Free Project Plan Excel Template

Automated Project Template in Excel

Project plans are an essential part of any PM’s toolkit. There are thousands of software tools for project management, but familiarity with Microsoft Excel and the flexibility that it provides makes using Excel a very popular solution. Our free project plan template in Excel will help you plan, track, and synchronize the activities of a project

Everyone uses Excel so why use clunky programs or use not so secure online gantt chart tools and risk your project?

In this article, you’ll be able to download the Best Project Plan Template for Excel and use for free to help you track project status, communicate progress among team members and stakeholders, and manage issues as they arise.
Gantt Excel is an excellent project planning excel template which will help you to track your projects and display a gantt chart to visualize your project.

Our project planner template will allow you to create tasks, sub tasks, parent child tasks, set dates, costs and task dependencies.

Gantt Chart Excel

Gantt Excel gives you the ability to see every step of your project from beginning to end.
Our Gantt Chart Excel software lets you visualize every project step.
You can create tasks and link them using dependencies, and then track their progress against deadlines and milestones.

Project Tracker Template in Excel

Project managers who use a good project excel template have a comprehensive and up-to-date plan for their project, and are usually effective at directing resources and pushing the job forward.

Implementing a project plan gives companies various advantages. It’s easier to monitor project status, progress and identify challenges or bottlenecks. Employees will have access to a project schedule with a summary of the tasks that need to be completed as well as the tasks that have been delegated to team members.

Our Project Template also allows you to summarize your entire project plan into a beautiful Project Dashboard in milliseconds.

Go ahead and download our project plan template and create beautiful project timelines in excel or explore the features of our program.

4.9 out of 5 rating for Gantt Excel based on Real User Reviews

Create Gantt Charts in Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016 & 2019 on Windows and Excel 2016 & 2019 on macOS.
Also works on all versions supported by Office365/ Microsoft 365.

1,730,000+

Amazing People Use Gantt Excel

FEATURES

Everyone uses Microsoft Excel almost every day for almost everything – from a simple calculator to tracking massive projects.
There’s just one thing that Excel is not good at and that is creating Gantt charts.
For this reason, we created Gantt Excel, an automated excel template that allows you to create awesome Gantt Charts within Excel.

Gantt Excel Ribbon

Using this Gantt Chart Template is very straightforward.
We have customized the Excel ribbon to include a Gantt Menu with buttons to Add Gantt Charts, Tasks, Milestones, etc.

Gantt Excel Ribbon Menu

Daily & Hourly Planner

Calendar Icon

We have two versions, Daily and Hourly. Take your pick and schedule tasks based on days or in hours.

You can create cascading task dependencies in the Gantt Chart based on time so that you see how time changes will affect other parts of the process & the final deliverable.

Task Dependencies

Setting dependencies between tasks is the most powerful feature of Gantt Excel.
The in-built auto-scheduling automation of the gantt template is able to update the dates based on changes made to its dependent tasks.

Project Dashboard - Free Add-on

Yeah, you heard that right. The Project Dashboard is a free add-on in our Gantt Excel Template.
A project dashboard is the best way to easily communicate key project details.
With a click of a button, a million calculations analyze your project plan
 and the project dashboard is instantly created based on the project timeline.

Gantt Chart Project Dashboard

Costs Module – Account for Project Costs

Gantt Excel doubles up as a budget and expenses template. Keep track of project costs in your Gantt chart.

Project Budget Costs

Set a baseline and estimated project budget. Also track baseline cost, estimated cost and actual cost for each task.

Milestones

Ability to add Milestones in the Gantt Chart

Gantt Milestones

Milestones help your team stay on track and to more accurately determine whether or not your project is on schedule.
Additionally, you can create milestone charts for important presentations and communications with senior management and clients.

Task Progress Indicators

Show Task Progress for each task in the Gantt Chart Timeline

Task Percent Complete

You can manually set the task progress based on actual progress or set it to be calculated automatically.

Instantly switch between Gantt Views

Gantt Excel has six calendar views – Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Half-Yearly and Yearly View.

Calendar Icon

Daily

Calendar Icon

Weekly

Calendar Icon

Monthly

Calendar Icon

Quarterly

Calendar Icon

Half-Yearly

Calendar Icon

Yearly

There is no other gantt chart template or online tool that features this many calendar views.
Our Hourly Planner also includes a Hourly View.

Hourly View

Ability to Set Parent & Child Tasks in your Project.

Parent Child Tasks

If a task is relatively large and requires several users with different skills to manage, break the task into subtasks and create parent-child relationships.

Resource Module

Ability to Assign Resources to tasks and track Resource Cost.
Set up Holidays and Non-Working Days per Resource.

Gantt Resource Management

Display any text within the Gantt bars.
Show the right amount of detail to understand the project plan instantly.

Show Text in Gantt Bars

Intuitive Forms to Add Tasks & Milestones in the Gantt Chart

The task form will provide a detailed overview of task information including resources and dependent tasks.

