Our software does that busywork for you. Real-time dashboards automatically collect live data from the project, crunch the numbers and display the results in project charts. These six project metrics include time, cost, workload and more, all updated in real time to give you an overview of your project whenever you want it. There’s no setup involved, either. Want to get more details than an overview of the project? Use our customizable reports, which can be filtered to see the data points you want or provide a general summary that can be shared with stakeholders. Even our secure timesheets, which streamline the payroll process, can help track labor costs to avoid breaking the budget.

Related Content

Check out our guides, blogs and templates where you can get in-depth information on more project planning charts and diagrams, so you can use them in all of your projects for better results.

• What Is SIPOC? How to Use a SIPOC Diagram
• Project Prioritization Matrix Template
• How to Make a Responsibility Assignment Matrix
• How to Make a Project Network Diagram
• An Intro to Precedence Diagrams
• Arrow Diagrams for Projects
• Gantt vs. PERT vs. Network Diagram
• PERT and CPM: Their Differences and How to Use Them Together

Planning can make or break a project, so you want to have the best tools at your disposal when going through the process. ProjectManager is online project management software that helps you plan, execute, monitor and report on all your projects. It works seamlessly with the project planning charts described above and has a robust set of project management tools to manage resources, time and cost. See how it can help you plan your project by taking this free 30-day trial today.

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There are over 100 free project management templates for Excel and Word available to download right now on our site. They cover every phase of managing a project and can be used across industries. We’ve cherry-picked the best free goal-setting templates and goal-tracking templates and listed them below to help deliver successful projects.

1. SMART Goals Template

Not all goals are created equal. If you set unrealistic goals for yourself or a project, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Instead, be smart. Using a free SMART goals template for Word is the first step to achieving your goals because this goal-setting template ensures that the goals are grounded in reality. Once the goals are set, use this goal-tracking template to ensure you’re meeting your goals.

This is achieved through the simple process of vetting goals. That’s where the SMART part comes into play. This acronym stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound. The goal-setting template is divided into three columns. The first column is for what each letter in SMART stands for. The second column asks a series of questions to help define that goal as related to a specific SMART goal. Finally, there’s a space for answers. When this process is complete, the goals collected will be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound.

2. Strategic Roadmap Template

Setting goals is only the start. Now, those goals must be communicated to the team responsible for executing the individual tasks that will lead to achieving those goals. Using this free strategic roadmap template for Excel is a great visual aid for achieving the goal of disseminating the goal across the organization. This goal-setting template is a powerful tool to deliver long-term strategy, key goals, objectives and outcomes.

Using this free goal-setting template helps lay out all the strategy elements to prepare an organization for moving from where it currently stands to where it wants to be at a future date. Having a strategy and executing it are two points that are very distant from one another. The strategic roadmap template helps fill that gap.

The trouble with this goal-setting template is that it’s not very collaborative. Project management software is more conducive to sharing strategic plans. ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software that has robust roadmaps that can be shared with teams. More than that, we have resource management, time tracking and task management features that help teams reach those goals. Our robust roadmaps view all projects related to the strategic goal in one place where projects can be filtered to view which are open. The roadmap highlights key metrics for stakeholders, links dependencies, filters for the critical path and sets a baseline to track variance to stay on schedule. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

3. SWOT Analysis Template

You can’t set goals blindly. Before setting goals, it’s important to understand where an organization stands. Knowing the competitive landscape and how the company fits into it is essential to developing a strategic plan. That’s where a free SWOT analysis template for Word comes in. It’s another acronym, this one standing for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Filling out the goal-setting template helps to gather the data necessary to make the next, right move.

This goal-setting template is divided into four quadrants, one for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The left-hand vertical axis is divided into two parts, one for external and the other for internal. Across the top axis is a column for positive and another for negative. Then it’s just a matter of placing the information about the company and its competitors into the proper quadrants. This will guide the development of a more impactful strategic plan.

4. Gap Analysis Template

A gap analysis is a tool to gather information that will help build an action plan. The free gap analysis template for Excel is designed to show how an organization can move from its current state to the desired future state. Use this goal-setting template to understand how to hit a strategic or business goal by determining the actions that must take place. Use it for project management, business process improvement and product management.

To use this goal-setting template, first list the focus areas, such as business processes to improve or an HR skill gap. Next, determine the current and future state of that focus area. Then, estimate the gap percentage and list the action items to close that gap (including priority, start and end dates as well as required resources). These action items will be assigned to someone and a status column helps track their progress.

5. To-Do List Template

Once goals are set, then comes the real work. Using this free to-do list for Excel is a task management tool that organizes and prioritizes work to make executing that work more efficient and effective. This goal-setting template collects all the tasks a team member is responsible for and keeps them in one place, which makes it easier to manage. It’s also a goal-tracking template in that it provides a sense of progress as each task on the list is completed.

It’s easy to get started with this goal-setting template. Just list all the tasks assigned to a team member and estimate the duration of each task, which includes the start date and due date. As tasks are being worked on, set the percentage complete with the drop-down menu, which goes in 25 percent increments from zero to 100. Then note the progress and add any notes that don’t fall into the previous columns.

6. Milestones Template

One of the easiest ways to track progress toward your goals is by using milestones. A milestones template maps out the key checkpoints in a project’s lifecycle; major events such as the end of a phase, delivery of a major deliverable or critical approvals. This structure makes it easy to track when important dates are approaching or overdue, coordinate handoffs or phase completions, and communicate critical deadlines with your team or stakeholders.

These milestones mark progress in a clear, visible way, helping teams and stakeholders stay aligned on what’s important and when. By focusing on major achievements instead of every small task, a milestone plan simplifies scheduling, highlights priorities and helps avoid surprises.

7. Progress Report Template

Setting goals without tracking their progress is a loser’s game. One way to make sure that the actual progress is aligned with the planned progress is with this free progress report template for Word. A progress report documents how far a project has progressed against where the project plan says it should be at this point. This goal-tracking template captures a snapshot of the project’s progress within a specific time frame to show if things are moving forward as planned.

This goal-tracking template begins with a summary to show the big picture before diving into the details that follow. Those details include all the tasks that were executed over the period covered in the progress report, any issues that came up and the money spent over that time. There’s also room to list any accomplishments and expected accomplishments that will show up in the next progress report.

8. 5-Year Plan Template

It’s never too early to start setting long-term goals. This 5-year plan template is designed to define your long-term objective and break it down year by year, noting annual end-goals, strategies or processes to get there, required resources and measurable success metrics.

It gives long-term direction, helps prioritize resources and provides a framework for decision‑making over time. With a clear 5‑year plan, everyone understands the vision and can align their efforts to support sustainable growth, avoid chaos, and measure progress against shared objectives.

9. Status Report Template

Another goal-setting template is the free status report template for Excel. A status report is different from a progress report. The former is a broad overview of a project’s current state, while the latter focuses on the project’s progress over time. Regardless, both are important goal-tracking tools.

This goal-setting template opens with a summary of the project, such as its name, date, project manager as well as the reporting period. There follows a summary of key accomplishments, completed work, planned work, milestones, deliverables and action items. Then there’s a rundown of the project’s health, such as the budget, schedule, quality and scope. There is also a risk management overview and recommendations for going forward.

10. Project Deliverables Template

A project deliverables list defines the concrete outputs a project is expected to produce, including the reports, features, products, or services that must be delivered when the project ends. With this project deliverables template, you capture each deliverable’s name, description, who’s responsible, and its due date, all in one organized sheet. You can monitor status (e.g., not started, in progress, complete), add notes or comments and adjust deadlines or ownership as needed.

By specifying deliverables early, it ensures everyone understands what “done” means, aligns expectations among stakeholders and reduces the risk of scope creep or missing outcomes. This clarity helps guide planning, coordinate work, and validate project success.

11. Requirements Gathering Template

Knowing the requirements necessary to execute a plan is a key part of achieving one’s goals. Using this free requirements gathering template for Word collects what’s required and communicates that information between the user and developer. The user will show what they require and the developer ensures that it’s all accounted for in the requirements-gathering process.

The free goal-setting template has a cover page that not only names the project but also has a box that tracks the versions and why changes were made to the requirements gathering template. Next, there’s a section for the project plan, its purpose, scope and timeframe, with milestones, goals and dependencies. Constraints and restrictions are outlined. Then the requirements are broken down into seven subsections to capture everything from user requirements to risk management.

12. Project Overview Template

A project overview is a high-level description of the project and one of the documents used to get a new project started. Use this free project overview template for Word to convince senior management of the project’s viability and to get the project team on the same page in terms of the goals and objectives of the project.

This goal-setting template captures everything from the business case, which summarizes the project and its value, to the project deliverables. There’s also a section to capture opportunities and problems, goals and objectives and what’s in and out of scope for the project.

13. Annual Work Plan Template

An annual work plan is a strategic document that lays out what a team or organization aims to accomplish over the course of a year. Use our free annual work plan template to turn broad goals into concrete objectives, define the initiatives needed and assign responsibilities, timelines and resources.

The template offers a central place to organize objectives, giving your team a shared roadmap and helping everyone stay focused on what matters most during the year.

14. Project Summary Template

A project summary is part of a project proposal, which is used to convince stakeholders or clients that the potential project is worth funding. To achieve this goal use our free project summary template for Word. This project goal-setting template can also be a standalone document or part of a project proposal. Either way, it’s a comprehensive overview of the project, briefly stated, but including key details.

This goal-setting template captures important information, such as the project schedule, including durations, milestones and deliverables. There’s space for the project budget, which includes financial projections to show costs and return on investment (ROI). The resource plan is outlined and there’s a risk management overview to show how roadblocks and other challenges will be dealt with.

15. Eisenhower Matrix Template

The Eisenhower matrix is a simple yet powerful prioritization method that helps you decide which tasks to tackle first by evaluating two criteria: urgency and importance. Use our free Eisenhower matrix template to divide tasks into four categories: “urgent & important,” “important but not urgent,” “urgent but not important” and “neither urgent nor important.”

You can quickly see which tasks deserve your immediate attention, which should be scheduled later, which can be delegated and which can be dropped. By doing so, the template helps you convert a chaotic to‑do list into a prioritized, actionable plan

ProjectManager Helps With Goal-Setting and Tracking

Using these goal-setting templates is helpful, but only to a point. That’s because all templates, whether for Excel or Word, are static documents. That means that each must be manually updated, taking teams away from their tasks and giving managers data that is already outdated once added to the template. To leverage an advantage that templates can’t provide, use project management software. ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software that delivers real-time data and has workflow automation with approval settings to ensure quality deliverables while streamlining processes.

Monitor Goals With Real-Time Dashboards

There are goal-setting templates that can monitor progress and help make sure the actual effort is aligned with the planned effort. But those templates are always a day late and a dollar short. Get a high-level overview of the project’s key performance indicators (KPIs) with our real-time dashboards for individual projects, a program or a portfolio of projects. Easy-to-read graphs and charts capture time, cost, workload and more, automatically updating as teams log their statuses. Best of all, there’s no lengthy and complicated setup needed as with lightweight alternatives.

Get More Details With Customizable Reports

When more detail is required, toggle over to the reporting feature. Reports can be generated in minutes and show project or portfolio status, variance, timesheets, workload and more. Filter the reports to go deep into detail for managers and their teams or create a more general overview that can then be shared with stakeholders to keep them up to date.

Related Template Content

Looking for more free templates. Other template roundups collect free templates around a theme, whether that’s change management, construction or project management. Below are links to those posts.

• 14 Free Change Management Templates for Excel and Word
• 18 Free Excel Construction Templates
• 25 Must-Have Project Management Excel Templates and Spreadsheets

ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects teams whether they’re in the office, out in the field or anywhere else. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app notifications. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

The post 15 Free Goal-Setting and Tracking Templates for Excel and Word appeared first on ProjectManager.

ProjectManager has dozens of free project management templates that you can download to assist in managing every phase of your project. Here are a few project scheduling templates to help you get started right away.

But if you’re looking for project scheduling software that can take you to the next level of scheduling, then you want ProjectManager. Our cloud-based software can plan, monitor and report on your project schedule from start to finish. Make sure you’re meeting those milestones with our real-time dashboard, which, unlike templates or other software, requires no setup. Get started today for free.

Why Use a Project Scheduling Template?

This blog has several different scheduling templates, so whether you need to schedule a sprint with a kanban template, a weekly work schedule or a waterfall plan with a Gantt chart, it’s covered. There are project scheduling templates to help construction managers build schedules for projects, production schedules for manufacturing and project timelines for milestone tracking. Having different project scheduling templates means it’s easy to find a template that suits the job.

Other reasons to use project scheduling templates is that they save time because they’re already made and can be customized quickly. They provide consistency. A standardized template ensures all essential elements are included. Having a clear framework for outlining tasks, deadlines and resources improves organization.

Best Project Scheduling Templates for Excel

Microsoft Excel isn’t naturally a good project scheduling tool. However, these free project scheduling templates can help you build a schedule and stick to it. Without them, you’ll have a hard time getting your project off the ground; with them, you’re on your way to a successful project. Transform your spreadsheets with these Excel scheduling templates.

1. Gantt Chart Template

Project schedules are made up of tasks—a lot of tasks. The crucial step in scheduling any project is organizing those tasks. You need to estimate their duration and set a priority for each so your team knows what to do, and when to do it. A task list can start this process, but you’ll quickly find yourself hitting a wall unless you use a Gantt chart.

Gantt charts are visual tools that take every project task and place them on a timeline. You can see each task in relation to the others, since they’re represented as bars. Our Gantt chart template helps you set start and end dates, shows dependencies between tasks and breaks up the phases of your project by color to easily differentiate one from another. It’s an ideal project schedule template.

You can discuss building the Gantt with your team, who’ll help you better estimate durations. Then, once you’ve created the schedule on your Gantt, share the chart with your stakeholders. It will provide a map of the project and help to orient them when you regularly update them throughout execution.

2. Work Breakdown Structure Template

Before you can schedule, you have to know what you’re scheduling. A work breakdown structure is a tool that captures all your deliverables. It’s a tree diagram with the final deliverable on top and then a breakdown of each deliverable or task that got you there. It’s an essential scheduling tool.

Our free work breakdown structure template has everything you’ll need to see all the steps necessary to schedule in order to complete your project. First, you make a detailed task list broken up into the phases of your project. The second part of the template is the tree diagram, with the project on top and smaller and smaller deliverables beneath it. Now you know everything you have to add to your project schedule.

3. Work Schedule Template

Your project schedule is just a collection of dates if you don’t coordinate it with your resources. Resources are anything you need to get the job done—this includes equipment, materials and, most importantly, your team. Organizing these resources to work with your schedule, and bring the project to a successful conclusion on time, is where a work schedule comes in handy.

Our work schedule template allows you to collect all the people in your team or organization, and designate where they’re located (if they’re working remotely), including their working hours and what work they’re responsible for. All of this is laid out over a period of time, usually over a week or month.

The flexibility of this project schedule template stems from its ability to adapt to various work schedules. There is the traditional 9am to 5pm, Monday through Friday. But some projects or organizations are working all week, around the clock. These shifts can be fixed or set as rotating. Whether your workers are part-time or full-time, this work schedule template will help you keep them organized.

If you use ProjectManager, you’ll be able to do a lot more in terms of scheduling. Templates can only go so far. See what a schedule looks like on cloud-based project management software. Watch the video embedded below.

