Free Project Management Excel Template
Get a free project management Excel template to plan tasks, owners, dates and status in one sheet. It works as a project tracking Excel template too, and it's part of our free project management templates. Free download in Excel and PDF, ready to use.
- Free download
- Excel (.xlsx)
- Auto summary
- No sign-up
Preview: project management Excel template
The template comes with an example office fit-out project. Replace the rows with your own tasks and milestones.
| # | Task / milestone | Owner | Start date | Due date | Status | % complete | Priority | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kick-off meeting with client | Project manager | 03-11-2026 | 03-11-2026 | Done | 100% | High | Scope agreed |
| 2 | Site survey and measurements | Site engineer | 04-11-2026 | 06-11-2026 | Done | 100% | High | |
| 3 | Design and layout approval | Designer | 07-11-2026 | 14-11-2026 | In progress | 60% | High | Awaiting client sign-off |
| 4 | Order materials | Purchase | 15-11-2026 | 20-11-2026 | Not started | 0% | Medium | |
| 5 | Civil and electrical work | Contractor | 21-11-2026 | 10-12-2026 | Not started | 0% | High | |
| 6 | Furniture installation | Vendor | 11-12-2026 | 18-12-2026 | Not started | 0% | Medium | |
| 7 | Final inspection and handover | Project manager | 19-12-2026 | 22-12-2026 | Not started | 0% | High | Final milestone invoice |
What's inside the free project management Excel template
The template has two sheets. The Project Tracker sheet lists every task and milestone with its owner, start date, due date, status, % complete, priority and notes. Status and priority use drop-down lists, so everyone fills them in the same way and the sheet stays easy to filter and sort.
The Summary sheet counts tasks by status and works out the average % complete automatically with Excel formulas, so you get a quick project overview without building charts yourself. The PDF version has the same layout, ready to print and fill in by hand at site meetings.
- Tasks, owners, start and due dates
- Status and priority drop-downs
- % complete per task
- Automatic summary with formulas
Use it as a project tracking Excel template
The same file is a practical project tracking Excel template. Update the status and % complete of each task once or twice a week, then sort by due date to see what is coming up and filter by status to list everything that is not started or in progress.
A simple rule keeps the tracker honest: a task is only Done when it is finished and accepted, not when it is nearly there. Add a note for anything that is late, with the reason and the new date, so the tracker doubles as the history of the project.
More free project management templates
This tracker is one of three free project management templates that work together. Use the free project plan template at the start to agree scope, phases and dates, this Excel tracker to follow the work, and the free project status report template to report progress, budget and risks to your client or management.
How to use the template in five steps
You can be up and running in ten minutes.
- 1. Download the Excel file and save a copy for your project.
- 2. Replace the example rows with your own tasks and milestones.
- 3. Assign an owner and dates to every row.
- 4. Update status and % complete at a regular weekly time.
- 5. Check the Summary sheet before each client or team meeting.
Free download in Excel and PDF
Both formats are free with no sign-up. Choose Excel (.xlsx) to edit and track on your computer, or PDF to print a blank-ready copy. The Excel file opens in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice.
When to move from Excel to project management software
Spreadsheets work well for one small project. They become hard to manage when you run several projects, need approvals, or want to bill milestones as invoices. At that point, free project management software such as Catalystk does the tracking for you: a dashboard per project, milestone billing, reviewers and approvers, and the same Excel and PDF downloads, free on the web and the mobile app.
Free download in Excel and PDF, no sign-up.
Project Management Excel Template: frequently asked questions
Is the project management Excel template free?
Yes. It is a free download in Excel and PDF, with no sign-up and no limits on how you use it.
Can I use it as a project tracking Excel template?
Yes. Update each task's status and % complete regularly, and the Summary sheet shows the overall progress automatically.
Does it work in Google Sheets?
Yes. The .xlsx file opens in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice Calc.
What other project management templates are available?
A free project plan template with a schedule, and a free project status report template, both in Excel and PDF.
When should I use software instead of Excel?
When you manage several projects, need approvals or want to invoice milestones. Catalystk is free project management software that does this automatically.
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