The project plan in excel is the most critical part of project management. An effective project plan involves the definition of scope and a feasibility study. After a successful plan is laid out, only then can execution begin.
There is different project management software that can be used for effective project planning, and one of the easiest and most popular is the project plan in excel.
Microsoft Excel is one of the most widely used spreadsheet software programs in the world. It's used by people of all age groups—in schools, colleges, homes, and offices. Excel is an integral part of a majority of organizations for generating progress reports and managing business data.
So, how can you do effective project management with Excel? Some of the interesting topics covered in this article are:
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The Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK) defines a project plan as a formal document that is approved by all parties involved, and that provides guidance as to how a project is executed and controlled.
Now, let's check out the process of project management with Excel.
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Microsoft Excel is often used as a simple project management tool by project managers working on small- or mid-sized projects to help visualize, plan, and monitor progress.
Excel enables project managers to plan each task with the help of spreadsheets that include columns with the list of tasks, their owners, and the start and finish date of each task. Among other uses, most businesses rely heavily on spreadsheets to record income, expenditures, and overhead charges—primarily, everything a business does to manage their respective budget.
A Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart used in project management. It provides a graphical representation of the project schedule in Excel that helps to create and track deadlines, as well as the resources required to get the project done.
1. Make a project table
Each task is mentioned in a separate row, with the respective start date and tenure (number of days required to complete that task).
2. Make an Excel bar chart
3. Adding a tenure to the chart
4. Adding a task description to Gantt chart
5. Changing from bar graph to the Gantt chart
6. Improving the design of the Gantt chart
Finally, let's look at some Microsoft Excel templates that further eases the process of project management.
Microsoft Excel templates give direction on ways to manage and monitor tasks, subtasks, and their progress in a project.
Let's look at a few standard Microsoft Excel templates.
1. Excel Project Review Template
2. Excel Budget Template
3. Excel Sprint Project Tracker Template
4. Excel Project Tracker
5. Excel Project Schedule Template
6. Excel Project Status Report Template
7. Excel Milestone Tracker
To learn more about project planning, watch our Project Planning in Excel video. This video will help you understand the process of project planning with Microsoft Excel. In it, we explain the process of project management in Excel and elaborate on the reasons why we should use the tool for effective project management.
Project plan in Excel has proven to be an effective and growing method to produce successful results for projects all around the world in hundreds of industries. When a professional decides to learn about the solution in-depth, they equip themselves for success—and potentially put them in a better position for leadership roles.
Simplilearn is a leading organization that provides training for work in the digital economy. We drive innovation and accelerate careers for thousands of professionals like you. Today, you can sign up for the PMP Certification Training Course, which prepares you for your PMP certification exam. When you use effective tools like Microsoft Excel templates, you can raise your career to a whole new level.
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Ishan Gaba is a Research Analyst at Simplilearn. He is proficient in Java Programming, Data Structures, and Project Management. Graduated in Information Technology, Ishan is also passionate about writing and traveling.
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