4. Task Tracking Template

Once you have a project schedule and your resources are organized, the real fun begins. When executing your tasks, it’s important to have the means to monitor progress and make sure the actual progress meets the planned progress. Our task tracking template lets you capture your work and helps you keep on schedule.

This project schedule template serves as more than a to-do list, but less than what task management software can do. However, the template will let you keep track of your task’s status, priority, time and resources. It follows the tasks through its life cycle from ready to assigned, terminated or expired, forwarded to finished or failed.

If you’re looking for a more dynamic tool to track your tasks and keep you on schedule, then you’ll want to upgrade to an online project management software. You’ll get high-level views of progress with a dashboard and more in-depth data from the various reporting features. You’ll also want features to manage your resources and easily edit your schedule as changes occur.

5. Change Log Template

The unexpected happens to even the best-planned projects. Your project schedule is a living document that needs to be able to respond to change requests from stakeholders. Or, other variables such as weather, sick team members or problems in your supply chain can interrupt your progress. You need to have a change log that keeps track of these changes.

Using our change log template helps you identify and follow the change as it moves through your project. This makes sure nothing falls through the cracks and gives you the tools you need to control and manage that change. The change log provides visibility into the process. You assign someone on your team to resolve it, which lets you establish accountability.

You also get to prioritize the change, as not every change is equal in importance. Then, you can track the change from start to finish. The template has a place for you to number the change, when it was first identified, who owns it and its current status. Each row of the spreadsheet captures one change, so you have an orderly document to manage the process.

6. Project Plan Template

A project schedule is part of the larger project plan. It must work in congress with all the other aspects of your project, such as resource allocation, costs and more. The project plan includes a lot of guiding documents that will inform you schedule, too, from the business case to the project charter.

The free project plan template for Word helps you to organize all the important papers necessary to plan and schedule a project. You can attach all the pertinent files, such as your feasibility study, and then outline the scope of the project. Once you have completed your project plan, you can finalize your project schedule.

7. Project Milestones Template

A milestone plan marks the key events, deliverables or checkpoints in a project timeline. Rather than tracking every small task, it highlights major achievements, like phase completions, approvals, or major deliverables, that signal meaningful progress. By defining these milestones early, teams and stakeholders get a shared roadmap of when important outcomes should occur, which helps align expectations, track progress and avoid surprises.

With this Excel milestone chart, you lay out each milestone name, who’s responsible (“owner”), the expected date (or a start & end date), and status. As you update the sheet, the template builds a visual timeline, showing where each milestone falls over the project duration. It makes it easy to see upcoming deadlines or completed checkpoints at a glance, helping you coordinate phases, monitor overall progress and communicate key dates clearly to your team or stakeholders.

8. Project Network Diagram Template

A project network diagram is a visual layout showing every task in a project and how those tasks relate to each other — which ones must happen first, which depend on others and the overall sequence of work. By mapping dependencies and the logical flow, it helps you spot the critical path, estimate overall schedule duration, avoid bottlenecks and organize tasks so the project runs smoothly from start to finish.

With this Excel template, you can list all project activities and draw the relationships between them; tasks become nodes, arrows or lines show dependencies and the flow of work is visible at a glance. It helps you plan the order of tasks, track which ones depend on others and maintain a clear, organized workflow as the project progresses. Perfect for projects with many interdependent tasks where sequence and timing are key.

9. Daily Task Tracker Template

A daily task tracker helps you organize and monitor all the tasks you need to complete in one day, from start to finish. It brings structure and clarity to your day by listing what needs to be done, when it should be done and whether it’s completed or still pending. This keeps priorities visible, reduces the chance of forgetting important work and helps you stay focused and productive.

This Excel template lays out your tasks by day and time, with columns for task description, deliverable details and status. You can plan each hour or block of time, track what you need to accomplish and mark tasks as finished once done. It’s flexible enough for personal to‑dos, work tasks or team assignments, giving you a simple, clear way to manage daily workload, track progress and avoid things slipping through the cracks.

10. PERT Chart Template

A PERT (program evaluation review technique) chart is a project scheduling technique that helps project managers organize and coordinate tasks. This free PERT chart template for Excel is a visual representation of the project timeline.

The PERT chart template can be used by project managers to break down tasks and analyze them to estimate the minimum time needed to deliver the project. This allows for the scheduling of complex projects by visualizing the dependencies between tasks. This project scheduling template helps project managers calculate the PERT chart formula, which relies on the weighted average of three numbers that are based on the most pessimistic, most optimistic and most likely estimate for the project’s length.

11. Precedence Diagram Template

A precedence diagram is a visual tool that illustrates the sequence and dependencies of all tasks in a project. Each task is represented as a node, and arrows indicate which tasks must be completed before others can start. By mapping out these relationships, teams can identify critical tasks, understand task flow and optimize scheduling. Using a precedence diagram early helps prevent bottlenecks and ensures projects stay on track.

With this Excel template, you list every activity, define which tasks must precede others, and set durations to build a project‑wide dependency map. The template generates a visual network diagram showing how tasks connect so you can immediately see which tasks depend on others, which run in parallel, and which form your project’s critical path. It’s a straightforward tool to help teams coordinate complex task sequences and plan project flow with clarity and precision.

12. Critical Path Template

This project scheduling template uses critical path analysis to allow project managers to identify tasks that must be done in order to deliver a successful project. The free critical path template for Excel calculates the critical path, which is a valuable tool in creating a realistic schedule.

A critical path chart is a network diagram. It shows tasks as nodes or boxes, which are connected by arrows that represent the dependencies between those tasks and point to the proper sequence of the task. Rather than have to do the calculation by hand, this project scheduling template does most of the work for the project manager. It’s ideal for scheduling complicated project timelines. It visualizes the longest, most important chain of tasks that must be completed to deliver the project on time. Now, project managers know which tasks must be prioritized and which can be set aside until later.

13. Task Tracker Dashboard

A task tracker dashboard gives you a consolidated view of all tasks within a project, showing which ones are due, in progress, completed, or overdue, along with priorities, assignment and timing. It helps teams and managers stay organized, spot bottlenecks or overdue items, coordinate responsibilities and deadlines and keep the project moving smoothly. With a dashboard, you don’t rely on scattered notes or static lists: instead, you get a real-time (or regularly updated) snapshot of where work stands.

With this template, you create a structured task list, assigning each task a name, responsible person, start and end dates, priority level, and current status (not started, in progress, on hold, overdue, or complete). It automatically generates visual charts and summary graphics showing how many tasks are completed, in progress or overdue, making it easy to grasp the overall workload at a glance. The layout keeps everything centralized, so you can quickly filter, sort, and monitor tasks across dates, priorities and assignees.

14. Project Status Report Template

The project status is a report that captures where the project is at a specific time. You can see it’s health and progress. This can be used to update stakeholders, but is also a valuable asset for project managers. They can use the status plan to see if they’re on schedule.

Using the free project status report template for Excel captures all the metrics you need to keep your project on track. There’s general information, a summary of the project status, the project health, a risk management overview and recommendations and concerns. This free template is vital to deliver your project on time.

15. Resource Plan Template

Resources are a major part of any project schedule. They are the people and things that you’ll need to complete the tasks in your project. Allocating them works hand-in-glove with your project schedule. You need to know what and when you require the resource.

Using our free resource plan template for Excel helps you organize all your resources for the project. You can list all the team members on one side and then define them by which department they’re working in. Next, you can add their rate, cost and availability. It’s the free project scheduling template you need to track the availability of your resources.

16. Project Dashboard Template

To make sure your schedule is on track once your team starts to execute it, you need to monitor its progress and performance. The status report is one such tool. Another is a project dashboard, which measures several project metrics and displays them in graphs and charts.

The free project dashboard template for Excel is a powerful tool that allows you to track the status of your tasks, the workload of your team, task lengths and costs. However, all that data has to be manually put into the template and updated, whereas software does that work for you.

17. Estimate Template

Another part of creating a project schedule is estimating. The more accurately you can forecast your project costs, the more accurate your project schedule will be. Estimating requires gathering data and then calculating that data to come up with what your project budget will be, which informs your project schedule.

To make better forecasts on project costs that will impact your project schedule, we have a free estimate template. This scheduling template is broken up into project phases. Under each of these is a list of tasks that has space to add the vendor or contractor, the labor and material costs and then a total. When you add up all the costs of your tasks, you’ll have a clear idea of what the project will require financially.

18. Risk Register Template

Nothing can take you off schedule faster than when issues arise in your project. When planning a schedule, you need to be aware of what risks might show up, so you can quickly identify them and resolve them before they negatively impact the project. For that, you need a risk register.

A free risk register template allows you to collect all the potential issues that might impact your project. You can describe the risk in the far left column, then in the next column write how it would impact the project. Following that, there is a column to note your response, the level of the risk and who is responsible for identifying and resolving it.

19. Project Budget Template

The budget is one of the most impactful elements of the project plan on your scheduling. You can’t keep working if you’re not funded. Therefore, a project manager must know what the costs of the project are before they can schedule the work to be completed by the deadline.

With the project budget template for Excel, you have space to list all the labor and material costs, which tasks they are being used for and who is assigned to do that work. There are other line items, too, such as travel expenses, equipment rentals and fixed items, where the amount is set and doesn’t change. Capture the cost of your project with our free template.

20. Kanban Board Template

One of the best project scheduling templates for visualizing workflow is the free kanban board template for Excel. A kanban board is made up of columns that represent each stage of a process or production cycle, while kanban cards are used to capture specific tasks. These cards then move from one column to another as they go through the process.

This scheduling template provides project managers with a window into the workflow of their team. They can foresee where there is potential for a bottleneck and reallocate resources to remove it before it impacts the schedule. Meanwhile, teams are able to manage their backlog and plan together as they collaborate on the board. While kanban boards are often thought of as tools used in scrum teams or when managing a project in an agile environment, they are more versatile than that. Managers might plan on Gantt charts and teams execute their tasks on kanban boards.

ProjectManager Helps with Project Scheduling

You can schedule a project using these free templates; however, you’ll find yourself overburdened and always behind. What you need is project management software that has real-time data to plan the project, but also monitor it as it’s being executed to help you stay on track. ProjectManager is an online tool that helps you plan your project schedule, monitor its progress and keep track of your team’s performance so you can meet your deadlines.

Plan Your Schedule on Interactive Gantt Charts

Getting all your project tasks, resources and costs to come in on time is complicated. Gantt charts are a great tool to organize all those activities and see them on a timeline that shows you the entire project in one place. You can link dependencies to avoid delays and even filter for the critical path. Then set a baseline and you’ll be able to track project variance to make sure you’re staying on schedule.

Use Multiple Project Views

Managers love Gantt charts but teams don’t need to view the project schedule with that level of detail. They want to know which tasks are assigned to them and when they’re due. All the data scheduled on the Gantt simultaneously shows up on our other project views, such as the sheet, task list, kanban and calendar views. There’s one source of truth keeping everyone working on the same page but teams can track their tasks on calendars for important upcoming dates, robust task lists or the visual workflow of a kanban.

Track Your Team’s Progress on Tasks

As mentioned above, you can get a high-level view of the project with our real-time dashboard. To see how each team member is progressing on their assigned tasks, though, you can view the timesheets or generate a timesheet report. See how far your team has progressed in completing their tasks and know if you’re meeting the schedule or if you need to re-allocate resources to get back on track. Timesheets are secure and also streamline the payroll process.

Timesheets are just one of the many reports you can create with a keystroke. Get reports on time, cost and more to help you keep to your schedule. All reports can be filtered to show only the data you want to see and then easily shared with stakeholders to keep them updated. Our software not only helps you stay on schedule but has task and resource management, workflow automation and much more. It’s the only software you’ll need to manage your projects.

Related Content

• Project Management Excel Templates and Spreadsheets
• PMO Templates for Excel and Word
• Project Management Templates for Google Sheets
• Excel Spreadsheet Templates for Tracking Tasks, Costs and Time
• Project Planning Templates for Excel and Word
• 13 Plantillas de programación de proyectos para Excel

ProjectManager is award-winning software that plans, schedules and controls every aspect of your project. Our collaborative platform connects hybrid teams and helps them work better together regardless of where, when or how they work. Get started today for free.

The post 20 Best Project Scheduling Templates for Excel appeared first on ProjectManager.

Whether you need to plan a project, track progress, run a status report or balance a budget, you’ll find a project management template for Excel in this list that suits your needs.

Using Excel for Project Management

Microsoft Excel does a lot of things well: mathematics, analysis and organization. But, it’s not intuitive for project management due to its blank spreadsheet format. So, without using pre-built project management templates or spreadsheets, it’s hard to execute project management on Excel, especially as a team.

Think of all the things you have to process along the way to a successful project—scheduling, resource planning, defining tasks and milestones, etc. The days of Post-It notes and notebooks filled with scraps of paper are long gone. Thankfully, today project managers can use Microsoft Excel templates for project management—or better yet, project management software.

Best 45 Project Management Templates for Excel

Visit our project management templates page and you’ll find Excel and Word templates for creating all the project documents you need to manage your project. But, if you just need free Excel project management templates and spreadsheets, then look no further. Here are 38 essential project management Excel templates you can download and use right now. Transform your bland Excel spreadsheets into expertly-designed project management templates, and take your project management Excel processes to the next level.

1. Gantt Chart Template for Excel

A Gantt chart is a visual tool that helps you see at a glance the scheduling of tasks and their dependencies over the project timeline. That makes it an ideal project planner template for Excel.

While it’s true that a Gantt chart template can be overly complex in Excel spreadsheets, especially when you need more advanced scheduling features like task dependencies and resource allocation, they remain a vital part of any project manager’s toolkit. That’s why we recommend using online Gantt chart software to help plan tasks and projects collaboratively with your team.

Online Gantt chart tools integrate into project management & planning software, so they update in real time. This allows for easy drag-and-drop changes and can be color-coded to customize as you need. ProjectManager is project management software that does this and more. Try it for yourself today!

But to quickly make a Gantt chart from your task lists, download this free Gantt chart Excel template, also known as a project timeline template, for an easy way to create a project schedule. Simply add tasks and deadlines to this Excel spreadsheet and visualize how long your project will take.

2. Project Plan Template for Excel

A project plan brings structure and clarity to any initiative by defining what needs to be done, who will do it and when the work must be completed. It connects goals with actionable steps so progress can be tracked against the project schedule, project budget and project scope. By centralizing information about tasks, responsibilities, risks and resources, teams stay aligned from day one. A well-built project management plan reduces surprises, keeps decision-makers informed and helps ensure successful delivery of final outcomes.

This project plan Excel template organizes every major project planning element into one easy-to-navigate file. It includes fields for goals and success criteria, stakeholder information, task breakdowns, timelines and resource requirements, allowing entire teams to work from the same source of truth. Budget and risk sections help monitor constraints as the project advances. With a layout built for both planning and reporting, this template supports seamless coordination from project kickoff through completion.

3. Project Execution Plan Template for Excel

Turning a project’s vision into reality requires a practical roadmap that guides daily execution. A project execution plan brings structure by linking work packages to timelines, resources and performance expectations. It ensures everyone understands what needs to happen, in what order and who is accountable for each step. With clear visibility into progress, managers can respond quickly to risks or delays, keeping the initiative aligned with scope, schedule and budget targets from start to finish.

This project execution plan Excel template organizes the execution phase into a structured, trackable format. It includes fields for team roles, task priorities, estimated durations and completion percentages to ensure accountability at every step. Cost and resource columns make it easy to compare budgeted versus actual usage, helping prevent cost overruns and bottlenecks. With live status updates and timeline visibility, this template supports proactive management and ensures execution stays aligned with the overall project plan.

