Free Excel Project Schedule Templates

By Kate Eby | May 13, 2023

We’ve compiled the top free Excel project schedule templates for project managers, project team members, stakeholders, and project sponsors to use as a roadmap for their work within a specified timeframe. Various industries can use them.

On this page, you'll find five helpful Excel project schedule templates, including a simple Excel project schedule, an Excel project management schedule with phases, and an Excel project schedule with monthly Gantt chart. You’ll also learn how to do a project schedule in Excel.

Excel Project Schedule Template with Gantt Chart

Example Project Schedule Template with Gantt Chart

Download the Sample Excel Project Schedule Template with Gantt Chart  
Download the Blank Excel Project Schedule Template with Gantt Chart  

Use this Excel project schedule template with Gantt chart to keep your project running on time and to monitor progress at a glance. Download the template with sample data as an example of a project schedule, or use the blank version to create your own. Enter the project name, project manager, and primary project deliverable, along with details for individual project tasks, including who is responsible, task start and end dates, and task status. The template’s bar chart helps you gather overall progress and individual task progress at a glance 

For helpful project plan templates, see our article on top project plan templates for Excel.

Simple Excel Project Schedule Template 

Example Simple Project Schedule Template

Download the Sample Simple Excel Project Schedule Template  
Download the Blank Simple Excel Project Schedule Template  

This simple Excel project schedule template is ideal for project teams that need to proactively schedule and track every facet of their project’s progress. Download the example template to understand how your data fits, or create your own with the blank version. Each task is automatically assigned a unique work breakdown structure (WBS) number for easy reference and tracking. Use this basic, all-in-one template to keep project sponsors and team members up to date on project progress.

Excel Project Management Schedule with Phases Template

Example Project Management Schedule with Phases Template

Download the Sample Excel Project Management Schedule with Phases Template  
Download the Blank Excel Project Management Schedule with Phases Template  

When you need to provide management, team members, or other stakeholders with phase-by-phase project scheduling and progress, use this streamlined Excel project management schedule with phases template. Download the example template with sample data to understand how it works, or get started with the blank version. This unique template breaks project tasks into distinct phases (e.g., Project Conception and Initiation, Project Definition and Planning, Project Launch & Execution, and Project Performance / Monitoring). 

For additional resources and templates for project planning, see our article on top project management Excel templates and learn more about the phases of project management.

Excel Project Schedule with Monthly Gantt Chart Creation Template

Project Schedule with Monthly Gantt Chart Creation Template

Download the Excel Project Schedule with Monthly Gantt Chart Creation Template

This Excel project schedule with monthly Gantt chart create template lets you chart progress month over month. The template’s automatic five phase sections (Project Conception and Initiation, Project Definition and Planning, Project Launch and Execution, Project Performance and Control, and Project Close) are color coded for tracking project progress easily through the template’s vibrant Gantt chart. Help keep your project on schedule and all stakeholders apprised with this visually dynamic Gantt chart-rich template.  

Check out this article for templates and resources for creating the perfect weekly project schedule in Excel.

Excel Master Project Schedule Template

Master Project Schedule Template

Download the Sample Excel Master Project Schedule Template  
Download the Blank Excel Master Project Schedule Template  

Download the sample version of the template with example data to see how to use it to plan and track the progress of your project. This template is particularly helpful for creating a work-back project schedule, which enables you to arrange your project’s phases and associated tasks from your project due date backward. This work-back schedule helps you plan your project in a logical sequence, identifying the dependencies and timing of tasks, and ensuring that you have sufficient time to complete each task. It is also good for identifying potential risks and allocating resources appropriately.

For additional project timeline tips and resources in Excel format, see our article on free Excel project timeline templates.

How to Do a Project Schedule in Excel 

The easiest way to do a project schedule in Excel is to download an existing template. Enter your project data, and the Gantt chart auto-populates. You can then visualize your schedule, manage dependencies, track progress, and allocate resources. 

Follow these step-by-step instructions to do a project schedule in Excel.

1. Download and Add Project Scheduling Details to the Excel Project Schedule Template

  1. Download the Excel Project Schedule Template, and save it to your hard drive, network, or cloud location. 
  2. Enter the name for your project in the Project Name field. 
  3. Enter the name of the project manager in the Project Manager field. 
  4. Provide a brief description of the project’s primary deliverable in the Project Deliverable field. 
  5. Enter the project start date in the Start Date field. 
  6. Enter the project’s targeted date of completion in the End Date field. 
  7. Enter the project’s current percentage toward completion in the Overall Progress field.
project schedule excel basic details

2. Fill in Data for the Tasks Table

  1. Enter the name of each project task in the Tasks field.
  2. Enter the name of the person responsible for each project task in the Responsible field.
  3. Enter a start and end date for each project task in the Start and End fields, respectively. The number of days and the bar in the Gantt chart will automatically populate based on this data. 
  4. Click the drop-down menu in the Status field, and click a status (Not Started, In Progress, Complete, On Hold, Overdue, Needs Review, and Needs Update).
project schedule excel tasks

3. Review Project Data 

Once you’ve entered all project-scheduling information, including task-specific details, be sure to take the following two steps to ensure that you have a project schedule that outlines the tasks, timeline, and resources needed.

  1. Review the schedule with stakeholders and team members, and refine it as necessary based on their feedback. 
  2. Once the project is underway, monitor the progress of each task and update the schedule as needed to keep the project on track. 

 

 

 

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