Top 22 Best Project Plan Templates (Excel, Word, PDF & More)
Quick Summary:
A project plan template is a pre-formatted document that helps outline a project's objectives, scope, schedule, and resources, simplifying the planning process.
In this comprehensive guide, we bring you the top 22 project plan templates available in various formats, including Excel, Word, and PDF.
Are you looking for the best project plan template you can find? This is the place where we’ll check out 20+ templates for effective project planning and management in 2023.
Just choose the project template you're interested in, follow the link to download, and start populating the project plan template with details. You can download all the templates here for free.
But first, let’s see what a project plan template is and how to use one for your project.
What is a Project Plan Template?
A project plan template is a document that provides you with a step-by-step guide for creating your own project plan. Project plan templates are standard documents that have been pre-populated with sections, checklists, and other helpful information to streamline the creation of your own project plan.
Project managers use these templates to document all kinds of project activities, like:
Project planning
Creating work schedules
Setting goals
Tracking budgets
Assigning tasks
Tracking project status
And more
PM boils down to a combination of day-to-day tasks done individually or with teamwork, guided by clear project objectives, and aimed at project success. As such, templates are key.
Instead of writing a project from scratch and reinventing the wheel, you can instantly jump to filling in the blanks. Everything is laid out for you. It reduces friction and removes that challenging "where do I begin" feeling before starting a project. You'll save a great deal of time and can focus your efforts on more critical tasks.
The templates you need to manage your projects effectively depend on you and your team. Are you a marketing team or a software development team? Do you need help with tracking your project expenses, or do you need a Gantt chart project template for your agile team?
Luckily, there are tons of free project plan templates you can choose from. We'll review 22 of them below.
Now let’s discuss how you can use a project planning template.
How to Use a Project Planning Template
There are hundreds of templates out there in tools like Excel, Google Sheets, Microsoft Word, and Powerpoint. You simply download the template in the preferred software and customize it to fit your specific project. Additionally, you can download templates in a PDF format.
Of course, the best project management software options come with templates, so you may not have to look beyond what you have. For instance, platforms like Asana, Trello, and Monday.com have a generous library of project templates you can use for your workflows.
After all, what is project management without structure? There are templates for all kinds of workflows, from Sprint planning and event management to content calendar and work requests.
You simply choose the template you need and customize it to fit your unique workflow. Phase templates can help you implement a range of project management techniques like waterfall, agile, and so forth.
Some platforms even let you create your own project templates from scratch and then use those templates for your workflows. Instead of recreating the same workflow repeatedly, you only create it once and save it as a template.
Both types of templates come with their own benefits. For instance, Excel and Google Sheets templates are more affordable as you can download them for free.
If you want to use project templates from a project management tool like Asana, you'll have to subscribe to a paid plan. Some platforms offer generous free plans, so that's always an option, although you can expect a more limited templates gallery.
22 Best Project Plan Templates
If you’re looking to save time when creating new projects and eliminate repetitive and tedious work, you’ve come to the right place. Try one or more of these 22 project plan templates to kickstart your project planning process. Hopefully, they will help you get your next project up and running in no time.
1. HubSpot’s Project Plan Outline for PDF & Word & Google Docs (Best Template Overall)
Why We Chose It:
The HubSpot Project Plan Template stands out as the top choice due to its multi-format availability (Word, Google Docs, PDF), comprehensive project overview, and detailed scope section, which ensures clarity and prevents misunderstandings.
Its emphasis on defining roles and responsibilities enhances team coordination, while its inclusion of all vital project elements makes it an all-encompassing tool for effective project management.
The template has several sections, including:
Overview
Scope
Objectives
Roles and Responsibilities
Deliverables
Schedule
Budget
Approval and Signatures
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Go to HubSpot’s official website & download
2. Agile Project Plan Template for Google Docs (Good Template for Agile Teams)
Why We Chose It:
This template stands out for its flexibility, adaptability to change, and emphasis on iterative processes, which are key elements in agile project management. This template includes features that support rapid iteration, stakeholder collaboration, and continuous improvement, making it ideal for agile teams.