4. Project Charter Template for Excel

A project charter is the official document that authorizes a project to begin during the project initiation phase and defines its purpose, scope and leadership. It clarifies why the initiative exists, what success looks like and who has decision-making authority. By aligning sponsors, managers and stakeholders from the start, the project charter document reduces ambiguity and prevents miscommunication later in delivery. It also serves as a reference point for scope control, ensuring the project remains focused on its intended objectives.

This project charter Excel template captures all essential charter components in a structured layout, including roles and authority levels, project justification, high-level requirements, goals and success criteria. It also offers sections for milestone scheduling, budget summaries and major risks so leaders have full context before approving work to proceed. With stakeholder contacts and resource expectations documented early, this template streamlines kickoff and sets a strong foundation for execution and accountability throughout the project lifecycle.

5. Project Tracker Template for Excel

Tracking the project is crucial to ensure that it remains on schedule. That means also keeping tabs on the work at a task level.

This project tracker & task list template can help as a task to-do list, and it includes columns for the planned and actual duration of the project to determine what’s working and what needs more attention.

Once you integrate your project and task tracking template into a project management software system, you can then produce Gantt charts to get a clear visual on the project timeline, as well as get that data delivered to your dashboard to note project progress in real time. And, of course, you can import your Excel and Microsoft Project files seamlessly into ProjectManager. Our software can transform your static Excel files into stunning, dynamic project management tools.

6. Project Management Dashboard Template for Excel

The project dashboard is what keeps you in the driver’s seat as you travel through the lifecycle of the project. It allows you to monitor the project, tracking the task status, budget and more in one place.

From this free project management dashboard for Excel, you create graphs and charts that give you a visual and easily digestible look at your task and workload management, as well as cost. It’s a sure way to stay on top of a project generally and know where you have to drill down into specifics.

You can add more power to your PM dashboards when you use online project management software. That way, when team members are updating task statuses, the dashboards populate with real-time data.

7. Project Network Diagram Template for Excel

A project network diagram visualizes the sequence of work and how tasks depend on one another to move forward. By mapping the flow from start to finish, teams can identify the critical path—the series of activities that directly determines the project’s duration. This helps project managers anticipate delays, allocate resources strategically and improve scheduling accuracy. With clear dependencies and timing shown, a network diagram enhances planning, communication and on-time delivery of project goals.

This project network diagram Excel template lays out each task along with its duration, predecessors and dependency type, making workflow relationships easy to understand. It visually connects activities to show how progress flows step-by-step, helping users pinpoint time-sensitive tasks that require close monitoring. Whether used during initial planning or ongoing tracking, this template supports better coordination and provides a reliable foundation for critical path analysis and schedule optimization.

8. Project Status Report Template for Excel

The need for a project status report is obvious. If you don’t have good intel on what’s happening in the project, then you’re managing blindly. You have no idea if you’re on track or if resources are being blocked.

With this free Excel project status report template, you have a tool to greatly improve your project communications, both with stakeholders when you’re delivering a presentation and also with team members.

It’s up to you to decide on the frequency of the reports. But with a project status report template, a lot of the busy work that can pull you away from a project is already done, giving you greater access to the information you need.

9. Project Budget Template for Excel

A project budget is a financial plan that estimates the costs required to complete a project within its approved scope and timeframe. It includes expenses for labor, materials, equipment, services, and other necessary resources. By allocating funds to each task or phase, the budget helps teams monitor spending, control cost variances, and maintain financial accountability. Throughout execution, it serves as a reference point to evaluate performance and ensure the project remains financially viable.

With this free Excel project budget template, you can literally see when you’re in the red because it’s color-coded. And this document, more than just one that’s crucial to the start of a project, is also a way to track that budget across the lifecycle of the project.

This template has room to cover all your costs, from easy ones to collect — such as labor and materials — to ones that change or carry over from project to project. Budgets are estimates, but with this free template, those numbers will be more accurate.

10. Critical Path Template for Excel

The critical path method helps with planning and scheduling projects. It can determine the duration of the project more accurately, allocate and optimize resources efficiently and even identify risks. But calculating the critical path is complicated and pulls project managers away from more important work. Download this free critical path template for Excel and avoid the pitfalls of manually doing critical path analysis.

Use this free Excel template during the planning phase to discover the sequence of tasks that must be completed on time in order to successfully deliver a project: figure out the earliest start, earliest finish, latest start and latest finish for each task. Users can also determine slack, which is how long a task can be delayed before it negatively impacts the project schedule.

11. PERT Chart Template for Excel

PERT charts are tools to plan and schedule project tasks. PERT stands for program evaluation review technique and the PERT chart is a visual representation of the project’s timeline, which shows the relationships between various tasks. Download this free PERT chart template for Excel to visualize a project’s timeline and the relationship between various tasks. This will give project managers valuable insight into analyzing the time required to complete each task.

This free project management template for Excel works by relying on a weighted average of three factors: the most pessimistic, optimistic and likely estimates for a project’s duration. Use the PERT Chart template to do the work instead of having to calculate the complex formula.

12. Work Breakdown Structure Template for Excel

A project is made up of deliverables and those deliverables are created by tasks. The work breakdown structure (WBS) is a way to visualize the project deliverables, the tasks, and the subtasks, that are necessary to make them.

ProjectManager has a free WBS template that structures the process of breaking down the large project into smaller and smaller tasks, in a hierarchical visual that allows you to see the entire scope of the project work.

This is a key element of project planning, but it’s also critical to estimating project costs and setting up a realistic schedule. Better still, because our WBS free template is an Excel spreadsheet, it can then be uploaded into the ProjectManager software to initiate a project, assign tasks to team members and monitor and track progress once the project is executed.

13. Project Calendar Template for Excel

Another must-have project management Excel template is a project calendar. The calendar grid is familiar to most everyone, which makes it a valuable communication tool. It also provides a high-level overview of the project and its progress for stakeholders.

Download this free project calendar template for Excel to improve task management, but also foster team collaboration and communicate changes in workflow. It can also be used to show team availability, holidays, PTO and more.

This free template is easy to use and already divided into the 12 months of the year. It’s fully customizable to adjust for shorter or longer projects and can schedule both human and nonhuman resources.

14. Project Estimate Template for Excel

This free project estimate template for Excel will help you forecast a more accurate budget and realistic schedule. Before you can plan a project, you need to identify all the costs that will be associated with it. This free project management spreadsheet allows you to do a more detailed collection of what you’ll need to spend on your labor, materials and project resources.

From a job description to estimate details, this project template is a great way not only to figure out your budget but collect the various vendors and contractors you’ll be employing to help you execute the project. Create as many project phases as you require. Each is subtotaled and those subtotals are then tallied automatically for a final sum. Change is impossible to avoid when managing a project, or work plan, but the more accurate your estimate, the more likely you’ll deliver on time and within budget.

15. Action Plan Template for Excel

A project is initiated to complete the realization of a goal. But achieving that objective requires a strategy and the steps to implement that strategy successfully. In short, projects require an action plan.

Projects are pragmatic and the action plan is a framework to collect your thoughts about executing the project plan effectively and efficiently. With our free action plan template, you can fill in the blanks to ensure that you’ve covered all bases and make your project start on the right foot. It’s a great companion template to an overall project plan and project charter.

From prioritizing tasks to assigning and noting the status, timeline and resources, we have you covered. And, again, the action plan can be uploaded seamlessly into ProjectManager, so you can then use all our great features to visualize workflow with kanban boards and monitor progress with our real-time dashboard.

16. Project Update Template for Excel

Project updates give stakeholders regular visibility into progress, achievements and upcoming work. These check-ins help ensure alignment by summarizing what has been completed, what challenges have emerged and what actions are next in line. With timely updates, leaders can make confident decisions, reallocate resources when needed and keep teams focused on shared priorities. Documenting updates also creates a trackable history of performance, which strengthens accountability and supports continuous project improvement.

This project update template for Excel structures updates into clear categories such as accomplishments, completed work, upcoming tasks and key deliverables. RAG indicators highlight whether items are on track, at risk or behind schedule, making progress easy to understand at a glance. Budget, scope and quality summaries provide a snapshot of overall project health, while a risk and change log helps track issues that may affect outcomes. It’s a straightforward tool for delivering consistent and actionable status reporting.

17. Project Plan Template for Word

A project plan template has everything you need to map out your project once it’s been approved. It has space for you to define your project goals, activities and tasks as well as all the resources you’ll need to execute the work. You can begin to schedule your activities, tasks and the duration of each across a project timeline. There’s even a place to identify task dependencies.

Project plans are tailored around your project and no two are the same. That’s why this project management template has a place to add appendices.  Here is where you can attach a scope, cost and schedule management plan or a work breakdown structure (WBS) as well as your business case, feasibility study and project charter. The more detailed your project plan, the more you position yourself and your team for success when the project is executed.

18. Project Risk Template for Excel

Risk is a part of managing a project. The job involves being able to anticipate what risks are likely to occur and then formulating a response to get the project back on track. That’s where this free Excel risk-tracking template comes in.

First, it allows you to list all the possible risks you believe may happen throughout the project. Next, you can define how it’ll impact the project. You determine the level of the risk and assign it to an owner so that someone is responsible for keeping an eye on it.

Now you have a plan in place to resolve that risk quickly, and a document that can be shared so the risk is never given a chance to blindside a project.

19. Project Timesheet Template for Excel

Team members need to have a way to track their work through the tasks they are assigned, and a simple timesheet can provide an easy way to keep them on schedule as well as give them the needed information to know where they are in their tasks.

The free Excel timesheet can calculate cost per hour and includes vacation and overtime columns, to accurately note the time spent on and off the project. But project timesheets are useful for several different purposes, so this is a handy tool.

When you manage timesheets with online project management software, then the rubber hits the road. You’ll be able to filter columns and customize reports, easily sharing them in an email, PDF or Excel and CSV file. Plus your team can submit timesheets based on actual tasks in the system, and you’ll get alerted by email when they do.

20. RACI Matrix Template for Excel

Using a RACI matrix template is an essential tool for organizing projects. Projects can be confusing, and if people aren’t sure of their roles, problems are going to occur. The RACI template for Excel is a free tool to identify and define the various roles and responsibilities of everyone involved with the project.

This project management Excel template is broken up by project phase on the left and across the top all the various project positions are listed. Then in the corresponding box beneath the title is filled in with R, A, C or I to explain their relation to that specific point in the project. RACI stands for responsible, accountable, consulted and informed. Defining these roles with this Excel spreadsheet leads to smoother operations.

21. Issue Tracker Template for Excel

Issues are when something is happening right now in your project. So, what do you do when this happens? You track those issues and resolve them with the help of this free issue tracker template.

The first thing, of course, is identifying those issues as they occur. This is the document in which you can collect that information. The issue tracking template serves you by making sure every step of the way, from identifying to resolving the issue, is documented.

Of course, you’ll want to share the issue tracker template, and you can with this free Excel template, but only as a static document. With project management software, that information is easy to collect and share, as well as edit in real time.

22. Project Resource Plan Template for Excel

Resources are anything you need for a project. Our free resource plan template for Excel is the first step to managing your team and resources. You can use it to identify, list and organize all your project resources as well as figure out how much of each you’ll need and what that’ll cost. You can use this project Excel template to integrate with your schedule and budget to track costs as you execute the project.

While you’ll want to start your resource plan during the planning phase of your project, it should be a living document that’s regularly updated as things change over the life cycle of the project. Once the project has been completed, you can save the template and use it when you’re planning resources for future projects that are similar. Using this free project management template for Excel keeps everyone informed, which leads to a smoother project.

23. Change Log Template for Excel

Try our free change log template for Excel and create a successful change management process. Change is going to happen in every project, whether due to requests from stakeholders or external forces, such as weather or supply chain issues. Being prepared for change and how to respond to it is going to make or break your project.

This project management Excel spreadsheet allows you to number changes that you identify in the project to track them more easily. There’s a place to capture when the change was first discovered, who owns it and who is tasked with dealing with that change. There’s even space to note its status and set the priority so you know which changes should be dealt with first. Having a change log means you can manage change and not allow change to negatively impact your project.

24. Multiple Project Tracking Template for Excel

If you’re managing a program or a portfolio of projects, then you need our free multiple-project tracking template for Excel. When you download this free project management Excel template, you have the tool you need to monitor the progress of many projects at once.

This free template provides a high-level overview of your projects, including all relevant information, all in one place. You can track tasks, dependencies, schedules and costs, which allows you to make more informed decisions when allocating resources across all your projects and helps you identify issues quickly.

Whether you’re a program manager, portfolio manager or work for a PMO, our free multiple project tracking template is going to make your job easier. It will serve you throughout the life cycle of all the projects you’re managing for resource management, communicating with stakeholders and more.

25. Project Timeline Template for Excel

Use this free project timeline template for Excel to outline the sequence of tasks in a project. This visual tool captures the entirety of the project, from start to finish, all in one place. Users can even color-code the timeline to differentiate project phases.

This essential project management Excel template is perfect when planning a project. On the left side of the template is a spreadsheet to list all project tasks and their duration. This information then automatically populates the timeline to the right.

A project timeline template is both a spreadsheet and a bar chart, with the tasks shown as bars, their length representing the duration of that task. Project managers can use this free template to visualize the project for the project team.

26. Kanban Board Template for Excel

Kanban boards come from the Toyota factory floor, developed by Taiichi Ohno, an industrial engineer and businessman, as a planning system to manage and control work and inventory. Since being introduced as physical boards with columns representing phases in production and tasks that are displayed as cards that move across the board, they’ve evolved into digital tools.

When you download our free kanban board template for Excel, you’ll get five columns and multiple cards, all of which are fully customizable so you can make adjustments to reflect the production cycle of your project. We’ve set up the kanban board to have five columns: backlog, to-do, doing, in review and done.

Cards are color-coded to show the priority level, from high (red) to medium (green) and low (blue). On each card is the name and description of the task, who it’s assigned to and what the due date is. Again, you can add as much or as little information to the card as you like. Of course, you can also use a project management template in ProjectManager and get access to dashboards, reports, resource management features and much more.

27. Project Handover Template for Excel

When a project reaches completion, the next team must be set up for success. A project handover ensures that critical information, responsibilities and supporting documentation are fully transferred so operations can continue without disruption. By confirming that deliverables meet expectations and unresolved items are clearly documented, organizations avoid service gaps and unnecessary rework. This transition reinforces accountability and preserves the value created throughout the project lifecycle as ownership moves into ongoing operation.

This project handover Excel template provides a structured checklist for transferring all critical project information to the receiving team. It includes details about objectives, completed work, progress still underway, key personnel, and outstanding deliverables requiring follow-up. Budget summaries and timeline status help clarify remaining risks before closure. With dedicated sections for team responsibilities and communication contacts, this tool creates a transparent, documented transition that supports continuity long after the project is handed over.

28. Project Documentation Template for Excel

Strong project documentation keeps everyone aligned by clearly defining goals, scope, responsibilities and progress at every phase. Artifacts such as the project charter, business case and management plan reduce ambiguity by capturing what was decided and why. Throughout execution, reports and logs maintain transparency and support informed decision-making. When a project wraps up, closing documents preserve lessons learned and confirm that outcomes match expectations. Together, these records enable consistency, accountability and smoother delivery across all initiatives.

