Microsoft Excel is a powerful and versatile tool that can be used to track all kinds of information, including multiple projects. With some upfront planning and the use of Excel’s built-in features, you can create customized templates and tracking sheets to keep your many projects organized and on track.
The first step is to set up a master project list on its own worksheet. Include columns for the basic details of each project such as the project name, description, start and planned end dates, assigned manager, budget, etc. You can then add additional worksheets with more detailed tracking for each individual project.
For the individual project trackers, include sections for tasks/to-dos, resources/team members allocated, costs, timeline/milestones, notes, and metrics like % completion status.
Some key columns to include on each project task list are:
- Task Name – A description of each to-do item or deliverable
- Start Date – When the task is planned to begin
- Due Date – The deadline
- % Complete – Track progress over time for visual status updates
- Assigned To – The team member responsible for the task
- Status – Dropdown to mark task as not started, in process, completed, etc.
You can also conditional formatting to automatically change the cell color based on status. For example, tasks not started could show in red, those in progress in yellow, and completed in green. This provides an easy at-a-glance view of project health.
For resource tracking, list out team members or other assets required and estimate the planned hours needed from each one. Track actual hours spent on a parallel column so you can compare estimated to actual use of resources.
Costs are also important to track at both the project and task level. Estimate budget requirements upfront and track expenses incurred against budgeted line items. Integrate formulas to calculate totals automatically.
Use a Gantt chart view to map out the project timeline by task with start/due dates on a visual calendar. Gantt charts allow you to easily identify bottlenecks, dependencies between tasks, and visualize completion status over time at a glance.
To create linked individual project trackers within the master file, use Excel’s native sheets and cell referencing. Name each project sheet consistently like “Project A”, “Project B”, etc.
Then on the master list, link summary level fields from the individual sheets using formulas like ‘=Project A!B2’ to pull over data as needed. For example, pull the project name, current % completion or any other summary figure.
This allows the individual trackers to remain editable on their own sheets while automatically updating the master view. You can even conditionally format master sheet cells to change color based on referenced values.
For multiproject reporting and analytics, use Excel’s PivotTable functionality to slice the data in new insightful views. For example, pivot by project manager to see resources used across their projects in one consolidated view. Or analyze tasks by due date, cost center, or status type across all projects.
Excel’s built-in data tools can also help inform management and decision making. Use charts, graphs and Sparklines to visualize project health, budgets, resources and other metrics over time in easy-to-understand formats.
Integrate Excel with other project management applications and collaboration tools whenever possible too. For example, link tasks to assignments or issues in services like Asana, Jira etc and allow input/updates from distributed teams. Automate exports and imports to shared data sources.
By taking advantage of Excel’s full feature set and applying some project management best practices, you have a powerful tool for tracking all aspects of even the most complex multi-project endeavors. Set up templates systematically at the outset for easy management and reporting over the long term.
With the right planning and utilization of formulas, formatting, sheets, linking, charts and Excel’s analysis features – you have an highly customized and automated solution to keep multiple projects synchronized, budgets in check, resources allocated properly and progress easily visible for optimal control and successful delivery.
Andrew Stroud