Introduction
The importance of project management and tracking cannot be overstated. It's crucial for ensuring that tasks are completed on time and within budget. This blog post will guide you through the steps and calculations needed to create a useful and visually appealing project tracker. For a more interactive learning experience, we've embedded a step-by-step video tutorial.
This blog post will cover all the steps and calculations to create an useful and attractive tracker there are no macros used in this example.
A step-by-step video tutorial is embedded for a more interactive learning experience.
Why Use Excel for Project Tracking?
Excel offers several advantages for project tracking, making it a go-to tool for many professionals:
Ease of Use: Excel's user-friendly interface is accessible to users of all levels.
Customisability: You can tailor it to meet your specific requirements.
Cost-Effectiveness: A cost-effective solution without additional software.
Shareability: Excel files can easily be shared.
Key Features of a Project Progress Tracking Sheet
A well-designed project tracking sheet should include the following essential components:
Summary of Project Milestones: A high-level overview of key project milestones.
Status Indicators: Visual cues to quickly assess the progress of each task.
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your Tracking Sheet
Follow this detailed guide to create your own project tracking sheet in Excel.
Open a New Excel Sheet: Launch Excel and open a new, blank worksheet
Set Up Columns and Rows: Define the structure of your tracker by setting up the necessary columns and rows.
Input Data: Populate the sheet with your project data.
Use Formulas for Automatic Updates: Implement Excel formulas to automate calculations and updates.
Add Visual Elements: Enhance your tracker with graphs and charts for better visualisation.
Tips and Tricks
To make your tracking sheet even more efficient, using these tips:
Conditional Formatting: Apply conditional formatting rules to highlight specific data points.
Create Drop-Down Lists: Use drop-down lists for status indicators to maintain data consistency.
Automate Updates with Macros: Utilise Excel macros to automate repetitive tasks.
Add Due Dates with Visual Indicators: Incorporate due dates and set up visual alerts for approaching deadlines.
Link to Existing Sheets: You can easily link this to your existing worksheets for dynamic summary of overall project progress.
Example
Here is an example the high lights the dates, rows and a progress chart. It also dynamically creates a summary of the tasks. This is all done without using macros:
If you would like a tutorial on how to create this, please email us on SayHello@jixeltech.co.uk with the subject Tutorial for Excel Project Summary Report.