This Excel template centralizes every key document in a single place, organized by project phase for easy navigation. It includes fields for document owners, status, creation dates and update history so teams always know which version is current. Links to storage locations ensure files are quick to access, while status tracking highlights what still needs approval. By using this template, project managers maintain complete visibility into required documentation and streamline compliance with organizational standards.

29. Production Schedule Template for Excel

To balance supply and demand when producing any commodity, you have to have a production schedule. It tracks the production of your product over a specific period. No manufacturer is going to make anything without one. Download our free production schedule template for Excel.

Use our free production schedule as part of your larger supply chain management to manage resources, help your sales team and get your goods to customers on time without negatively impacting quality. Our template helps you to make more accurate production plans and manage your inventory.

You can manage both your workers and your materials, workstations and processes, as well as track your targets, manage deliveries and more. Our free template is a must-have document when you’re in production planning.

30. Punch List Template for Excel

A punch list captures the work that still needs to be done on a construction site. The job isn’t complete until that punch list is completed. The punch list is also a great way to capture tasks that fall outside the contract and track their progress. These are only some reasons why you need to download our free punch list template for Excel.

Our free punch list template lists all the items on the punch list, including a description and who has been assigned to do that work. There’s also space to add a date for when it was first identified and when it was approved. You can also add the estimated duration for doing the work.

This is a special template, too, in that you can use it as an Excel document or open up the template in ProjectManager. If you use our software, then you’ll have access to kanban boards to visualize workflow, a real-time dashboard for a high-level view of your progress and performance as well as Gantt charts, timesheets, workload charts and much more.

31. To-Do List Template for Excel

A to-do list gets things done. Whether it’s the grocery list you stick on the door of your refrigerator or a task list for a project, being able to collect and prioritize work ensures that you don’t forget anything important and tackle the most important tasks first. Plus, it’s a lot of fun crossing off tasks once you’ve done them.

This free project management Excel template can list as many tasks as you have, each with a start date, due date and even a column that shows the percentage complete of each task. There’s also a column to note the process, for example, to indicate if the task is done. Finally, a column is set aside for notes to capture anything you need to add.

The to-do list template is a simple tool that can be used to make more complex tasks manageable. It helps motivate you to do the work because it’s no longer overwhelming, but doable. It’s a rudimentary plan, and everyone knows planning is everything.

32. Weekly Work Schedule Template for Excel

If you need help handling your human resources, get our free weekly work schedule spreadsheet for Excel. You can use it to manage your team’s weekly work and the project’s workflow. Note the days your team can work and collect the rate of pay and hours they work on their tasks. This flexible employee work schedule can apply to the regular nine-to-five work week or a more hybrid model.

Use this project management template for Excel to get info on your team members and their work schedule. You can add their name, tasks assigned to them and the project on which they’re working. There’s space to list all the days they’ll be working. This Excel template is a great place to capture data, but it’s a static document. If you want to update it, you have to do that manually. It can take time and pull you away from managing the project and your team’s work.

33. Change Request Form Template for Word

One thing that’s constant in any project is change. Those changes, however, must be managed. That’s where the change request form comes in.

Our free change request form template gives you the structure to identify, track and resolve those changes when they arise in a project. The free template has space to note what the change is, give a team member ownership to lead the task of resolving it and then get it signed off on.

When used in conjunction with ProjectManager, the change request form is more dynamic. It can act as a collaborative platform in which team members can communicate and attach relevant documents, even hand-offs and sign-offs. Keeping everything under one roof is something you’ll not want to change.

Related: How to Run MS Project on your Mac Step by Step!

34. Project Prioritization Matrix Template for Excel

Project prioritization is a way to objectively determine which projects are the best fit for meeting strategic goals when managing a project. It can also be used to prioritize tasks in a project to figure out what’s critical and what can wait. Download this free project prioritization matrix template for Excel to separate what’s critical and what’s not, as well as what must be done immediately and what can wait. This allows project managers to decide if work should be done now, scheduled for later, delegated or deleted.

Use this free project management Excel template for a variety of work, from prioritizing projects and managing time to getting consensus. It’s valuable for anyone who has to make a project decision, whether a project management office (PMO), project manager or team member.

35. Gap Analysis Template for Excel

If you’re looking to improve your business and stay innovative, then you need this gap analysis template for Excel. It’s one of the tools you can use to get a strategic analysis of where you are now and how to get to where you want to be in the future. This project management spreadsheet will help you devise an action plan to move you from your current state of affairs to wherever you plan to take your organization in the future, whether that’s an increase in market share or getting a product to market quickly.

This free Excel template has everything you need to start meeting your goals, from general information and the current state of your business to the future state you’re aiming to achieve, what the gap percentage is and the actions necessary to close that gap. You can identify who in the organization can lead the initiative and even track the status. You have to start somewhere and a gap analysis is where it all comes together.

36. Stakeholder Analysis Template for Excel

Stakeholders are invested in the project and project managers have to keep them updated and manage their expectations. That’s where this free stakeholder analysis template for Excel comes in. It helps you identify and manage all the stakeholders in your project. This free template is a cornerstone of any thorough stakeholder management plan.

The stakeholder analysis template gets you started with a project overview, which is followed by a list of all the stakeholders involved with the project. There’s a dropdown menu to note if that particular stakeholder is of high, medium or low influence. That means, how much power they have to impact the project. That information is crucial to how to manage them. Then you identify each stakeholder in the spreadsheet as they relate to the project. Note the frequency you need to communicate with each stakeholder and more to manage them and keep the project moving forward.

37. Cost Benefit Analysis Template for Excel

Crunch the numbers to learn if your project is worth pursuing with our free cost-benefit analysis template for Excel. You can see if the project can be delivered within a specific time frame and reasonable cost. This Microsoft Excel template allows you to compare what you expect to spend against the benefits or opportunities the project might provide. From a cost perspective, you can see if the project is viable.

Whether a personal or professional project, our free cost-benefit analysis template is a powerful and flexible tool. It can be used over and over again, collecting the project information, quantitative costs (indirect, intangible and opportunity) and quantitative benefits (direct benefits, indirect benefits, intangible benefits and competitive benefits). Adding up the three cost sections and the four benefits sections of the template provides a total cost to compare against total benefits. It’s an essential analysis to undertake before committing to any project.

38. Project Budget Dashboard Template for Excel

A project budget dashboard template provides a clear overview of a project’s financial status, helping project managers track expenses, compare actual costs to the budget and make informed financial decisions. It consolidates key financial metrics, such as total budget, expenditures, remaining funds and cost variances and displays them in graphs and charts.

Download the free project budget dashboard template for Excel to keep the project within their budget. This project management Excel template makes it easier to identify potential overspending or cost-saving opportunities. By using a project budget dashboard, teams can enhance transparency, improve financial control and ensure the project stays on track financially.

39. Project Task Tracker Dashboard Template for Excel

Use this project management Excel template as a tool used to monitor and manage project tasks efficiently. A project task tracker dashboard provides a visual representation of task progress, deadlines, priorities and team responsibilities in a centralized format.

By using this free task tracker dashboard for Excel, project managers and teams can quickly identify bottlenecks, track overall project progress and ensure that tasks are completed on schedule. This enhances productivity, improves accountability, and helps maintain project timelines.

40. Stakeholder Map Template for Excel

Download this free stakeholder map template for Excel. This project management Excel template is a visual tool used to identify, categorize and analyze stakeholders based on their level of influence and interest in a project. It helps project managers understand stakeholder relationships, prioritize engagement strategies, and ensure effective communication.

The template has a matrix that can be used to place stakeholders into categories by level of influence and level of interest. The four quadrants define if the stakeholder must be kept satisfied, managed closely, monitored or kept informed. Using this stakeholder map, project managers and project teams can proactively manage stakeholder expectations, address concerns and enhance project success.

41. Project Risk Matrix Template for Excel

This project management Excel template is used to identify, assess and prioritize potential risks in a project based on their likelihood and impact. It helps project managers visualize risks in a structured format, enabling proactive risk management and mitigation planning.

Use this free project risk matrix template for Excel to determine if the risk is low to very high by placing it on the matrix, which measures the severity and likelihood of the risk occurring. These two axes are broken down from insignificant to severe for severity and rare to almost certain for likelihood. By using a risk matrix, teams can prioritize critical risks, develop mitigation strategies and improve project resilience.

42. RAID Log Template for Excel

RAID stands for risks, assumptions, issues and dependencies. A RAID log template is used to track and manage these key project elements. Using this project management Excel template helps project managers and project teams to identify potential challengers, monitor ongoing issues and proactively address critical factors to better deliver a successful project.

Our free RAID log template for Excel improves decision-making, helps with project transparency and gives project teams more control over project risks and uncertainties. It is typically used when planning for a project but can be useful in the execution phase as well. At the end of the project, this template should be archived and used when researching future projects.

43. Stakeholder Register Template for Excel

A stakeholder register template is a structured document used in project management to identify, document and track stakeholders involved in a project. Download this free stakeholder register template for Excel and use it as a central reference for managing stakeholder expectations, communication and engagement throughout the project lifecycle.

This project management Excel template lists all the stakeholders involved in the project, whether internal or external. Their role is then identified and each stakeholder is defined in terms of their power and influence on the project. There’s also a column to measure their interest and expectations. Finally, contact information is collected and the preferred form and frequency of communication.

44. Lessons Learned Template for Excel

A lessons learned template is a project management Excel template used to capture insights, experiences and key takeaways from a completed project or project phase. It helps teams identify what worked well, what went wrong and how future projects can benefit from these insights.

Use this free lessons learned template for Excel to determine whether the aspect of the project being examined was a win or issue. There’s space to describe it, the impact, how to change it for future projects and then a column to collect the action items by which that change can be implemented.

45. Project Decision Matrix Template for Excel

Use this free project decision matrix template for Excel to evaluate and prioritize different project options or solutions based on predefined criteria. It helps project teams make objective, data-driven decisions by scoring each option against key factors, such as cost, quality, value to customer, safety and more, allowing them to compare the relative merits of each choice.

By using this project management Excel template, teams can make more informed, transparent and objective decisions, minimizing bias and aligning with project goals. This template can be used whenever there’s a problem of multiple choices to choose from to make a reasoned decision.

Go Beyond Excel Project Management Templates & Spreadsheets With ProjectManager

Project management software can take you way further than Excel templates for project management ever could. ProjectManager, award-winning project management software, is a comprehensive platform that lets you plan, track and report on your projects online. Because it’s an online tool, you get live visibility into your project team and their tasks.

Plan your projects from start to finish with our Gantt chart feature. This feature allows you to map your project tasks in phases and assign them to team members. You can even create dependencies and set milestones. Plus, you can import Excel files and Microsoft Project files into the Gantt chart, bringing your static templates to life. In addition, ProjectManager integrates with over 1,000 third-party apps such as Google Drive, Slack and Microsoft Office 365 so you can share your project with everybody on your team.

Team members (and managers) can choose to manage their own tasks in either the task list or kanban view. The kanban view is a favorite for visual workers involved in many projects. The customizable columns on a kanban board allow a user to easily see their progress, or sort their tasks by project or department. Of course, every view, whether it’s the Gantt, list or board, allows you to collaborate with other team members and get more work done than you ever thought possible. You’ll wonder why you ever used project management Excel processes.

Related Excel Project Management Content

While Excel is not a project management software, it can still help manage various aspects of your projects. That’s why we’ve created dozens of blogs, templates and guides to help you use Excel for project management.

• Essential Excel Report Templates
• Free Manufacturing Excel Templates
• Free Excel Construction Templates
• Free Word & Excel Templates for Business
• Excel Spreadsheet Templates for Tracking Tasks, Costs and Time
• How to Create a Project Timeline in Excel (Free Template Included)
• How to Make a Gantt Chart In Excel Step-By-Step (Template Included)
• 10 Plantillas de Proyectos Gratuitas para Excel y Word
• 12 Modèles de gestion de projet pour Excel (Gratuit)

Get all the features of these Excel project management templates and more when you use ProjectManager. All of these tools are available in our award-winning project management software to help you plan, track and report on your project in real time. See what it can do for you by taking a free 30-day trial run.

The post 45 Project Management Excel Templates and Spreadsheets for Free appeared first on ProjectManager.

ProjectManager has dozens of free templates to download. We curated our template page to select 23 of the essential manufacturing templates for Excel that all manufacturers can benefit from. It doesn’t hurt that they’re free, either.

1. Production Schedule Template

A production schedule is how you ensure that you get your product into the hands of your customers on time. But a schedule is similar to keeping a lot of balls in the air. You have to juggle your employees and their work schedule, vendors and suppliers, materials, maintenance of your machinery and more.

Our free production schedule template for Excel is a gift to manufacturers. It helps put all of the pieces of your manufacturing schedule together in such a way that you’re on time. There are places to note the order status, product variations and quantity, but also starting and ending inventory, ship date and much more.

A production schedule template is an essential part of your supply chain management. It helps you manage your resources effectively and even supports the sales team as they know when products will be delivered and available for sale.

2. Gantt Chart Template

Gantt charts have been essential project management tools for over a century. Project managers across all industries have flocked to them to organize tasks and resources. They are best for traditional projects, such as manufacturing, which follow a more waterfall type of methodology.

Our free Gantt chart template for Excel helps you organize all the tasks in your manufacturing cycle. It captures the start date, end date and duration. But more than that, it then translates those columns of numbers into a visual timeline that you can color code to make it easy to see the different stages of your manufacturing process.

The Gantt chart is the cornerstone of any project schedule. You can share the Gantt chart with stakeholders so they have a picture of the manufacturing process. If there are changes, you can input them manually and the timeline adjusts accordingly.

ProjectManager’s Gantt Chart does so much more than an Excel template. Rather than manually creating and adjusting each part of the Gantt, simply input your task details and the Gantt chart populates in minutes. As scheduling changes pop up, simply drag and drop and all the dependencies will automatically update. Plus, you can track costs, progress and workload across your team.

3. Inventory Template

Managing your inventory is key to manufacturing. If you don’t know your stock, you’re not going to be able to build your products without costly delays. To keep track of what’s in your warehouse so you can better plan your manufacturing, you need to know your inventory.

That’s where this manufacturing Excel template comes in. It’s a customizable spreadsheet with columns to capture the inventory number, name and description of the material or part, including unit price, quantity and whether it’s in stock.

There’s even a pulldown menu to note whether you have to reorder the item. The reorder level column allows you to avoid the stock falling so low that you can’t continue the manufacturing process and gives you time to reorder and restock before anything is delayed.

4. Daily Production Report Template

A daily production report provides a snapshot of everything that occurred on a manufacturing line during a single shift. It summarizes how many units were planned versus how many were actually produced, capturing efficiency and resource usage in real time. Supervisors use this document to track worker attendance, machine availability and any disruptions that slow workflow. The insights gained help managers improve productivity, maintain quality standards and ensure the next shift begins without confusion.

Our daily production report template for Excel organizes data from multiple factory functions into one clear report. Production output is compared against goals to highlight performance strengths or inefficiencies. Material consumption and remaining stock levels are documented to prevent shortages that could halt assembly. Machine downtime, defect rates and safety metrics are also included, giving decision-makers a holistic view of operations. Space for shift notes and improvement instructions ensures seamless coordination between teams and supports continuous manufacturing progress.

5. Product Development Template

Driving new ideas to market requires a process that blends creativity with disciplined execution. Product development brings together cross-functional teams to research customer needs, design solutions, test prototypes and refine features based on real-world feedback. By following a structured approach, manufacturers reduce the risk of costly redesigns, accelerate launch timelines and ensure the final product meets market expectations. Transparent communication and data-driven decisions keep innovation aligned with business goals from concept through production.

