Why Excel is the only project management tool you need?

Many people have tried many project management tools, but still come back to Microsoft Excel for project management. While it may not be perfect for everyone, it is a simple, yet effective solution that you already know how to use.

Table of Contents

• Free to start
• How to Use Excel for Project Management
• There are many free and cheap templates
• Fully customizable to your needs
• Easy to expand or duplicate
• Share spreadsheets with others
• Conditional formatting keeps you on track
• Create tabs for different aspects

Free to start

It’s hard to argue against something that’s free. Many of the project management tools you’ll want to use keep some of their best features behind paywalls. With Excel, almost everything is free from the get-go. You’ll only encounter a few formatting options that require an Office 365 subscription, though there are benefits to that.

Using Excel online is also free. You even get 5GB of free storage for your Office documents. If you need a free desktop option, there are plenty of free Excel alternatives.

How to Use Excel for Project Management

Using Excel for project management becomes easy when you realize that you don't need to spend hours or weeks learning how to use it. Once you know how to create formulas, style the interface with formatting, and organize tabs, you have everything you need to manage almost any project.

The time you save learning how to use something new can be spent designing a few templates to use on new projects.

There are many free and cheap templates

Many people dislike spreadsheet design, but simple rows and columns blur together and aren't very effective for project management.

Just start with a free or low-cost project management template. You’ll find many options within Excel itself. These allow you to track tasks, timelines, budgets, and more. All you have to do is enter your own data and enjoy.

Fully customizable to your needs

Most project management tools offer minimal customization options. Sure, you can change colors and even add/remove some fields, but you’re stuck with their layout, which isn’t always efficient.

When you use Excel to manage projects, you have complete control over how everything looks and feels. It doesn't even have to look like a spreadsheet.

Admittedly, it takes a while to fully customize a spreadsheet. However, you can use it while making adjustments. For example, you might have a spreadsheet you created over a decade ago to track due dates that still needs to be adjusted over time.

Easy to expand or duplicate

You don't always need to create a new Excel spreadsheet from scratch for every project. Do your requirements change? Just adjust the spreadsheet. Add new team members? Expand the spreadsheet with tabs for each new team member.

For example, you may want a separate spreadsheet for each client. You may prefer a different spreadsheet for each individual project, or even just a new spreadsheet each year to better track results. Once you have a spreadsheet created, simply copy it and make a few adjustments to start with a new client or project.

Just go to File -> Create a copy .

Share spreadsheets with others

If you work with other people or a small team, you can easily share your spreadsheet with others. Even if someone doesn't have Excel, they can still access it for free online or download and use it with a free Excel alternative .

Since Excel file formats are so common, most free alternatives can read and save to them. If you want to share without anyone editing, just share as a PDF .

The plus is that you can share your spreadsheet and know that other people will most likely already know how to use everything. You can update details as needed without having to ask too many questions about the actual project management tool.

Conditional formatting keeps you on track

It's a simple thing, but conditional formatting is one of my favorite features when using Excel for project management. You open your spreadsheet and immediately see a color-coded overview showing upcoming deadlines and whether you're behind schedule.

You can also see if you've received payment for a project, or need to send a reminder email, etc. Just set up conditional formatting for specific cells and you're done. You can highlight cells, add color scales, and insert formulas.

Go to Home -> Conditional Formatting . Depending on how your toolbars are set up, you may first need to go to Home -> Styles .

Create tabs for different aspects

Just like any project management tool, you’ll need more than just a list of tasks. You’ll need a timeline, a list of tasks, responsible people, notes, contact information, budgets, and more. Creating a search box to quickly find details in your spreadsheet is a good idea for more complex designs.

When using Excel to manage a project, simply create a different tab or sheet for each aspect. Have one tab for your budget, another for your contacts, another for your tasks and notes, and another for your timeline.

Each spreadsheet can look completely different. For example, track your project timeline by creating a Gantt chart. While you can do this from scratch, you should use a free template like this one, which you can also find by searching Excel.

For larger teams, Excel may not always be the best choice. But if you're a little creative and want to save money, Excel is ideal for managing almost any project as an individual or small team.