With no plan, tasks are in hassle. Undertaking planning is among the first and most essential elements of undertaking administration. Utilizing undertaking planning templates may also help you schedule duties, estimate budgets and allocate assets.
Undertaking administration software program does greater than a static Excel or Phrase template, however utilizing these free 17 undertaking planning templates for Excel and Phrase is an honest substitute. Obtain one or all to begin your subsequent undertaking on the fitting foot.
Why Use Undertaking Planning Templates?
Undertaking planning templates are an essential a part of undertaking administration. They set up your duties, provide help to write a undertaking constitution, provide you with an correct finances and a lot extra. Even if you happen to’re utilizing undertaking administration software program, undertaking planning templates may also help you with all the pieces from choice making, resembling with our free RACI matrix template, to figuring out undertaking deliverables, with our free work breakdown construction template.
You may even use undertaking planning templates that can assist you handle your undertaking and monitor progress and dangers. They supply a constant undertaking documentation course of, which might then be archived and retrieved to tell future planning. Undertaking planning templates assist scale back work as they’re preformatted so that you don’t all the time have to begin from scratch.
However utilizing undertaking planning templates is, at finest, solely a place to begin. To make sure your plans are well-managed throughout undertaking execution, you’ll need to improve to undertaking administration software program.
ProjectManager is award-winning undertaking and portfolio administration software program that helps you propose tasks and handle and monitor them in actual time. We now have a number of undertaking views, from kanban boards to duties lists, sheet and calendar views, however undertaking managers sometimes plan their tasks on our highly effective Gantt charts.
Not like templates, our Gantt charts set up your duties, add assets and prices and hyperlink all 4 varieties of activity dependencies to keep away from expensive delays. Gantts can filter for the important path to determine important duties and set a baseline to trace your deliberate progress towards precise progress in actual time. That’s the way you ship on time and inside finances. Get began with ProjectManager immediately at no cost.
17 Finest Undertaking Planning Templates
Should you’re not prepared to make use of undertaking administration software program, these 17 undertaking planning templates for Excel and Phrase may also help you get your undertaking deliberate correctly. They cowl all of the bases, from making a timeline to chart your duties to having a threat register to arrange your workforce for points that inevitably come up in each undertaking.
A undertaking plan is an enormous endeavor. Our free undertaking plan template for Phrase helps you set up the assorted undertaking administration documentation wanted to arrange your undertaking for achievement. You get to handle the planning fundamentals, resembling defining your undertaking scope, figuring out milestones and breaking the undertaking down into manageable phases and duties.
Then you possibly can create a undertaking schedule, together with activity dependencies, undertaking assumptions and constraints. There’s additionally a piece that addresses the undertaking finances, threat and alter administration, which is crucial to remain on monitor. Included is a threat log and the method you’ll use for change administration to keep away from delays.
A undertaking constitution is a vital undertaking planning doc. It supplies high-level info on the undertaking to make sure stakeholders are conscious of the undertaking deliverables, milestones and the roles and duties of the undertaking workforce. It additionally explains the rationale for the undertaking, together with how the undertaking plan and undertaking workforce might be structured to satisfy the undertaking objectives.
Utilizing our free undertaking constitution template for Phrase will outline the undertaking imaginative and prescient and scope for everybody concerned. It’s offered to the undertaking sponsor in a neat, organized and easy-to-digest vogue. From the chief abstract to the appendix, all the pieces is collected to indicate obtain the undertaking’s objectives. The undertaking constitution template defines the undertaking and reveals the plan that may define the milestones, duties, dependencies and useful resource administration plan.
All tasks value cash. With the ability to precisely estimate these prices and make a practical undertaking finances could make the distinction between a wholesome revenue margin and dropping cash on the undertaking. That’s why utilizing our free undertaking finances template for Excel is such a significant a part of any undertaking planning template providing. It will possibly provide help to monitor undertaking bills and keep away from value overruns.
The free undertaking planning template allows you to listing all of your duties and subtasks, together with who’s assigned to every. Then you possibly can estimate the labor, supplies and different prices, resembling journey, tools, meals and extra. There’s additionally a column to trace the precise prices for every of those classes to watch the budgeted versus precise prices. A remaining stability column reveals if you happen to’re within the crimson.
A piece breakdown construction is a undertaking planning device that lets you determine your undertaking duties and deliverables and, in flip, start the scheduling strategy of your undertaking plan. You don’t need to neglect any deliverables otherwise you’ll endure delays and value overruns throughout the undertaking execution part.