Our free product development template is the ideal tool for making a manufacturing project plan. Break your plan down into phases like ideation, design and prototyping: then link dependencies to keep everything moving as your schedule changes.

Once you open the template, you’ll find a spreadsheet on the left side, where you’ll enter task details like due dates, duration, task owner and estimated costs. You can then break down your tasks further into subtasks to keep everything organized. This template will give you an idea how manufacturing project management software can help you deliver new products faster to the market.

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Product Development Template

Use this free Product Development Template to manage your projects better.

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6. Bill of Materials Template

A bill of materials describes the materials, assemblies, parts and components needed to make a product. Bills of materials are primarily used to train manufacturing employees on how to assemble products, but they might also be sent to external parties when outsourcing manufacturing processes.

7. Material Requisition Form Template

To keep production moving without interruption, manufacturing teams need a reliable way to request raw materials, components and tools. A material requisition form captures exactly what is required, when it should arrive and where it will be used on the factory shop floor. By replacing informal requests with accurate documentation, the process reduces bottlenecks, strengthens inventory control and ensures procurement delivers the right materials on time while improving traceability across the supply chain.

This material requisition form template is tailored to factory environments where multiple shifts and departments rely on just-in-time access to resources. It includes fields for request approvals, department ownership and detailed line items such as part numbers, units, quantities, due dates and vendor preferences. Priority labels help planners allocate budget and warehouse space effectively. Clear delivery instructions ensure materials arrive at the correct workstation, allowing production teams to stay focused on throughput and quality.

8. Stock Register Template

A stock register is a detailed record of all materials and goods moving in and out of a manufacturing warehouse. It tracks opening balances, purchases, issues, reorder levels and current stock on hand, ensuring teams always know what is available to support production. By maintaining up-to-date quantities and values, manufacturers avoid costly stockouts, reduce excess inventory and safeguard material traceability across the entire supply chain.

This stock register template gives procurement, inventory and production teams a clear overview of material flow. It includes structured sections for item details such as SKU, category, unit of measure and reorder thresholds, plus transactional logs that capture supplier deliveries and internal issues. Calculated running totals show real-time availability, while cost fields strengthen financial oversight. With accurate records in one place, businesses can monitor usage patterns, schedule replenishments proactively and maintain uninterrupted manufacturing operations.

9. Supplier Evaluation Form Template

When procurement teams assess suppliers with consistent, structured criteria, they gain a clearer view of vendor performance and reliability. A supplier evaluation form brings together insights on product quality, pricing, delivery accuracy, customer support and regulatory compliance, making comparisons more objective. This approach reduces risk, strengthens supplier relationships and helps ensure that only the most dependable partners continue supporting production needs across the manufacturing supply chain.

Our supplier evaluation form template for Excel is designed for teams who routinely compare multiple suppliers to determine the best fit for production needs. It centralizes vendor details, certification status and years of experience before scoring their performance in a structured format. Weighted scoring highlights strengths and weaknesses that might otherwise be overlooked. Recommendations at the end help guide future procurement actions, making it easier to prioritize top performers and identify suppliers needing improvement or conditional approval.

10. Resource Plan Template

Resources are what make manufacturing work, and a resource plan is how you organize and manage your resources for greater productivity. Resources can mean equipment, tools and materials. But the most important resource is your employees.

When you use our free resource plan template for Excel you can set up your resources by your team instead of their rate and the cost you’ve budgeted for their work. Then you can schedule them across the week or month and manage your resources more effectively.

Now you have the means to align your resources with your schedule and stay on budget. This resource plan template should be part of your larger planning phase. Use it with a scheduler and budget to develop a well-rounded project plan that keeps you on track.

To keep your employees productive, you need to know their workload. ProjectManager is online software that tracks your team’s workload in real time. Our resource management tools help you track availability, but once assigned the workload chart is color-coded to make it easy to see who is over or under-allocated. Then you can balance their workload right from the chart and keep them productive. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

11. Dashboard Template

Just as a car has a dashboard so the driver can see how fast the car is traveling, how much gas is left and more, manufacturing projects need a tool to give teams a view of their work to better manage it. What you get is a high-level view of your manufacturing process whenever you want it.

Using our free dashboard template for Excel provides you with four metrics to measure your manufacturing process. You can see the percentage complete of all tasks in your schedule, your team’s workload, the length of tasks and even project costs. All of these are displayed in easy-to-read graphs and charts.

This manufacturing Excel template is a free tool that can help you capture anomalies in your production cycle so you can respond to them quickly and avoid costly delays. It’s a great tool for any production manager to get a glimpse of the progress and performance of the manufacturing process in one place.

12. Gemba Walk Template

Leaders gain their clearest understanding of manufacturing performance when they step onto the production floor and see work happening in real time. A Gemba walk encourages that direct engagement, allowing supervisors to observe safety practices, workflow efficiency, product quality and how teams collaborate. The focus stays on learning, asking questions and uncovering underlying causes rather than assigning blame. By operating this way, organizations build trust, accelerate improvement and make decisions based on firsthand operational insight.

This gemba walk template structures those observations into clear improvement opportunities. It guides leaders through essential focus areas such as safety checks, adherence to standardized work, productivity flow and communication between shifts. Each category includes fields for recording what was seen, the action required, the responsible person and completion deadlines. By documenting both findings and follow-up tasks, the form ensures every walk leads to measurable progress toward safer, more efficient and better-organized factory operations.

13. Standard Operating Procedure Template

A standard operating procedure is a recurring activity that’s part of the manufacturing process of a product. Standard operating procedures should be standardized and well-documented to ensure employee safety, comply with industry regulations and maintain quality standards.

14. Equipment Inventory Template

An equipment inventory is a form that helps manufacturers keep track of the various pieces of equipment and machinery that are used in their production process. Equipment inventories typically include the description of the equipment, its current value, operating and maintenance costs, and depreciation information.

15. Implementation Plan Template

Getting your manufacturing project off the ground involves turning an idea into a plan and then taking action. An implementation plan helps you create the steps that will lead to the manufacturing of your final product. Planning is key to delivering your product on time and within budget.

To do that, you can use our free implementation plan template for Excel. Our free template helps you define the strategy, process and actions necessary to create your final deliverable. The implementation plan template helps you turn your strategic plan into something real.

There are places to detail the manufacturing information, such as the manager, stakeholders, etc. The spreadsheet is divided into three, first where you show the strategy, then the process and finally the actions you’ll take to fulfill that strategy. There’s a timeline and planned hours, too, to estimate how long the work will take.

16. Work Order Template

When you contract with outside vendors, you need a work order to address the labor, tools and materials that’ll be needed to complete the job. The work order can also show the contractor how to do the work, which can be very important in complex manufacturing projects.

Manufacturers will want to download our free work order template for Excel. It standardizes the relationship between manufacturers and contractors as well as details the job, due dates and much more. This governing document also sets the pricing for the work contracted.

You’ll want to use this manufacturing Excel template with an external worker. In fact, the template should be filled in when you’re assigning the task to collect all the details surrounding that work to make sure it’s clear for all involved.

17. Project Budget Template

You can’t complete a project if you don’t have the money to finance the manufacturing. Those financial details must be created early and cover all the costs necessary to manufacture the product, from labor to materials and everything in between.

When you use our free project budget template for Excel you’re able to cover all the financial bases, compare the costs and benefits of a project and help get a better return on your investment. There are spots to collect the labor and material costs, including planned and actual hours, dollars per hour, unit cost and more. There’s also space for other line items to make sure your budget addresses all costs.

You’ll also have a place to view the budget again the actual costs, with a column showing how much over or under budget you are. This is essential data if you want to deliver your manufacturing project under or at a budget to make or increase your profits.

18. Purchase Order Template

Sourcing materials or parts when manufacturing is one of the many factors you have to include in your planning. Having an effective purchase order pipeline helps to streamline your manufacturing and reduce issues. If issues arise, provide a paper trail to track them.

You can help achieve those goals with our free purchase order template for Excel. It helps you track delivery information, such as the name of the vendor you’re working with, their contact information, shipping information as well as the date the goods are scheduled for delivery.

You’ll also be able to list the inventory that you’re purchasing. The items are broken down by name, description, quantity, and unit price and there’s a line total so you’re always clear on what you spending and what you’re getting for those costs.

19. Risk Register Template

Risk is what might happen within your project, whether it’s for the better or worse. Being able to identify what that could be and how you’ll respond to it is risk management, which is how you keep to your manufacturing schedule.

To capture all that data and have it on hand when you need it, there’s our free risk register template for Excel. It identifies all the risks to your manufacturing process and describes what might happen and its impact. There’s also a place to add risk response, note the level of risk and determine who’s responsible for resolving it if it in fact occurs.

You’ll want to set up your risk register template early in the planning stage and refer to it throughout the manufacturing cycle. Now you have a document that tells you what to do and even if you need to do something. Remember, not all risks are bad, they just impact manufacturing. Good risks can be taken advantage of, but you can’t do a thing without our free risk register template for Excel.

20. Capacity Planning Template

One of the more important manufacturing Excel templates is this free capacity planning template for Excel. Capacity planning is the process of knowing the production capacity needed to meet demand. This is especially tricking as demand is always fluctuating.

Download this free manufacturing Excel template to understand the capacity of a manufacturer’s maximum ability to produce a product over a specific period. This free template helps manufacturers create an effective production plan to meet future requirements.

The manufacturing template lists all the production tasks and their estimated duration, including start and end dates. It also lists resources and the hourly rate for each and then has a project timeline to schedule those resources. The manufacturing template helps with resource availability, utilization and more.

21. Quality Control Template

Quality control ensures that products produced in a facility meet the legal standards and customer requirements. Everyone in the manufacturing organizations must work together to create the best quality products possible. Using free manufacturing Excel templates helps achieve that goal.

This free quality control template for Excel creates a uniform way to establish and maintain production standards. Users of this manufacturing template can identify imperfections in their products and create a response to resolve those issues quickly.

This manufacturing Excel template lists issues and describes them and whatever imperfections there might be. It also shows who identified the issue, who is assigned to fix it and what the priority of the task is. There’s a place for when the issue is opened or closed to help track its status.

22. Manufacturing Job Estimate Template

A job estimate in manufacturing is a document that covers what the workers on the production line will be responsible for. Beyond labor, it also identifies any materials needed and a cost estimate for the work. That’s all covered in this free manufacturing job estimate template for Excel.

Of all the manufacturing Excel templates, this one is the most important for creating a budget by compiling accurate estimates of the cost and timeframe for completing production tasks. That doesn’t mean the template is chiseled in stone. There must be some flexibility to respond to change.

The Excel manufacturing template starts with a place to describe the project for context. Then there are two charts for production reporting. One captures labor, describing what’s needed, the dates, duration, rate and finally a total. The other chart is for materials costs.

23. SIPOC Template

SIPOC stands for suppliers, inputs, process, outputs and customers. It’s a visual tool used by manufacturers to document a process from start to finish. Manufacturers use this free SIPOC template for Excel before implementing a process to map it out and help managers make better decisions, help the production workers understand the process and keep the work continuously improving.

This is one of the Excel manufacturing templates that helps improve manufacturing processes by graphically showing all the elements of that process. The manufacturing template helps with onboarding, especially for new employees.

Because it’s a high-level view of the process, including suppliers, inputs, outputs, costumes and so forth, it visualizes how everyone in the process receives materials and identifies areas of improvement to add production efficiency.

Get More Than Templates Can Provide With ProjectManager

We encourage you to download every template on this list. Go to our site and look over the dozens more project management templates we have to help manage your work. But templates can only go so far. They’re static documents and require manual updates to be effective.

ProjectManager is software that delivers real-time data for more insightful decision-making. We have features that work together in ways that templates can’t. From task management and risk management to resource management, we’ve got you covered.

Plan Your Manufacturing Process on Interactive Gantt Charts

Instead of a static Gantt chart template, plan on our online Gantt chart. You can organize your tasks, assign team members and even link dependent tasks to avoid delays. More than that, you can even filter for the critical path without any lengthy calculations. Once you set the baseline, you’ve captured your planned effort and can compare it to your actual effort in real time. Your teams can see the same information across our multiple project views, such as list, calendar and sheet views or kanban board to visually track your workflow.

Track Progress and Performace With Real-Time Dashboards

To make sure you’re progressing as planned, you need a tool that gives you a high-level view of the manufacturing process. Our real-time dashboards do just that. They automatically collect live project data and display them in easy-to-read graphs and charts. That way, you can see your costs, time, tasks, workload and more when you need to. There’s no setup necessary, and customizable reporting tools give you more detail when you need it. Then share these reports with stakeholders to keep them updated.

That’s only a short tour of some of our features. Manufacturers love our automation, which allows you to set as many triggers as you need that will result in a specific action. That frees up your team to focus on more important work. Managers can create task approvals to make sure nothing slips past them and quality is ensured. There are even recurring tasks. We streamline manufacturing and give you more control to deliver success.

Related Excel Project Management Content

While Excel is not a project management software, it can still be very helpful for managing various aspects of your projects. That’s why we’ve created dozens of blogs, templates and guides to help you use Excel for project management.

• Essential Excel Report Templates
• Free Excel Construction Templates
• Free Word & Excel Templates for Business
• Excel Spreadsheet Templates for Tracking Tasks, Costs and Time
• How to Create a Project Timeline in Excel (Free Template Included)
• How to Make a Gantt Chart In Excel Step-By-Step (Template Included)
• 25 Must-Have Project Management Excel Templates and Spreadsheets
• 10 Plantillas de producción y manufactura

ProjectManager is award-winning software for managing any project. Our collaborative platform connects your teams and gives you access to the manufacturing floor no matter where you are or what time it is. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

The post 23 Free Manufacturing Excel Templates appeared first on ProjectManager.

Best Project Management Templates for Google Sheets

There are many project management templates for Google online. They cover all phases of the project through its life cycle. It can be a bit intimidating to search such a large database to find the free project management templates for Google that are right for you.

It’s easy to start using these free project management templates for Google. Simply click on the link for the template you want, which will then open it as a view-only file. Go to file and click make a copy. Now, you’ll have a workable project management template for Google that you can customize to fit your project.

1. Project Plan Template Google Sheets

A project plan brings together every major element required to steer an initiative from concept to completion, including goals, tasks, timelines and responsibilities. Because full plans can be lengthy, a Google Sheets template offers a convenient way to distill that information into a concise, accessible format. Its grid layout keeps details organized while allowing teams to update data quickly and share the latest version without friction.

This Google Sheets project plan template groups essential components into clear sections. It outlines project objectives and their success criteria, lists the project management team and key stakeholders, and defines the scope to set boundaries. Additional areas capture the timeline, budget estimates and required resources, helping teams summarize the entire planning foundation in one structured, easy-to-read document.

As good as free project management templates for Google are, they’re not a perfect solution for managing your project. For one, they’re static documents that require manual updates. More than that, they’re standalone documents, separate from your other project management tools.

ProjectManager is award-winning project management software that has robust Gantt charts to not only organize tasks, link all four types of task dependencies and filter for the critical path, but also manage your resources and costs in real time. Once you’ve made a budget, set the baseline to capture it so you can track your planned costs against your actual costs in real time without having to constantly update your Google sheet. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

2. Project Budget Template for Google Sheets

A project requires funding to execute the plan. Without a budget, that plan is no more than a good idea. But having a project budget is no simple task. It involves accurately estimating all the costs associated with the project. If you are off that money can come out of your pocket.