You can document your project's primary features, break down large tasks into smaller work items you complete in sprints, and assign an owner to each task.
Tasks can have a status (e.g., "On Hold," "Not Started," "In Progress," "Overdue," "Complete") so that the project manager and other team members are informed about a project's overall progress.
Compared to HubSpot’s template, this one ranks as number two because HubSpot’s template has broader applicability and versatility across various project management methodologies, not just agile. It could offer a more holistic approach to project planning, suitable for a wider range of projects and teams.
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Go to a Google Docs file & download
3. Excel Agile Project Plan Template (Top-Choice Template for Agile Teams Working in Excel)
Why We Chose It:
If you're working with an agile methodology and prefer working in Excel, use this project plan template to track your project progress. It’s perfect for agile teams due to its ability to manage project schedules, sprints, and task durations visually.
The template efficiently tracks agile requirements, establishes timelines, and organizes resources, ensuring all sprints of an Agile project stay on track. This template is specifically tailored to the dynamic and iterative nature of agile projects, making it an ideal fit for teams following this methodology.
Projects can have a name, start and end dates, overall progress percentage, deliverables, and scope statement. You can create tasks, assign tasks to team members, add task durations, track agile requirements, and organize resources to ensure all sprints of your Agile project stay on track.
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Go to Smartsheet’s official website & download
4. Weekly Project Schedule for PDF and Excel (Great Templates for Tracking Team’s Activities)
Why We Chose It:
We believe that HubSpot Weekly Schedule Template excels in tracking team activities through its efficient and user-friendly design. It offers easy date and day management, automated time tracking for clock-in and clock-out times with total hours calculation and a feature to input hourly rates for financial tracking.
The template also allows for both employee and manager signatures, enhancing its formal use. Its versatility is evident in its availability as both a PDF and Excel file, suitable for various methods of distribution such as printing or emailing, making it an ideal choice for teams seeking an effective way to organize and monitor their weekly activities.
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Go to HubSpot’s official site & download
5. Simple Gantt Chart for Excel (Best Gantt Chart Template for Visualizing Your Project)
Why We Chose It:
A Gantt chart is a type of chart that shows the tasks in your project, their start and end dates, and their relationships with other tasks. It's a great way to visualize your project and helps you stay on track by managing your resources effectively.
Ideal for various applications from business plans to student assignments, this fully customizable template supports text and image changes, and includes a wide range of photos, graphics, and fonts.
Additionally, it offers the capability to add animations, transitions, or videos, and can be easily shared and published anywhere, making it a versatile and effective tool for visual project management.
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Go to Microsoft’s official website & download
6. Simple Gantt Chart Template (Top Choice for People Working in Google Sheets)
Why We Chose It:
If you and your team prefer working in Google Sheets and need a simple Gantt chart, this template is for you.
The template includes information about each project stage, including subtasks involved within phases. Tasks can have an owner, start and due date, and duration. The different project phases are also mapped out in color-coded 3-week blocks of time for additional organization.
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Go to a Google Sheet doc & download
7. Project Budget for PDF & Excel (Sample Template for Managing Your Spending)
Why We Chose It:
This sample project budget template for PDF & Excel will help you manage your spending effectively and efficiently. Before you start your project, add details like project name, project leader, and start date. Then you can start populating the template with tasks, labor costs, material costs, and fixed costs.
The template simplifies budget tracking by automatically calculating total costs for labor, materials, and fixed expenses. Users can input actual costs against planned costs, with the variance auto-calculated, providing a clear financial overview of the project.
Additionally, its customization options, such as adding new tasks and downloading in various formats, make it a versatile and practical tool for comprehensive budget management.