A piece breakdown construction is a hierarchical chart that incrementally breaks down the undertaking into deliverables and the duties which might be wanted to finish these deliverables. Our free work breakdown construction template for Excel is a customizable undertaking planning template made up of two sheets, one which has a activity listing and the opposite a tree diagram that can assist you determine not solely deliverables and duties however dependencies, assets and extra.
One other highly effective undertaking planning template is a timeline. It’s a visible illustration of your schedule laid out from begin to end. On the undertaking timeline, you possibly can plot your undertaking duties, due dates, milestones and extra. Use our free undertaking timeline template for Excel to begin your undertaking scheduling course of.
Once you open our free undertaking planning template for making timelines, you’ll see that it’s divided in half. On the left is a spreadsheet the place you possibly can listing all of the undertaking duties in a single column, their begin date in one other and the tip date in one more. The final column notes the length of the duty in days. As you’re doing this, a timeline on the fitting will robotically populate to indicate you your complete undertaking in a single place.
The undertaking scope outlines your undertaking, so this undertaking planning template is in depth. It’s an in depth doc that reveals the undertaking’s actions, assets, timelines and deliverables. It lists your key stakeholders, the processes you’ll be utilizing within the undertaking, assumptions and constraints, all so you possibly can perceive what’s out and in of scope for the undertaking.
Our free undertaking scope template for Phrase could be very thorough, although you possibly can add to it as fits your undertaking wants. We now have house for undertaking managers to clarify the necessity for the undertaking, what’s out and in of scope, its enterprise targets, deliverables and value estimates and way more.
RACI is an acronym for accountable, accountable, consulted and knowledgeable. A RACI matrix, also known as a diagram or chart, is a device that ensures that every one undertaking stakeholders are on the identical web page and dealing collectively, making it an essential undertaking planning template.
Our free RACI matrix template for Excel helps you determine and outline everybody concerned with the undertaking. The template lists all of the undertaking stakeholders throughout the highest row and duties down the left aspect of the template. Then simply add R, A, C or I to outline who’s accountable for what.
Assets are a part of any planning course of and, due to this fact making a useful resource plan is an important a part of the undertaking planning part. You want to determine and plan all the pieces wanted to execute your undertaking, and a very powerful useful resource is your workforce. Our free useful resource plan template for Excel helps you align assets together with your undertaking schedule and finances.
Our free useful resource plan template helps you set up duties by workforce members and the division during which they work. You may also estimate the deliberate effort for every activity, the workforce member’s fee of pay and the full value at some point of that work. There’s additionally a calendar to schedule the workforce’s work.
Dangers, whether or not good or dangerous, are surprising occasions in a undertaking. Regardless, it’s essential to plan for them. A threat register lets you listing all of your undertaking dangers, their potential affect, precedence stage and extra. You should utilize it all through the undertaking life cycle to trace any dangers which may happen.
The template lets you add an ID quantity to every threat to trace it. Then you possibly can describe the danger and word the potential affect on the undertaking. Following that, you’ll add the response if that threat turns into a problem within the undertaking. You may also word the danger stage to prioritize it and who on the workforce is accountable for coping with that subject if it arises within the undertaking.
Calendars are considered one of some ways to plan a undertaking. As a undertaking planning template, calendars can present a month-to-month overview of the assignments and deadlines of the undertaking. Use our free undertaking calendar template for Excel to plan your undertaking on a calendar grid.
Once you open our free undertaking calendar template, you’ll discover 12 sheets, one for every month of the yr. The calendar has colour coding to point the duty and which part it belongs to. We’ve created some examples, which you should use or change to fit your undertaking, because the template is customizable.
An motion plan is a plan. It charts the steps needed to realize no matter objectives you keep in mind. It’s a undertaking planning template that may provide help to outline your undertaking timeline and assets.
Utilizing our free motion plan template for Excel offers you house to listing your duties advert word the part during which they’ll happen and who’s assigned to that activity. There’s a column to mark its standing that can assist you monitor the duty, in addition to a spot so as to add begin and finish dates, assets and their related prices.
You may acquire undertaking planning templates with out pertaining to milestones, that are a part of the undertaking planning part. They’re used to point essential dates on a undertaking timeline, usually displaying the tip of 1 part and the start of the following, which helps with monitoring progress.
You may open our free undertaking milestone template in our software program and import your undertaking plan from Excel or create your individual within the free template. The milestones are represented on the Gantt chart timeline as diamond icons. Our software program offers you entry to the Gantt chart and a number of undertaking views, however extra on that within the subsequent part.
The important path is a community diagram that reveals duties as nodes or containers. These are then linked by arrows that symbolize the dependencies between duties. This free important path template for Excel makes it simpler to schedule work as a result of it permits undertaking managers to visualise the longest, most essential chain of duties that have to be accomplished to ship a profitable undertaking.