Using this free project budget Google template can help you better forecast project costs, which will help when you’re bidding for that work. It has space to capture all your labor and material costs, but also travel, equipment and fixed costs. You can add more if you like as the Google template is fully customizable.

Not only does this free project management template for Google help as you’re planning the project budget, but it also allows you to track costs to help you stay on budget. You can see your planned and budget costs to gauge if you’re on track.

3. Gantt Chart Template for Google Sheets

Gantt charts are one of the most versatile project management tools there are, as they allow project managers to plan, schedule and track their projects. They have two main components, a table with project task information such as due dates and duration and a stacked bar chart that shows the project timeline.

This free Gantt chart template for Google Sheets can help you visualize your project timeline and the order in which project activities will be executed. Simply enter your task details and the Google Sheets template will generate a stacked bar chart for your project.

4. Action Plan Template for Google Sheets

An action plan is just that, a plan of action. It’s a way to realize a goal. It’s what a project is all about. You have goals and objectives and plan to achieve them. Use this free action plan template for Google Sheets to create a pragmatic framework to do that.

A good action plan is thorough and this free action plan template for Google covers all the bases to ensure you reach your objective in a timely manner. Like any project, it’s broken up into phases and each phase is further broken down into the individual tasks necessary to complete that phase successfully.

There’s also a place to assign team members to specific tasks and add a start date and an end date to those tasks. You can add the planned hours for each task, which department is responsible for the work, the materials needed and the costs associated with the job. There’s even a status column to track progress.

5. Task Tracker Template for Google Sheets

Creating a plan is the first step, but without monitoring the progress of those tasks, your plan can quickly fall apart. To avoid costly delays, you want to track your tasks and make sure they’re keeping to the project schedule. The free task tracker template for Google is a great tool to monitor your progress.

To track tasks, you first must list them, which the free template for Google Sheets lets you do. Then you can add who the task is assigned to and what its priority is. There’s also a place for you to add the scheduled start date and end date.

All that information is important, but the real power of this free task tracker template for Google is the status column. Here, you can show whether the task is opened or closed. Since the Google Sheet template is customizable, you can add other statuses to better follow the task’s progress.

6. Budget Tracker Google Sheets

When a project is underway, the budget can shift quickly, so continuous budget tracking becomes essential to prevent overruns. Dashboards offer the best environment for this level of oversight because they reveal spending trends instantly and highlight variances as they emerge. With ongoing tracking, teams stay aligned on financial expectations and avoid unpleasant surprises.

This Google Sheets budget tracker template organizes planned and actual expenses for materials, labor, equipment and overhead. Its built-in tables feed donut charts that visualize estimated costs, real spending and the remaining balance. By comparing these figures side by side, managers can spot gaps in performance and adjust resource use before issues escalate.

7. Work Breakdown Structure Template for Google Sheets

Projects have a final deliverable, which is usually a product or service. But throughout the project’s life cycle, there are many deliverables. To identify all the deliverables that make up a project, you can use this free work breakdown structure template for Google Sheets.

From identifying each deliverable you can figure out the tasks that will get you there, which will then inform your schedule. The free WBS template for Google Sheets is an essential planning tool to ensure that you don’t neglect any of the steps necessary to complete your project.

The free WBS template for Google is divided into two sheets. The first is a spreadsheet in which all your tasks can be listed, including any dependencies, resources and more. Then the second sheet is a tree diagram in which the final deliverable is on top and stemming from there are all the deliverables that make up the five phases of the project.

8. Project Proposal Template for Google Docs

A project proposal outlines the reasoning, structure and direction of an initiative before work begins. It explains the problem or opportunity, clarifies what the project aims to achieve and lays out the approach, resources and expected outcomes. Stakeholders use it to evaluate feasibility, align expectations and approve efforts. Google Docs supports proposal creation with easy sharing and real-time collaboration.

This Google Docs project proposal template guides users through all key elements needed for approval. It starts with project background and the issue or opportunity driving the work, followed by clearly stated goals and a defined scope. Additional sections help outline the proposed timeframe, estimate the required budget and establish measurable success criteria so decision-makers can assess value with confidence.

9. To-Do List Template for Google Sheets

People have understood the power of a to-do list since the pen hit the paper. It’s one of the earliest task management tools and its longevity proves its worth. Just think, is there any greater satisfaction than crossing a task off your to-do list? The free to-do list template for Google Sheets brings the tool into the modern age.

This isn’t any to-do list that you’d jot down on a sticky note and paste to your computer. The free project management template for Google is more dynamic. As with any to-do list, it starts with a list of all the tasks you have to complete, including their start dates and end dates.

Until a run-of-the-mill to-do list, there’s a column where you can note the percentage complete for each task and even its status. This allows you to track your progress and make sure that you complete your work in a timely manner.

10. Google Sheets Kanban Board Template

A kanban board is a visual tool that can help you manage any type of project. Simply use the kanban cards to represent tasks and columns to show each of the stages of your workflows and move cards across the board as tasks are completed.

On top of that, this free Google Sheets kanban board allows you to collaborate with your team members online, assign tasks to them and track their progress.

11. RACI Matrix Template for Google Sheets

Organizing projects makes them run better. Everyone involved in the project must know their roles and responsibilities or else there’ll be too much time explaining what to do and not enough time doing it. Using a free RACI matrix template for Google Sheets is the perfect tool to get everyone on the same page and avoid problems.

RACI is an acronym that stands for responsible, accountable, consulted and informed. The RACI matrix is a chart that gives everyone in the project team and its stakeholders one of those titles. The chart is divided into phases on the right vertical and running across the upper horizontal are the names of everyone in the project.

This creates a grid or matrix and within each box under a person’s name will be one of the letters, R, A, C or I. For example, the project manager will be responsible for the project plan and key project stakeholders will want to be informed.

12. Resource Plan Template for Google Sheets

Resources are everything you need to execute the project, from your team to materials, equipment and more. Having those resources in sufficient quantities when you need them is a complicated endeavor and one that must be planned in detail. Using the free resource plan template for Google Sheets will help your project run smoother.

Use this free template for Google to identify all the project resources you’ll need. Each is then listed and in another column, you’re able to identify the team and its members as well as the amount of resources needed for that line item.

There’s also a column to capture the rate and then the total cost. Now you can integrate your project schedule and budget to help you better track costs. Use the calendar grid to define when each resource is needed. The Google template can then be saved and used as historical data as you plan resources for future projects.

13. Status Report Template for Google Sheets

When you’re executing the project, monitoring its progress and performance is critically important. One tool in your toolbox to do this is reports. There are a variety of different reports when managing a project, but few are as comprehensive as the status report, which captures data over the course of a specific period in the project.

Having the free status report template for Google lays out all the various components of a status report so you can provide a snapshot of the project to help you understand better how it’s progressing and performing. This will provide project managers with vital information on how to manage the project and also give stakeholders updates to manage their expectations.

Get an overview of the project, from progress to deliverables and milestones achieved. There’s also a section on the health of the project, including budget, schedule, scope and quality. Finally, there’s an overview of the project’s risk management and a place in which recommendations can be made.

14. Risk Register Template for Google Sheets

Speaking of risks, they’re a part of every project and must be managed. Risks can be positive and negative, one to take advantage of and the other to mitigate. Using the free risk register template for Google ensures that you’re ready to respond to risk when it occurs as an issue in your project.

On this free Google template, you have a column to collect every risk you can imagine happening in the project. Then, you’ll want to define its impact on the project and what the response will be if, in fact, it occurs.

That just sets you up to identify risk and resolve it when issues show up. But the project management template for Google goes further, defining the level of risk to help you determine the priority of your response. There’s also a place to assign a team member to own that risk and take responsibility for action if it shows up in the project.

15. Timesheet Template for Google Sheets

Timesheets are essential project documents that ensure your team is compensated fairly for their work. It’s important to the team, but also to the project manager as it provides a means of tracking the amount of time they’re taking to complete their tasks. Use the free timesheet template for Google Sheets to streamline payroll and help track progress on your projects.

This project management template for Google breaks down the work week by day and adds the date and pertinent information about the employee, such as name, department, supervisor and hourly rate.

The Google template goes on to show the employee’s start time, lunch and end time for each time. After that, the hours worked are recorded. There’s a column for any overtime and the total hours worked are added. That column is then added for the week for the employee’s weekly pay.

16. Google Sheets Inventory Template

This Google Sheets inventory template is designed to help you keep track of the raw materials or any physical items such as equipment your team needs to complete their tasks and produce deliverables.

It allows you to monitor the number of units in stock, price per unit, reorder information and total inventory cost. In the case of project managers, it’s important when keeping track of costs and project budgets.

17. Schedule Template for Google Sheets

This free schedule template for Google Sheets facilitates the process of creating a schedule for tracking the time your employees work each week. Because it is a Google Sheets spreadsheet format, it can be easily shared with your team members by simply sharing a link with them so they know when they’re scheduled for work.

The best part of using this schedule template for Google Sheets is everyone on your team can view their weekly work schedule from any device at any time as long as they’re logged into their Google account. Another advantage of using this Google Sheets template is that it saves any changes you make in real-time for all users who have access to your file, which means all your employees will have the latest version of the work schedule.

18. Yearly Business Budget Template for Google Sheets

Creating a yearly budget for your business or department is a great way of ensuring there will be available resources for running its operations. This free budget template for Google Sheets allows you to track different types of business costs related to labor, equipment, materials and more. Additionally, it allows you to specify the recurrence of each project cost and compare planned versus actual costs.

19. Google Sheets Calendar Template

There are many tools you can use to schedule a project such as Gantt charts, kanban boards and many more. But sometimes you need a simpler tool that’s easy to understand by everyone on your team, such as a project calendar.

This Google Sheets calendar template allows you to map all your project tasks, their due dates and durations over a project calendar spreadsheet. You can use it for all types of projects and share it with project clients, team members and other project stakeholders.

20. Google Sheets Timeline Template

As long as you’re managing a project of any kind, you’ll need to estimate the duration of tasks and then make a timeline to help you coordinate the efforts of your team members to produce project deliverables on time.

This free Google Sheets timeline template helps you easily make timelines that can be used by organizations from any industry.

21. Google Docs Gantt Chart Template

While this is not exactly a Google Sheets project management template, this Google Docs Gantt chart has the same functionality as Google Sheets. However, this format can be useful for making project management reports and documentation, or it can be easily printed and distributed among the participants of a project meeting.

22. Google Slides Timeline Template

This Google Slides timeline template is very similar to the Google Sheets timeline template we described above, but the main difference between them is that this Google Slides timeline template was specifically designed to visualize project timelines during project management meetings. It has two main components, a timeline overview for marking events such as key deliverables and milestones and a series of detailed monthly timelines that show project tasks, durations and due dates.

23. Gantt Chart Google Slides Template

During project presentations, a Gantt chart in Google Slides helps translate schedules into a format stakeholders can immediately follow. It adds visual clarity to timelines, making it easier to compare phases, highlight delays or showcase progress. Because the chart lives inside a slide deck, teams can present updates without switching tools or disrupting the flow of the meeting.

This Google Slides Gantt chart template is built around movable bar shapes that you can drag to represent task duration across a timeline. Each bar can be color-coded to distinguish phases or workstreams, while arrows allow you to illustrate dependencies between activities. The structure lets you adjust scheduling visuals quickly without touching formulas or spreadsheets.

24. Project Estimate Template for Google Sheets

Download this project estimate template for Google Sheets for an easy and straightforward way to identify and collect all project costs. In reality, countless costs must be factored into a project estimate, and it can be hard to keep track of them all in an organized manner.

This free template is one of the most effective tools for helping project managers avoid overspending on projects. Plus, it’s in a format you and your team can easily access.

25. Google Sheets RAID Log Template

A RAID log stands for risks, assumptions, issues and decisions. This Google Sheets RAID log template is the ideal tool to use to better manage and track issues when they show up in a project. The sooner you identify and understand these issues, the less chance they have to impact your project as a whole. Use the Google Sheets RAID log template to list the RAID category and provide a description as well as the impact, response, priority level and more. It’s helpful for more effective planning and can help teams better understand how changes will impact the project.

26. Risk Matrix Template for Google Sheets

Risks can quickly go from a possibility to something that derails the progress of the entire project. However, not all risks are the same; some can be positive and some can be negative. The best way to manage and mitigate risks is to have a system for determining if risk will happen in a project. Download this risk matrix template for Google Sheets as a communication tool to let the project team know if a risk might occur during the project. Categorize each risk based on the likelihood and severity of it happening to identify risks and come up with a plan to address and resolve them.

27. Change Request Form for Google Docs

Change is inevitable in any project, and things rarely go perfectly. If you don’t respond to change in the right way, it can cause the project to be unsuccessful. This is where the change request form for Google Docs comes in handy as it acts as a structured process for dealing with changes. This is part of the change management process to help project leaders better prepare for and respond to change. This Google Docs template includes a description of the change including the reason, priority, impact on deliverables and more. It also has room to add the impact of the change.

28. Change Log Template for Google Sheets

Similar to the change request form, the change log template for Google Sheets is also designed to make it easier to understand how a change will impact a project. A change management log is a written document that outlines all notable changes made to a project. This could be anything from a new resource that needs to be added, a delay in the project timeline or a change to how stakeholders want to be communicated with. It helps improve transparency and accountability and supports better risk management.

29. Issue Tracking Google Sheets Template

It’s important to be aware of any project issues that could come up in the project. This makes it easier to ensure they are all addressed in a timely manner and increases accountability for how the issues will be mitigated. An issue tracking template for Google Sheets helps document and manage issues that come up during a project. This makes it easier to notate, prioritize and track how these issues are resolved. The template helps define the priority of issue and assigns it to specific team members so they can check it off when it’s complete.

30. Objectives and Key Results (OKR) Template for Google Sheets

In projects, the objective should be a qualitative description of a goal or ideal outcome. This should be a lofty goal but one that is achievable. Key results, on the other hand, are specific, measurable metrics that help determine if progress has been made during the objective. OKRs are ideal for aligning your team’s efforts and tracking their progress and goals. This free objectives and key results template for Google Sheets helps teams foster a sense of accountability and ownership while facilitating discussions around key objectives. Download it now to help you achieve your goals.

31. PERT Chart Template for Google Sheets

PERT is an acronym for program evaluation and review technique. Using this free PERT chart template for Google Sheets helps teams visually map out project tasks, dependencies and timelines. It provides a structured way to break down complex projects into individual tasks, estimate durations and identify the critical path for efficient scheduling.

32. Critical Path Template for Google Sheets

The critical path is the longest sequence of dependent tasks in a project that determines the shortest possible completion time. Use this free critical path template for Google Sheets to help project managers when scheduling projects. It enables project teams to calculate task durations, set dependencies and pinpoint activities that, if delayed, could extend the entire project timeline.

33. Lessons Learned Template for Google Sheets

Use this lessons learned template for Google Sheets to review what went right and what went wrong after completing a project. The review process identifies weaknesses and opportunities, ending with action items to implement for future projects to avoid those pitfalls and take advantage of improving the management of projects.

34. Stakeholder Register Template for Google Sheets

Stakeholders are any person or organization with a vested interest in the project’s success. Project managers can use this stakeholder register template for Google Sheets to track and manage key stakeholders. It serves as a central document to record stakeholder details, influence levels and communication strategies.

35. Change Impact Assessment Template for Google Sheets

This change impact assessment template for Google Sheets is a tool used to assess and document the potential impacts of a proposed change within a project or organization. It helps teams evaluate how changes will affect various aspects such as processes, resources, timelines and stakeholders.

