Why Excel Is The Only Project Management Tool I Need

by Karley Harris
9 minutes read

Why Excel Is The Only Project Management Tool I Need


Guy editing as well as streamlining an Excel spread sheet.

I’ve tried many job management tools, yet I retain returning to Excel for job management. While it might not be above reproach for everyone, it’s a stark, yet sound establishment you currently come to be aware how to consumption.

Cost-free to Render consumption Started

It’s hard to claim with free of fee. I learned many job management tools I longed to consumption retained some of the safest facilities behind a paywall. Via Excel, basically every little thing is free of fee upfront. I’ve only dashed proper into a couple of format options that warranted an Job-related stretch 365 registration, though there are incentives to a registration.

It’s free of fee to consumption Excel digital. You also fetch 5 GB of free of fee storage void for Job-related stretch documentation.

If you need a free of fee desktop computer selection, there are multiple free of fee Excel options.

I Already Recognize How to Earn service of It

Swiping advantage of Excel for job management became a no-brainer when I swiped I didn’t need to invest hours or weeks attempting to learn how to consumption it. I’ve provided it for years. If you currently come to be aware how to model formulations, spruce upwards the perfection with format, as well as arrange your tabs, you have every little thing you need to snag treatment of basically any job.

The time I preserved on learning to consumption something brand-newfangled, I invested on beautifying a few templates to consumption for brand-newfangled jobs.

Adequate Cost-free as well as Cheap Templates

I realize many humans aren’t that proper into beautifying spreadsheets, yet stark rows as well as erection blur with each other as well as aren’t that sound for controlling jobs.

Simply overture with a free of fee or cheap job management layout. You’ll situate many options within Excel itself. These permit you track jobs, timelines, budgets, as well as added. Unanimously you have to perform is input your disturbingly own information as well as savor.

Reading job management templates in Excel
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Customize It Brutally to My Needs

The majority of job management tools lend marginal reclamation options. Sure, I can match the colors as well as understandably also add/fetch rid of some arenas, yet I’m stuck with their layout, which isn’t habitually suffered for me.

Once making gain service of of Excel for job management, I have complete control over how every little thing aesthetic charms as well as feels. It doesn’t also need to perfection prefer a spread sheet.

Admittedly, it steals a while to totally match a spread sheet. But, you can consumption it while you deliver tweaks. For instance, I have a spread sheet I invented over a decade earlier to track deadlines that I still tweak from time to time.

Simple to Broaden or Xerox

You don’t habitually need to model a brand-newfangled Excel spread sheet from scrape for every job. Did your refers to as for match? Simply readjust your spread sheet. Consisted of brand-newfangled team members? Broaden your sheet with tabs for each brand-newfangled participant.

I prefer to have a separate spread sheet for each guy. You might favor a dissimilar spread sheet for each patient job or also merely a brand-newfangled one each year to much more detailed track results. Once I have one invented, I can merely plagiarize it as well as deliver a few corrections to overture with a brand-newfangled guy or job.

Simply participate in Documents -> Invent a plagiarize.

Formulating a plagiarize of a spread sheet in Excel.
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I Can Share It Via Others

If I’m kneading with somebody else or a miniscule team, it’s simplified to share my spread sheet with others. Even if a guy doesn’t have Excel, they can still access it for free of fee digital or download it as well as consumption it with a free of fee Excel all all-natural.

Since Excel’s file layouts are so steady, a significant amount of free of fee options can be read as well as preserved proper into those layouts. If I stab to share without any guy editing as well as streamlining, I can merely share it as a PDF.

What I love is that I can share my spreadsheets as well as come to be aware that others added than prospective currently come to be aware how to consumption every little thing. We can modernize precisions as relevant without having to ask also many fears about the actual job management tool.

Conditional Format Preserves Me On Track

It’s a stark thing, yet conditional format is one of my favored facilities when making gain service of of Excel for job management. I responsive my sheet as well as conveniently check out a shade-coded synopsis authenticating forthcoming deadlines as well as whether I’m behind.

I can in addition check out whether negotiation possesses been received for a job or I need to send out reminder emails, as well as so on. I merely have to install conditional format for particular cells, as well as I’m all calculated. I can emphasize cells, add shade scales, as well as insert formulations.

Take part in Domicile -> Conditional Format. Depending on how your toolbar is install, you might need to participate in Domicile -> Motifs first.

Organizing conditional format in Excel.
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Invent Dissimilar Tabs for Countless Aspects

Simply as with any job management tool, you’ll need added than merely a list of jobs. You’ll need a timeline, list of jobs, who’s culpable, notes, call precisions, bag, as well as much added. Formulating a lookout box to without standoff situate precisions in your spread sheet is terrific inkling for added complex variations.

Once making gain service of of Excel for job management, merely model a dissimilar tab or sheet for each element. Have one for your bag, an additional for contacts, an additional for jobs as well as notes, as well as yet an additional for your timeline.

Every sheet can perfection faultlessly dissimilar. For instance, track your job timeline by amassing a Gantt graph. While you can perform this from scrape, I’d attest making gain service of of a free of fee layout prefer this one, which you can in addition situate by scouring within Excel.

Example Gantt graph layout
Why Excel Is The Only Project Management Tool I Need 20

For bigger crews, Excel might not habitually be the safest selection. Yet, if you’re a miniscule miniscule piece brilliant as well as stab to save greenback greenback money, Excel is above reproach for controlling basically any job as an patient or miniscule team.

Photograph credit history: Pexels. Unanimously screenshots by Crystal Crowder.

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