This undertaking planning template has all the pieces it’s essential to calculate the important path. Set previous duties, estimate durations and robotically calculate slack. This information permits undertaking managers to higher prioritize duties as they know that are important and which aren’t.
PERT stands for program analysis evaluate method. A PERT chart is used when scheduling, organizing and coordinating undertaking duties. This free PERT chart template for Excel breaks down every activity so undertaking managers can analyze them to estimate the minimal period of time wanted to finish the undertaking.
This undertaking planning template permits undertaking managers to investigate the work breakdown construction, activity connections and the dangers related to the undertaking. Plan even advanced tasks by visualizing the dependencies between every step, and create a extra sensible schedule.
Change is a part of managing a undertaking, and it have to be managed like each different side. Utilizing this free change administration plan template for Phrase can be utilized for a wide range of transitions, whether or not involving groups, tasks or organizations. It guides these modifications from the present to the long run state.
This Phrase template will scale back disruptions that may negatively affect the undertaking by defining dependencies, offering a timeline for the transition and optimizing assets. There are tables to doc info, historical past and approvals, one other to seize change administration paperwork and the change administration workforce.
Danger is a certainty with tasks. Not getting ready for dangers is harmful, which is why everybody ought to obtain this free threat administration plan template for Phrase. It helps undertaking managers determine, assess and management threats to the undertaking’s scope, schedule, finances and high quality. There’s additionally house to develop an motion plan if any threat is realized within the undertaking.
Included on this undertaking planning template are fields to outline the danger administration methodology, a threat register to doc threat and a threat breakdown construction, which additional identifies threat classes and constructions riks so as of significance.
RAID is an acronym for dangers, assumptions, points and selections. This free RAID log template for Excel is used throughout the planning and execution phases of a undertaking to determine and monitor dangers, assumptions and selections. Use it to handle dangers, assumptions, points and selections as they come up within the undertaking.
The free undertaking planning template tracks threat, assumptions, points and selections and can be utilized to find out how modifications will affect the undertaking. Change additionally have to be deliberate and managed, which this template helps undertaking managers accomplish by planning extra effectively whereas capturing edata that may help within the undertaking and future planning.
ProjectManager Helps With Undertaking Planning
Should you’ve used the milestone template in ProjectManager, then you possibly can see the benefits of undertaking administration software program over static undertaking planning templates. Templates have to be manually up to date and aren’t nice for collaboration.
ProjectManager is award-winning undertaking administration software program that helps you propose, handle and monitor your tasks in actual time. Every little thing you are able to do with the above undertaking planning templates you are able to do higher in our software program. We’ve already proven how our highly effective Gantt chart helps you set up duties, assets and value when constructing a undertaking plan, schedule and finances. Right here’s what else our device can do.
Handle Useful resource and Labor Prices
Assets are a part of any undertaking planning course of. Our software program makes it straightforward to assign workforce members to duties by permitting you to arrange their availability upfront. You may word every workforce member’s trip time, PTO and even world holidays for these with distant groups.
As soon as everybody has been assigned, toggle to the color-coded workload chart, which makes it straightforward to see workforce allocation at a look. If some are overallocated, you possibly can re-allocate these assets to stability the workforce’s workload and hold them working at capability and productiveness with out eroding morale. Throughout undertaking execution, our safe timesheets streamline payroll and provide help to monitor labor prices to remain on finances.
Monitor Undertaking Progress, Time and Prices
There’s a couple of method to monitor undertaking prices as soon as the undertaking has moved into its execution, monitoring and controlling phases. For a high-level view, undertaking managers can use real-time dashboards, which robotically acquire knowledge and show it on easy-to-read graphs and charts. You may see how the undertaking is progressing towards your plan, examine prices towards your finances and way more. Should you’re managing a number of tasks, use our portfolio dashboards.
For extra particulars, use our reporting options. Customizable standing and portfolio stories seize your undertaking in time, however there are additionally stories on variance, timesheets, workload and extra, all of which may be filtered to indicate solely the information you need to see. Then share them with stakeholders to maintain them up to date.
Associated Undertaking Planning Content material
Undertaking planning is an enormous topic and we’ve got many extra articles that debate all elements of it from making a undertaking plan to explaining what an implementation plan is. Take a look at a pattern of our undertaking planning content material beneath.
ProjectManager is on-line undertaking and portfolio administration software program that connects groups whether or not they’re within the workplace, out within the subject or anyplace in between. They’ll share information, remark on the activity stage and keep up to date with electronic mail and in-app notifications. Be part of groups at Avis, Nestle and Siemens who use our software program to plan and ship profitable tasks. Get began with ProjectManager immediately at no cost.