An Excel spreadsheet on a green nature background

Project planning and to-do lists

Accomplish tasks and keep your project on track with free downloadable project planning templates and to-do lists in Microsoft Excel.

Try project planning templatesTry to-do list templates

Plan projects and stay on task with free templates in Excel

Simplify projects into manageable tasks and effectively track your progress. Easily customize free project planning and to-do list templates in Excel and manage complex business or personal projects with online collaboration.

Free project planning templates

Gantt project planner modern-simple
Gantt project planner
Use this template
Project plan for law firms modern simple
Project plan for law firms
Use this template
Idea planner (tasks) purple modern-simple
Idea planner
Use this template

View all templates

Free to-do list templates

To do list with progress tracker modern simple
To-do list with progress tracker
Use this template
Project to do list purple simple modern
Project to-do list
Use this template
To-do list green organic simple
Simple to-do list
Use this template

View all templates

Prioritize tasks to start a project

Break down large projects into smaller tasks and key delivery milestones to achieve the final delivery date. Accurately forecast the time and resources a project will take and assign priority, status, and due dates.

Create a task list
Two people planning a project at home

Save time with templates 

Start with pre-formatted templates that have dropdown status selections and progress bar visuals. Customize column types to track project specifics such as dependencies, meeting notes, or document links.

Try project planning templates
A home remodel to-do list example

Set specific project goals

Clarify project objectives and key results by categorizing tasks to the objectives they align to. Keep the project main priorities front of mind to spend the right amount of time on each task.

Plan and create lists
A project timeline chart on a green abstract background

Get project insights with AI-generated analysis

Chat with Copilot in Excel to create graphs or pivot tables analyzing expected workload or task completion rate. Have Copilot add columns to show days left before the due date or to highlight overdue tasks.

Try Copilot in Excel
A copilot prompt for adding a column in excel

Create Gantt charts to schedule your tasks

Visualize task lists over time with a Gantt chart in Excel. Decide how many hours or days you want to allot to each task and arrange them in sequence across a stacked bar chart to track completion across a timeline.

Start with a template
A group of people looking at a laptop in a bright office

Budget time and resources

Set realistic deadlines for different tasks to outline a schedule for you or your team. Estimate any costs for materials or services and allocate funds to stay within budget.

Create a spreadsheet
A woman on a laptop with a project budget chart

Collaborate with others 

Set group and individual specific view/edit online access with project plan sharing permissions. Align collaborators on objectives, have them update task statuses in real time. Lock certain cells to prevent unwanted edits and maintain the plans' overall structure.

Make collaborative sheets
A visualization of managing protection in Excel

Adaptable project plans and to-do lists

  • Project managers: track progress and assign responsibilities.

  • Small business owners: organize projects to meet deadlines for deliverables.

  • Event planners: manage event logistics and coordinate vendors.

  • Students: organize coursework and track assignments.

  • IT professionals: map out sprints and backlog items with spreadsheets.

Try project planning templates
Excel templates for project planning and to-do lists

How to create a project plan or to-do list in Excel

  1. Find a project plan or to-do list template you can modify to fit your situation

  2. Customize tables to track project specifics including priority level, task progress, and category

  3. Enter and prioritize tasks leading to your delivery goal

  4. Align and collaborate with others and assign tasks as needed

  5. Regularly update task statuses and analyze overall completion

User interface for creating a blank spreadsheet

Read more

Frequently asked questions

  • Why is project planning important?

    Project planning lets you accurately define scope, prioritize tasks, allocate resources, monitor progress, reduce risk, and maintain efficiency. It's more difficult (and potentially costly) to jump into a project without a plan.

  • How to facilitate a project planning session?

    To have a productive project planning meeting, make sure all attendees know the purpose, and consider providing some ideas ahead of time to get everyone thinking. Bring a general work breakdown structure of the project and ask what team members would change about it. Have a brainstorming phase to get all ideas on the table, then review and see which should turn into action items.

  • How to create a to-do list in Excel?

    Create a quick to-do list with free templates in Excel, or build your own using columns for task, description, due date, priority, and status. Use conditional formatting to highlight completed tasks, and add bar charts to visualize task progress status.

  • How to use Excel for project planning and scheduling?

    You can use a wide range of templates in Excel to create project dashboards, task schedulers, milestone trackers, and more. Built-in functionality like dropdown menus, pivot tables, time and date, and conditional formatting makes it easy to plan a project and schedule tasks.

Start creating project plans and to-do lists in Microsoft Excel

Create a spreadsheet