36. Eisenhower Matrix Template for Google Sheets

Named after US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, this Eisenhower matrix template for Google Sheets is based on his principle of distinguishing between tasks that are urgent, important or neither. It helps project managers and their teams prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance by dividing them into four categories to guide decision-making. It helps project teams focus on what truly matters.

37. Invoice Template Google Docs

In organizations that deliver products or services, having a ready-to-use invoice template in Google Docs streamlines administrative work. Teams can prepare billing documents quickly, keep formatting consistent and share files without compatibility issues. Because it lives online, the template supports fast edits and lets multiple stakeholders review charges before sending them to clients.

This Google Docs invoice template includes structured fields to describe the product or service provided, along with contact information for both the supplier and customer. It captures the invoice date, payment deadline, agreed-upon terms, applicable taxes and any discounts. Additional sections help document key billing details so companies can issue accurate, professional invoices every time.

Go Beyond Project Management Templates for Google Sheets with ProjectManager

As good as project management templates for Google are, they can only take you so far. You’ll find it frustrating to have to manually add all the data to these static spreadsheets, which are isolated from your other project tools. If you’re looking for a seamless and more efficient way to work, then you’ll want to explore project management software solutions. ProjectManager is award-winning project management software that helps you plan, manage and track your projects in real time. Everything a project management template for Google does, our software does better.

Keep Your Team’s Workload Balanced

You’ve already combined your action plan, resource plan, to-do list, budget and WBS into our powerful Gantt charts. Now, you need to make sure your teams are working at capacity without burning them out and threatening morale—which is a project killer. Our resource management features allow you to set the availability of each team member, including PTO and global holidays. Then toggle to the color-coded workload chart to see who’s overallocated and who’s not. Without leaving the chart, you can reallocate resources to balance your team’s workload.

Track Progress and Performance in Real Time

Planning is only the start of a project. Next, comes the execution and control. That involves having the tools to monitor what your team is doing. Our real-time dashboard gives you a high-level view of the project across various metrics, such as time, cost, workload and more, with easy-to-read graphs and charts. Unlike lightweight project management software, our dashboard doesn’t make you waste time setting it up. Just toggle to the dashboard and it’s ready to go.

If you need a more detailed analysis, use our customizable reporting tools. They’re easy to generate and can be filtered to show only what you want to see. There are status and portfolio reports, timesheet and workload reports, plus many more. All can be shared in a variety of formats with stakeholders to keep them updated.

Those are just a few of our features. We also have multiple project views beyond the Gantt chart, including kanban boards, task lists and more, all updated together so you can work the way you want and still be able to collaborate with cross-functional teams. There are also task management tools to help with productivity and risk management features that manage issues. Project management templates for Google can’t do any of this, let alone automate workflows and assign task approvals to ensure quality deliverables.

Related Content

Beyond templates, we also have blogs, eBooks and much more content designed to help your teams deliver projects on time and on budget. Below are only a few related pieces that we encourage you to explore.

• 12 Plantillas de gestión de proyectos para Google Sheets
• 12 Modèles de gestion de projet pour Google Sheets (gratuit)
• 12 Free Risk Management Templates for Excel & Word
• A Gantt Chart Guide with Definitions & Examples
• Project Management 101 eBook

ProjectManager is online project management software that connects teams anywhere and at any time. We empower you to plan, manage and track your projects in real time with dynamic features that allow you greater control over your projects to deliver success. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

The post 37 Must-Have Project Management Templates for Google Sheets & Docs appeared first on ProjectManager.

While both Microsoft Planner and Asana provide reliable task management, they fall short when it comes to advanced project planning and resource control. ProjectManager offers dynamic project views like Gantt charts, kanban boards and real-time dashboards, allowing teams to plan, schedule and track work from a single platform. It also supports workload management and time tracking, giving project managers full visibility into team capacity and project performance—capabilities neither Planner nor Asana delivers at the same level.

ProjectManager also integrates with Microsoft 365 and imports Asana and Planner files, allowing teams to upgrade without starting from scratch. Our automated workflows, budget tracking and detailed reporting features make it ideal for complex projects that demand accountability and transparency. Whether you’re managing IT, construction or marketing projects, our software combines flexibility with structure, ensuring your team meets deadlines and stays aligned across every phase of the project. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

Microsoft Planner vs. Asana: Why Should You Choose Microsoft Planner?

Microsoft Planner integrates seamlessly with the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, making it ideal for teams already using tools like Teams, Outlook and SharePoint. It provides a simple, visual way to organize work through task boards, checklists and progress tracking. While it’s not as advanced as some competitors, its familiarity and ease of use make it a great fit for smaller teams or organizations invested in Microsoft products.

What Is Microsoft Planner?

Microsoft Planner is a task and project management tool that allows users to create plans, assign tasks and track progress visually. It uses a kanban-style layout, helping teams see project status at a glance. Each plan can include buckets for task grouping, file attachments and comments to streamline communication. It’s built for collaboration within Microsoft Teams, offering smooth integration with other 365 apps.

Microsoft Planner Pricing

Before diving into the pricing plans available for Microsoft Planner, it’s important to understand that there are two main versions of this software: Microsoft Planner Basic and Microsoft Planner Premium.

Microsoft Planner Basic Pricing Plans

This is the version included in most Microsoft 365 subscriptions. Good for lightweight task management. It ranges from $6 to $22 per user per month, billed annually, but pricing varies depending on the Microsoft 365 subscription.

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic: $6.00/user/month, billed annually
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard: $12.50/user/month, billed annually
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium: $22.00/user/month, billed annually
• Microsoft 365 Apps for Business: $8.25/user/month, billed annually

Microsoft Planner Premium Pricing Plans

This is the next level up, ideal for users or teams needing more advanced project management features.

• Planner Plan 1: $10/user/month, billed annually
• Planner and Project Plan 3: $30/user/month, billed annually</l
• Planner and Project Plan 5: $55/user/month, billed annually

For more detailed information about each of these Microsoft Planner plans and the features that are available for each pricing tier, visit our Microsoft Planner blog.

Microsoft Planner Reviews

• G2 Review: 4.2/5
• Capterra Review: 4.3/5

Highlighted Positive User Reviews

• “I like how it integrates in the MS 365 ecosystem and works with other MS 365 tools like Power Automate.” Zain A.– from G2
• “I loved that I could set up a project plan and assign tasks to individuals. I also like that you can group tasks for different categories, including individuals, task type, priority, etc. Nicholas B.–from Capterra

Highlighted Negative User Reviews

• “It gets messy when the project is bigger with multiple subtasks.” Hitesh A.–from G2
• “tracking and visualization are just unacceptable. It is not possible to see who is working on what task under which project. One needs to go and click through multiple teams and keep all the information in mind.” Yurii O.–from Capterra

What Is Microsoft Planner Used For?

Microsoft Planner is used to organize tasks, assign responsibilities and track progress in a visual, board-based format. It helps teams manage small to medium projects by creating task buckets, setting due dates and adding checklists. Planner integrates with Microsoft 365 apps like Teams and Outlook, allowing users to stay updated on project progress while collaborating within their existing workflow.

Who Uses Microsoft Planner?

Microsoft Planner is designed for teams that already use Microsoft 365 and want a lightweight work management tool. It’s popular among small businesses, marketing teams, educators and departments managing recurring processes or short-term initiatives. Its simplicity makes it accessible to non-technical users who need an easy way to coordinate daily tasks without the complexity of enterprise project management software.

Related: Microsoft Planner Dashboard: Key Features, Pros & Cons

Microsoft Planner Key Features

Microsoft Planner offers simple yet effective tools for collaboration and task tracking. Its features help teams visualize workflows, monitor deadlines and stay organized within the Microsoft ecosystem.

• Task boards with drag-and-drop functionality
• Integration with Microsoft Teams and Outlook
• File sharing and comments for real-time collaboration
• Visual progress charts to track project performance
• Notifications and reminders to keep teams on schedule
• Mobile app for managing work on the go

Microsoft Planner vs. Asana: How Is Microsoft Planner Better Than Asana?

Microsoft Planner is better than Asana for teams already using Microsoft 365 because it integrates seamlessly with familiar tools like Teams, Outlook and OneDrive. This makes it easier to centralize communication, manage documents and stay on top of tasks without switching between platforms. Planner’s clean, visual interface also appeals to users who prefer a straightforward task management system without the steep learning curve of more complex tools.

Planner is also more cost-effective for organizations with existing Microsoft subscriptions, as it’s often included at no additional charge. For small to medium teams managing recurring projects or internal workflows, Planner provides the right balance of simplicity and collaboration. It’s particularly strong for task organization, progress tracking and team visibility within the Microsoft environment, offering smooth coordination for users who rely on Office applications daily.

Related: Best Task Management Software: Free & Paid Options (2025)

Microsoft Planner vs. Asana: How Is Microsoft Planner Worse Than Asana?

Microsoft Planner is less flexible than Asana when it comes to managing complex projects. It lacks advanced features such as task dependencies, timeline views and custom automation options that make Asana ideal for larger or more dynamic workflows. Teams that need granular control over scheduling or task prioritization may find Planner too limited for detailed project tracking or strategic planning.

Asana also provides stronger integrations beyond Microsoft’s ecosystem, connecting easily with tools like Slack, Google Drive and Salesforce. Its reporting and analytics are more advanced, giving managers better visibility into workloads and project performance. For teams that rely on agile frameworks or require multiple project views, Asana offers broader customization and scalability than Microsoft Planner, making it the better choice for fast-growing organizations.

Microsoft Planner vs. Asana: Why Should You Choose Asana?

Asana is ideal for teams that need flexible project management beyond Microsoft’s ecosystem. Its advanced task management features, including dependencies, multiple project views and automation options, allow teams to manage complex workflows efficiently. With robust reporting, analytics and integrations with tools like Slack, Google Drive and Salesforce, Asana provides greater visibility into project progress and resource allocation. Teams that require scalability, adaptability and comprehensive collaboration capabilities often find Asana a better fit than Microsoft Planner.

What Is Asana?

Asana is a cloud-based work management tool designed to help teams organize, track and manage their projects and tasks. It offers features such as task assignments, timelines, boards, project views and automation rules, making it easier for teams to collaborate and meet deadlines. Asana supports integrations with numerous third-party apps, enabling seamless workflow management across different platforms. Its flexibility allows teams of all sizes to customize processes and ensure accountability and transparency throughout a project’s lifecycle.

Asana Pricing

• Premium plan: $10.99/user/month, billed annually
• Business plan: $24.99/user/month, billed annually

Asana Reviews

• G2 review: 4.4/5
• Capterra review: 4.5/5

Highlighted Positive User Reviews

• “I can create tasks, set their dates, routines, collaborate with my teammates, see their tasks, private my tasks, and so much more.” Shivam K – from G2
• “Asana is so much easier to use and it is well equipped with fantastic tools that help me get tasks done.” Simeon O. — from Capterra

Highlighted Negative User Review

• “Exporting information from projects can be quite a hassle. I use this tool to keep track of OHS items and meeting minutes, but when I export the data as a CSV file, I still need to manually adjust it to make it more legible.” Liam O.–from G2
• “Some of the functionalities for advanced reporting feel limited, file management could be smoother, and pricing can be high for larger teams.” Clara R.–from Capterra

What Is Asana Used For?

Asana is used for planning, organizing and tracking work across teams and projects. It helps teams manage tasks, deadlines and dependencies while providing visibility into progress and bottlenecks. Teams can use Asana to create project timelines, track milestones, assign responsibilities and collaborate efficiently. It also supports reporting and analytics, helping managers monitor productivity and make data-driven decisions.

Who Uses Asana?

Teams of all sizes across various industries use Asana, including marketing, IT, operations, HR and product development. Project managers, team leads and individual contributors rely on it to organize tasks, track project progress and ensure accountability. Its flexible features allow it to support both simple task management and complex project workflows, making it a popular choice for companies aiming to improve collaboration and operational efficiency.

Asana Key Features

Asana offers a variety of features designed to streamline work management, enhance collaboration and improve team productivity. These include:

• Task creation and assignment with due dates and priorities
• Multiple project views, including list, board, timeline and calendar
• Custom fields for tracking unique project data
• Automation rules for recurring tasks and approvals
• Integration with third-party tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams and Google Workspace
• Dashboards and reporting for tracking project progress and performance
• Collaboration tools including comments, attachments and real-time updates

Asana vs. Microsoft Planner: How Is Asana Better Than Microsoft Planner?

Asana offers more flexibility and customization than Microsoft Planner. It allows teams to create multiple project views such as lists, boards, timelines and calendars, making it easier to visualize project progress. Its automation capabilities help reduce repetitive tasks and improve efficiency, which is something Planner lacks. Teams can also track dependencies, milestones and priorities, ensuring complex projects stay on schedule and aligned with organizational goals.

Another advantage of Asana is its robust reporting and analytics. Users can generate dashboards, monitor performance metrics and gain insights into workload distribution. Integrations with tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams and Google Workspace further enhance collaboration and streamline workflows. Overall, Asana provides greater scalability and adaptability for teams managing diverse and complex projects compared to Microsoft Planner.

Asana vs. Microsoft Planner: How Is Asana Worse Than Microsoft Planner?

Asana’s increased functionality comes with a steeper learning curve, which can slow onboarding for new users. Its interface may feel overwhelming for smaller teams or simple projects, making it less intuitive than Microsoft Planner. Teams that require a simple, visual task management tool may find Planner easier to adopt quickly without extensive setup or training.

Additionally, Asana’s pricing is generally higher than Microsoft Planner, especially for larger teams or those needing advanced features. Smaller organizations with limited budgets may find Planner a more cost-effective solution. Its straightforward design and integration with Microsoft 365 make it ideal for teams already using Microsoft tools, providing adequate functionality without the complexity of Asana.

How to Import Your Microsoft Planner or Asana Files Into ProjectManager

ProjectManager makes it easy to transition your projects from Microsoft Planner or Asana into a more robust platform. By importing your data, you can take advantage of advanced project management features such as Gantt charts, resource tracking, dashboards and reporting. This section walks you through each step, showing how to move your existing Excel, CSV or MPP files into ProjectManager while maintaining all your tasks, assignments and deadlines.

Once imported, you can customize and enhance your project views, track progress in real time and manage resources efficiently. ProjectManager allows teams to consolidate their work in one platform, ensuring visibility and control over every project element. Below are the key steps to import and optimize your Planner or Asana data.

1. ProjectManager Allows You to Import Your Data from Microsoft Planner or Asana as an Excel, MPP or CSV File

You can export your project from Microsoft Planner or Asana as an Excel, CSV or MPP file. ProjectManager accepts all these formats, enabling you to bring your existing tasks, deadlines and assignments into a centralized project management environment.

2. Choose the Excel, CSV or MPP File You Want to Import

Locate the exported file from Planner or Asana and upload it directly into ProjectManager. This step ensures all your project information is captured and ready to be mapped within the platform.

3. Select Options

During import, you can choose settings such as task assignments, dependencies and start and due dates. Adjusting these options helps maintain project structure and priority, ensuring a smooth transition.

4. Import Into ProjectManager

Click the import button to move your project into ProjectManager. The platform automatically maps your tasks, subtasks, resources and milestones, giving you a fully functional project ready to manage and track.

5. Customize Your Microsoft Planner Gantt Chart With ProjectManager

After importing, you can customize your project Gantt chart in ProjectManager. Assign tasks, set dependencies, adjust timelines and monitor progress in real time, giving your team complete visibility and control over project execution.