Gantt Chart Excel Task Form

Show Baseline, Estimated and Actual Timeline Bars

Track Baseline, Estimated and Actual Dates in your Project Timeline

Gantt Baseline Actual Bars

Highlight Overdue Tasks

Immediately see any overdue tasks in your project schedule and save them from falling through the cracks.
Overdue tasks show in red color or any color of your choosing.

Gantt Overdue Tasks

Customize the Gantt Timeline Bars

Colors are important visual cues in Gantt charts. You can customize the project timeline colors as much as you want. Create a project timeline to impress!

Gantt Timeline Colors

Export & Share

Export your Gantt Chart to PDF or to XLSX to share with your colleagues and clients.

Gantt Excel PDF

Click below to see a Gantt Chart created in Gantt Excel and exported to PDF.
Gantt Chart in PDF

Click below to see a Gantt Chart created in Gantt Excel and exported to XLSX.
Gantt Chart in XLSX

Project planning and management are vital in aligning an organization’s targets and needs and getting the desired results.

Download the Best Project Plan Template in Excel Format for free. This free project management template is available in Excel 2007, 2010, 2013,2016 to download. Project Plan Template Excel is a completely automated Project Excel Template created using Microsoft Excel.

A project plan template aids project managers across all industries and sectors define their goals and set key milestones.

The other similar names to the Project plan template are Project Task Assignment Template,  Project proposal template, Project Agenda Template, Project Planner, Project Task Planning Template,  Project Task Distribution Template and Project Plan Template Free Excel Download, Project Task Scheduler and Project Tracker.

Our Gantt Сhart Template Turbocharges Project Management

Gantt Chart Excel – Complete Feature List

  • Ability to create as many Gantt Charts in Excel as you want
  • Add as many tasks and milestones to a gantt chart
  • Add or edit tasks using intuitive forms
  • Duplicate tasks easily
  • Set parent and child task relationships
  • Create task and milestone dependencies
  • Fine-tune dependent task dates using lag
  • Select dates using a date picker
  • Track estimated, baseline and actual dates
  • Auto-calculate duration based on start and finish dates
  • Auto-calculate end date based on start date and duration
  • Account for holidays
  • Set up workweek calendar days
  • Parent tasks auto-calculate dates, percent complete and costs
  • Set project estimated and baseline budget
  • Generate a project dashboard with the click of a button
  • Track estimated, baseline and actual costs
  • Set Currency per project
  • Track task percent complete
  • Highlight overdue tasks in the timeline
  • Auto-calculate percent complete or enter it manually
  • Set simple or weighted percentage for parent tasks
  • Add resources to tasks
  • Set resource per day cost
  • Add task notes
  • Insert up to 10 custom columns
  • Show or hide system and custom columns
  • Gantt chart timeline automatically updates based on any change
  • Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, half-yearly and yearly views
  • Show estimated, baseline and actual timeline bars
  • Task percentage complete bar overlays the estimated bar
  • Scroll timeline to start, current or end of the project
  • Customize timeline gantt bars and milestone colors
  • Show or hide dependency connectors
  • Today indicator available in the Gantt chart
  • Show text on Gantt Bars

Gantt Charts Made Super Easy

Manage your Project Timeline, Tasks and Workload like a Pro.

“This is the best alternative to Microsoft Project. This is an Excel Template on Steroids, very Powerful yet very Simple to use.
Best Project Management tool ever, Period.” – Tony Smith (Project Manager)” 

Reviews From Around The Globe

Reviews 5 Star

People everywhere love Gantt Excel and we thrive off their feedback.
All reviews have been collected and verified on

“This is a fantastic tool giving you an alternative to using MS project to create project Gantt charts. A++”

Marty E
CA, United States

“Very well designed project planning tool, used it many times and will keep using it. Support and delivery is fast and professional. @GanttExcel: keep up the good work!”

Camiel
Limburg

“This Gantt chart is the best thing that has happened to me. With ever-changing timelines, having the ability to just update one date and have everything flow is incredible and saves me a lot of time. Further, their team is very responsive, so its really great working with them and their product. I highly recommend.”

Mariana
DC, United States

“Gantt Excel saved the day – And blew me away!
I needed a simple and intuitive Excel Gantt chart to quickly relay project status to business stakeholders comfortable with Excel. After trying a couple, I found GanttExcel and it exceeded expectations! I’ve been in systems for 20 years and I’m amazed at the design and features of the product – all built in Excel! And the price? Unbelievable! Many thanks – you’ve made another fan!”

Chuck S
CT, United States

“Great product, fantastic customer service. Highly recommend this tool for all types of project managers!”

Matt
CA, United States

“The chart is amazing and easy to use. This will be a resource I use for years to come! Excellent customer service. Had questions about how to use and they provided solutions almost immediately.”

Jay
ON, United States

How to Create a Gantt Chart in Excel?

Step-by-Step Tutorial for Creating a Gantt Chart in Excel

Here is our Gantt Chart Tutorial for you to get started. Just click on the link below to view step by step instructions to create a project timeline in a few minutes