Managing projects does not have to be complex, , , the simplest of tools can be very effective.
While there are plenty of tools you can use to keep track of everyone’s tasks and responsibilities, here is one that is easy to use and understand.
I’ve been using it since my IBM days in the late 1970’s, , , before spreadsheets and PC’s. I still use it today and teach others how to use it to deliver projects successfully. You don’t throw something away when it works well and gets you positive results.
How it works
Here are some instructions for using the spreadsheet template. These are also included in an Instruction workbook in the spreadsheet tool:
- Fill in the Project name.
- Fill in the Project Manager name and contact information (e-mail, phone number, etc.).
- Fill in the month at the top of the column groups (Jan., Feb., Mar., etc.).
- Fill in the week ending dates for each weekly column. There are five columns for each month to provide for five-week months.
- List the tasks required to complete the project.
- List the person responsible for each task.
- Place a slash mark (/) in the cell of the week in which the task should be completed.
- List the resource participants and their initials at the bottom of the first page for reference.
CLICK HERE to download the Excel spreadsheet tool.
ITLever™ 
Hi Mike,
How do you use this tool when there are change requests accepted and you need to compare the current project schedule to the original baseline?
This tool won’t do many of the things you can do with Microsoft Project and other software, , , it is much simpler and without lots of features.
What I would do to track changes that impact the timeline or that are new tasks added to the project would be to color code these changes so they stand out from the original. It’s a simple way to monitor timeline changes and slightly more effort than what a sophisticated project management tool will do.