Microsoft Planner vs. Asana: Pricing Comparison

When comparing the pricing for Microsoft Planner vs Asana, you’ll find significant differences in how each tool is packaged and billed. Microsoft Planner is included within many Microsoft 365 business subscriptions rather than being offered as a standalone product. For example, the Microsoft 365 Business Basic plan starts at about $6 per user, per month (billed annually).

Asana’s pricing is more tiered and per-user-centric. It includes a free plan for small teams, followed by the Starter plan at $10.99 per user per month (billed annually) and the Advanced plan at $24.99 per user per month (billed annually). When billed monthly instead of annually, the cost can be higher.

Because Microsoft Planner is bundled with Microsoft 365, the marginal cost for teams already using that ecosystem can be very low. In contrast, Asana’s fee is directly based on user seats and features, which can add up quickly, especially for teams that need advanced capabilities like automation, timelines or workload management.

ProjectManager Is Better Than Microsoft Planner and Asana

While both Microsoft Planner and Asana offer basic task and project management features, ProjectManager goes further with a complete work management solution. It allows teams to monitor progress, allocate resources, track costs, automate workflows and generate reports—all in real time. Unlike Planner or Asana, ProjectManager integrates seamlessly with Microsoft and other tools, supports Gantt charts, kanban boards, workload views, dashboards and timesheets, providing a single platform for managing projects from start to finish.

Monitor Project Progress, Timelines and Costs in Real Time

ProjectManager lets you track project progress, deadlines and budget consumption in real time. Interactive Gantt charts, AI-powered dashboards and kanban boards give instant visibility into who is doing what, when and how much it costs. You can detect bottlenecks, adjust schedules, reassign resources and stay on budget without toggling between multiple apps, which is a limitation in both Microsoft Planner and Asana.

Make Project Management Reports in Minutes

ProjectManager makes reporting simple, enabling you to create performance, budget, timesheet and resource utilization reports in minutes. You can generate and export professional reports with charts and visuals for stakeholders, compare project forecasts against actuals and analyze metrics across multiple projects. This built-in reporting is far more robust than the reporting capabilities of Microsoft Planner or Asana, saving time and improving project transparency.

Related Content

There’s more to learn about Microsoft Planner and Asana for readers who still haven’t made their minds up. Check out the link below. They lead to articles exploring the Planner timeline, Asana dashboard and much more.

• Microsoft Planner Timeline: Key Features, Pros & Cons
• Microsoft Planner Dashboard: Key Features, Pros & Cons
• Microsoft Planner vs. Project: In-Depth Software Comparison
• Asana Dashboard: Key Features, Pros and Cons
• Asana Gantt Chart: A How-to Guide With Pros, Cons & Alternatives

ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects teams, whether they’re in the office or out in the field. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app notifications. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

The post Microsoft Planner vs. Asana: In-Depth Software Comparison appeared first on ProjectManager.

There’s no argument about dashboards. They are an important part of any collaborative work environment. But is there a Notion dashboard? Let’s find out, and if there is one, let’s see what it can and can’t do. Only then will readers be able to make an informed decision on the time-tracking tool that’s right for them.

What Is Notion?

Notion is an all-in-one workspace designed for organizing and managing various types of information like notes, tasks, documents and more. Users can create pages, add text, images, checklists, tables and even embed content from other apps.

It’s a highly customizable tool, which users can adapt to fit their own workflows, whether for personal use, team collaboration or anything in between. It likes to think of itself as a digital notebook that lets users combine many different organization tools into one place but without the rigid structure.

Some key features include pages and blocks, which can be text, images, a list, a table or even a calendar. Notion has powerful database features that allow users to organize information. It’s also a collaborative tool allowing users to share pages, comment on content and work together in real time.

If this sounds project management adjacent, it is. But is there a Notion dashboard to provide a high-level overview of work? This might be software that can help with some projects, but without a dashboard, it’s going to fall short. That leads us to the big question.

Does Notion Have a Dashboard?

Project managers and their teams need dashboards. If there is a Notion dashboard, does it have the features that project professionals rely on to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) such as time, tasks, workload and more?

Before deciding on Notion as the software to manage your project, take a moment to see if there is a Notion dashboard and, if there is, what it can do. Managing a project without a dashboard, or even with one that is not robust, is like driving blind. It’s not a good idea.

Short Answer: Yes, Notion Has Dashboards

Yes, Notion allows users to create dashboards that can help with task management. A Notion dashboard shows tasks and project progress via the kanban boards, tables or timelines. It can also show deadlines and schedules in the calendar view. Meeting notes and documents can be linked pages and embedded files. Progress bars and to-do lists help with goal tracking and other metrics. Embedded widgets and external tools make it excellent for custom workspaces, documentation and personal productivity tracking.

Long Answer: Notion Dashboards Lack Key Features for Project Management

Again, yes, Notion dashboards do exist! However, users have to create them. On the plus side, they are customizable and flexible. But to reiterate, they don’t come pre-built and some features are lacking. These are not plug-and-play dashboards as found in other apps.

Those looking to use a powerful dashboard for their projects will want to look beyond a Notion dashboard to the built-in and dynamic dashboards found in the award-winning project and portfolio management software of ProjectManager. We have dashboards for a high-level overview of single projects, programs and portfolios of projects, all ready to use when you are and delivering real-time data on time, cost, workload and more. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

Notion Dashboard Features

Notion’s dashboard gives teams a flexible workspace to centralize notes, tasks and project information. Its customizable layouts help project managers visualize priorities, track progress and keep documentation organized. While not a traditional project dashboard tool, the dashboard supports lightweight planning and monitoring, making it useful for teams that value simplicity, adaptability and a unified hub for project-related content.

• Customizable pages and layouts
• Database views (table, board, list, calendar, timeline)
• Linked databases for unified reporting
• Task tracking with statuses and tags
• Embedded documents, media and files
• Team comments and collaboration
• Simple automations and integrations
• Real-time sync across devices

What Project Management Features Is Notion Dashboard Missing?

Although versatile, Notion’s dashboard lacks several capabilities expected in full project management software. Its flexibility doesn’t replace structured scheduling, resource planning or advanced reporting. For teams managing complex, timeline-driven projects, Notion can feel limiting because it’s primarily a documentation and workspace tool rather than a full execution platform.

• No real-time project health indicators (schedule, cost, risk, scope)
• No automatic aggregation of project metrics across databases
• No built-in workload or capacity visualization on the dashboard
• No dynamic percent-complete or progress calculations
• No native risk/issue dashboards with severity or prioritization views
• No variance tracking or project baseline comparison panels
• Limited filtering and segmentation for multi-project reporting
• Heavy manual setup—dashboards don’t auto-generate PM insights

How to Make a Notion Dashboard Better With ProjectManager

For those who are itching for a dashboard that can do more than the Notion dashboard, there is a workaround. Use the data from Notion to make a dashboard in ProjectManager. All it takes is a few steps and users will find that they’re can now monitor their project with more metrics for greater insights. Just start a 30-day trial with ProjectManager for free, no credit card required, and follow these steps.

Before we dive into the process let’s quickly go over a side-by-side comparison of ProjectManager’s Gantt chart and Notion’s Gantt chart.

Notion Dashboard	ProjectManager Dashboard
Manually assembled widgets and database views	Automatically generated real-time project dashboards with no setup required
No automated project health indicators (schedule, cost, workload)	Built-in KPIs showing project health, workload, costs, tasks, time and more
No automatic percent-complete or progress calculations	Real-time completion metrics pulled directly from tasks and teams’ updates
No baseline, variance or performance panels	Schedule, cost and workload variance automatically calculated on the dashboard
Does not aggregate data across multiple projects without custom setups	Portfolio dashboard rolls up data from all projects instantly
Limited filtering and segmentation options	Advanced filters by project, team, status, priority and workload categories
No workload or capacity visualization in dashboard	Dedicated workload chart showing over/under-allocated team members
No time tracking or timesheet visibility	Time tracking and timesheet data displayed directly in dashboard metrics
No ready-made dashboard templates	Dashboard includes prebuilt widgets for tasks, costs, workload, risks, time, and performance KPIs
Heavy manual maintenance as project data grows	Dashboards update automatically from all project activity in real time

1. Export Your Notion Project

Open Notion and navigate to the database or project page that you want to export.

2. Select the Excel File and Import Into ProjectManager

Choose that file and export it into a CSV file. Then open up ProjectManager and import that file into our software using the Gantt chart view.

3. Add the Data to a New or Existing Project

In ProjectManager, users will either create a new project or, for those who already have an account, they can add the exported file to an existing project. If you’re adding data to an existing project, make sure the project in ProjectManager aligns with the Notion project’s structure or manually match the task categories and columns to create consistency.

4. Choose What Data to Import

ProjectManager allows users to import all the data from the Notion exported file or only the task list. Users can decide to add all data or choose specific task details such as task name due date, assignee, priority level and more. The software will map these fields from the Notion project into ProjectManager. To compare actual vs. planned data on the ProjectManager dashboard, be sure to set a baseline on the Gantt chart. You can then toggle to the ProjectManager dashboard view to access live project data.

5. Success! View Notion Dashboard Data In ProjectManager

When the popup window says, success, that means the data is now in ProjectManager. This allows users to view their project on our robust project dashboard as well as have access to real Gantt charts, resource management features, automation, risk management, global search, version control and so much more.

Notion Dashboard Pricing

From a project-management perspective, the dashboard capabilities of Notion are available across all pricing plans (Free through Enterprise) because dashboards are essentially custom pages built in Notion. However, some advanced collaboration, analytics, and team-management features that enhance dashboards are locked to the paid tiers.

• Free Plan ($0 per seat/month): Dashboard creation is included (custom pages, databases, views). Team-level analytics are limited and many admin and security features are not available.
• Plus Plan (≈ $10 per seat/month, billed annually): Dashboard creation and collaboration are included. Greater upload limits, version history, guests, and more team access options.
• Business Plan (≈ $20 per seat/month, billed annually): Dashboard features + advanced analytics, private team-spaces, SAML/SSO, granular permissions, making dashboards more enterprise-fit.
• Enterprise Plan (custom pricing): Full dashboard support with unlimited history, full analytics, enterprise security, workspace-wide dashboards and controls.

What Can You Use a Notion Dashboard For?

A Notion dashboard serves as a centralized workspace where teams can organize project information, track priorities and consolidate workflows. It’s commonly used to display task lists, project statuses, upcoming deadlines and key resources in one accessible view. Because dashboards support databases, linked views and custom layouts, they work well for project hubs, team homepages, goal-tracking boards, knowledge centers and reporting spaces.

Teams can also embed documents, calendars and metrics to streamline communication, reduce context-switching and maintain visibility across work. Ultimately, a Notion dashboard acts as a flexible command center tailored to each team’s processes and objectives.

ProjectManager Has a Better Dashboard Than Notion

Once users have a chance to view their project in our software and compare it to a Notion dashboard, they’ll quickly see how superior ours is. Our real-time dashboard is built in with access to advanced project management features such as progress tracking, cost tracking and slippage reporting. Let’s break it down.

• Project Portfolio Management Dashboard: While Notion can build a portfolio-style dashboard, it has to be manually set up and a database linked to it. That requires a lot of customization. ProjectManager has portfolio dashboards, which makes it easier to track multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Planned vs. Actual Project Management Data: Again, Notion dashboards require custom databases and a lot of manual tracking. ProjectManager has planned vs. actual data tracking built in.
• Progress Tracking: It sounds like a broken record, but that’s what happens when describing the broken Notion dashboard. Instead of manually setting up progress tracking, ProjectManager has progress tracking with Gantt charts, task lists and, of course, the dashboard, and it’s ready when you are.
• Cost Tracking: Notion has no automated way to track expenses in real time. You guessed it, ProjectManager tracks costs directly in the dashboard, including labor, materials and other expenses in real time to set a budget and track actual spending against it.
• Workload Management Data: Notion can assign tasks, but lacks built-in workload management tools. ProjectManager can assign tasks to team members, track their availability and balance workloads to avoid overloading, with its color-coded workload charts.
• Slippage Reporting: Users better like manually setting up features that ProjectManager has built-in because that’s what they’ll have to do to get slippage reporting. ProjectManager tracks project delays and automatically highlights any milestones or deadlines that are slipping. It helps identify risks early and provides a way to act before the situation gets worse.

Notion Dashboard Example

Enough abstract talk about what a Notion dashboard can or can’t do, let’s look at an example to view this tool in a real-life scenario. Below is an actual screenshot of a dashboard from the Notion software.

Let’s look at two widgets. There’s a today list on the left, which shows a list of tasks, priority, when they’re due and which project they belong to. On the right, there’s a list of projects. These projects are filtered by current and archived projects.

How to Make a Dashboard in Notion

Let’s now look at how to create a dashboard in Notion. It’s more involved compared to tools with pre-built dashboards like ProjectManager. Users have to create multiple databases and link them together manually. Then set up different views to represent the data in a way that works for them.

At this point, filters and sorters can be added to tailor each view based on specific conditions like due dates, assignees, priority, etc. Users can then organize these views into a cohesive layout, which can get complex depending on the amount of information one’s working with.

The level of customization in a Notion dashboard is a double-edged sword. It’s nice to design a dashboard how one wants, but it also means having to figure out how to make it work with one’s workflows. Notion doesn’t offer automatic analytics or reporting, though. To track slippage or budget vs. actuals, users have to manually input and calculate that information.

Why ProjectManager Is a Better Project Tracking Software Than Notion

Rather than doing all that work for so little return, not to mention pulling one away from the more important work of managing the project, users tend to prefer project management software with built-in dashboards. A Notion dashboard is a poor substitute for the real-time project and portfolio dashboards from the award-winning ProjectManager. Not only are our dashboards more robust, but they connect with a suite of powerful project management features that make them stand head and shoulders above the competition.

Plan, Schedule and Track With Multiple Project Management Views

For one thing, our software also has multiple project views, such as kanban boards for visualizing workflow, task and calendar views. But unlike Notion, we have real Gantt charts, which schedule tasks, resources and costs, add milestones, assign teams and more. Unlike other Gantt charts software, though, we can link all four types of task dependencies, which helps project managers avoid delays and cost overruns. Our Gantt charts can filter for the critical path, which means no time-consuming and difficult calculations. Then set a baseline and track progress in real time, comparing the planned against actual live data.

Track Costs with Online Timesheets, Workload Charts and Reports

While our dashboards offer a high-level overview of the project, other features can provide tracking. For example, our secure timesheets streamline payroll and allow team members to update timesheets anywhere and at any time with our mobile app for Android and iOS. But they also give project managers visibility into labor costs, which helps keep the project on budget. Color-coded workload charts show resource allocation, which makes it easy to see who is overallocated or underutilized and balance workload to keep teams working at capacity without threatening burnout. For more details, customizable reports on variance, timesheets, workload, status, portfolio and more can be generated with a keystroke. These reports are also easy to share with stakeholders to keep them updated.

Related Content

Still curious about Notion or dashboards? No problem, below are links to more recent posts on those subjects and more.

• Notion Kanban Board: Key Features, Pros & Cons
• Notion Gantt Chart: Key Features, Pros & Cons
• Project Dashboard Template (Free Excel Download)
• Must-Have Project Dashboard Tools
• KPI Dashboard Template

ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects teams whether they’re in the office or out in the field. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app notifications. Join teams at Avis, Nestle and Siemens who use our software to deliver successful projects. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

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