- \n
- Create A Project Timeline<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Manage tasks<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Plan & Manage Resources<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Effort Tracking<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- A Better Alternative to Excel Project Management<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Ready to get started? Let\u2019s begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Should You Use Excel For Project Management?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You don\u2019t always need project management tools to manage projects. Sometimes a simple spreadsheet can do the job. Here are some situations where project management in Excel makes sense:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- You work on simple projects:<\/strong> If you work on projects with very few dependencies and team members, you may not need project management software. A simple spreadsheet to track project tasks is perfect for such simple projects.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- You work on one project at a time:<\/strong> If you work on multiple projects simultaneously, you\u2019ll need to share team members across projects. Shared resources create complex dependencies. But if you work on a single project at a time, spreadsheets are often enough.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- You already have access to Microsoft Office:<\/strong> Almost everyone already has access to Microsoft Office. You, too, can consider using Excel for managing projects if you have easy access to it. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Disadvantages Of Managing Projects In Excel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Even if you have access to Excel and manage simple projects, Excel still may not be the right choice. These are some of the disadvantages of Excel project management:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- No communication features:<\/strong> All spreadsheets, including Excel, lack communication features. Communicating with clients and other team members can be a big challenge.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- No collaboration features:<\/strong> There\u2019s no way to share files or documents via Excel. You\u2019ll have to use a file hosting service to share files. On the other hand, most PM tools come with built-in file sharing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Information overload:<\/strong> Over time, Excel spreadsheets accumulate a lot of information. Clients and most team members rarely need access to all this information. As a result, time is wasted looking for information.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Hard to ensure data integrity:<\/strong> When everyone is updating the same sheet, it\u2019s easy for someone to update or remove information accidentally. Plus, project information can get lost as we discuss tasks over chat or email.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Expensive in the long run:<\/strong> Most PM tools have a free plan. Paid plans often cost less than $10 per user per month. Considering the above disadvantages, using Excel for project management can be expensive in the long run.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Excel Project Management Use Cases<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
So far, you\u2019ve learned about the kind of work you can manage with Excel. You\u2019ve also learned about the disadvantages of Excel project management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Next, let\u2019s look at the project use cases you can manage with Excel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Create A Project Timeline<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A timeline is a simple way to visualize plans \u2014 whether it\u2019s a high-level project roadmap or a detailed project schedule. Using Excel or other spreadsheet software like Google Sheets, you can easily create a project timeline<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/project-timeline-template-excel.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTypically, a project timeline is created using a Gantt chart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Gantt timeline helps your team members visualize the project\u2019s schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Excel and other spreadsheets are not meant to be used as project planning tools<\/a>. They don\u2019t have an in-built Gantt chart feature. Instead, you can customize the horizontal bar chart to look like a Gantt timeline. Check out these tutorials on how to create a Gantt timeline in Excel<\/a> and Google Sheets<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other than the above-mentioned disadvantages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Excel timelines are hard to keep up to date. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- There\u2019s no way to add milestones to an Excel Gantt timeline.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- And, it\u2019s almost impossible to work collaboratively on an Excel project timeline.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Gantt Timeline Template For Excel<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
If you want to use Excel, despite its disadvantages, use this simple template<\/a> or choose from the project timeline templates<\/a> available here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Manage Tasks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Once the project plan is ready, the next step is to start executing and tracking day-to-day tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/excel-template-for-project-task-list.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nUsing a spreadsheet, it\u2019s fairly easy to track task status. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
List down all the start with their start and end dates. Assign tasks to team members. And, finally include a column to track task status. You can either create a simple to-do list using checkboxes or include more task statuses in a dropdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tracking task progress using Excel suffers from the same disadvantages mentioned above. Also:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- You cannot create custom task workflows.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Unlike Kanban boards, it\u2019s not easy to visualize task progress in Excel.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Project Task List Template<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
You can use the same timeline spreadsheet template given above or use this simple spreadsheet template<\/a> to track task progress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Plan & Manage Resources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Planning resource availability and allocating them to projects is the next use case for Excel project management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Resource](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/2-resource-allocation-template.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBefore you allocate resources to a project or a task, you need to know if a resource is available. For example, you cannot plan for a team member who\u2019s on vacation or busy with another project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019ll need two separate spreadsheets \u2014 one to track off-days and another to track project allocation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using Excel to manage resources is hard. You\u2019ll have to update the spreadsheet constantly based on inputs from team members and other project managers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Resource Management Templates<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
These templates cover all team resource management use-cases, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Track team availability<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Allocate resources to projects<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Plan project resources<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Plan resource capacities<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
You can copy these from File > Make a copy<\/em> or download as Excel from File > Download as > Microsoft Excel (.xlsx)<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn more about how to use these resource planning templates<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Track Project Efforts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Finally, using Excel, you can track your team’s actual number of hours into a project. This is a critical step in project management, especially if you bill clients by the hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Time](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/5-timesheet-template.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nYou can calculate the total number of hours put in by each team member in a project. Also, you can set the rate for each team member and calculate the billable amount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tracking project efforts in Excel is fairly easy. But, it\u2019s cumbersome to record the time spent on each task. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Excel Timesheet Template<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Use this simple Google Sheets template<\/a> to track time spent on a project. You can make a copy of it from File > Make a copy<\/em> or download it as an Excel from File > Download as > Microsoft Excel (.xlsx)<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Toggl Plan: A Better Alternative to Excel Project Management<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Considering the use cases above, it\u2019s definitely possible to manage projects using Excel. But keeping information up to date in all these spreadsheets can be quite a task. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Allocate resources to projects<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Track team availability<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- No collaboration features:<\/strong> There\u2019s no way to share files or documents via Excel. You\u2019ll have to use a file hosting service to share files. On the other hand, most PM tools come with built-in file sharing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- You work on one project at a time:<\/strong> If you work on multiple projects simultaneously, you\u2019ll need to share team members across projects. Shared resources create complex dependencies. But if you work on a single project at a time, spreadsheets are often enough.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Manage tasks<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/toggl-plan-timeline.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Toggl](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/toggl-plan-task.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/team-timeline.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n