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Go to HubSpot’s official website & download
8. Product Roadmap for PDF & Excel & Google Sheets (Excellent Template for Communicating Your Strategic Plan)
Why We Chose It:
To use this template, download it as an Excel spreadsheet, Google Sheets document, or PDF. You may want first to write your company name and the year at the top of the template. List your products/teams in the first column, then add your release details to the timeline.
This structured approach helps in clearly outlining product development stages, release schedules, and team responsibilities, making it an ideal template for teams to visualize and communicate their strategic plans effectively
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Go to HubSpot’s official website & download
9. Google Docs Multiple Project Roadmap Template (High Level Template for Managing Multiple Projects)
Why We Chose It:
If you and your team work on multiple projects at the same time, this Google Docs Multiple Project Roadmap Template can help you manage your tasks more efficiently. The high level template is a great communication plan tool for companies that have one product manager responsible for multiple projects.
It's a visually dynamic template that has built-in and color-coded status and risk assessment keys so that you can get easy-to-read status updates at a glance. You can easily drag and drop phases or tasks and extend their durations to accommodate each of your project's elements and keep them all running at an optimal rate.
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Go to a Google Docs file & download
10. Google Docs Project Management Timeline Template (Good Option if You Prefer a Simpler Version of a Gantt Chart)
Why We Chose It:
A project management timeline usually appears as a horizontal bar chart containing every activity's start and end date. To some people, it may resemble a Gantt chart. The difference is that a timeline contains tasks visualized on a single line, and a Gantt chart is a two-dimensional chart of a sequence of tasks and their dependencies.
This simple project management timeline template can ensure you meet all project deliverables.
When you assign each milestone to a business quarter in the Milestones table, a sequential view of your project’s phase and task start and end dates will populate in the Phases timeline. Use it to keep sponsors, team members, and other stakeholders up-to-date with a project’s due dates and status.
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Go to a Google Docs file & download
11. Google Sheets Project Timeline Template (Best Project Work Plan Template for Tracking Task Progression)
Why We Chose It:
The Google Sheets Project Timeline Template, an excellent choice for tracking task progression, offers a user-friendly and visually appealing approach to project management. Mirroring the style of a Gantt chart, it effectively displays your project as a sequence of tasks.
Users can leverage this template by methodically outlining each phase of the project along with specific details. Once entered, these project details are then elegantly organized into a calendar view, providing an intuitive and clear platform for monitoring task progression.
This template not only simplifies the tracking of project phases but also enhances the visibility of task timelines, making it an invaluable tool for effective project management.
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Go to a Google Sheet doc & download
12. Project Tracking Google Sheets Template (Great Template for Maintaining Control Over Projects)
Why We Chose It:
Project tracking is a way of measuring how well your project is progressing toward completion. It involves monitoring the progress of different project elements and recording that data to measure its effectiveness. Modern project management methodology emphasizes visibility and tracking to maintain control over projects and their resources.
In this Project Tracking template from Google, you can track your deliverables and projected costs and set task priority. There's also a status key to keep everyone on your team in the loop.
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Go to a Google Sheet doc & download
13. Excel Project Tracker Template (Solid Template for Getting a Bird’s Eye View of the Entire Project)
Why We Chose It:
This Project Tracker template for Excel can help you to streamline your project management workflows and processes. It provides a bird’s eye view of the entire project by tracking each and every project stage.
This template stands out for its ability to manage, track, and update all project details, offering crucial insights into the project's progress against the planned roadmap. It allows for the documentation of various project aspects, including tasks, status, priority, deadlines, budget, and resource hours.
This level of detail helps in visualizing the entire project scope, enabling effective monitoring and management of each element.
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Go to Smartsheet’s official website & download
14. Project Charter Google Sheets Template (Top Project Plan Document Template for Project Success)
Why We Chose It:
A project charter is an essential document that sets the scope, objectives, and principles for an entire project.
It's used to align team members and project stakeholders on what needs to be done, why it needs to be done, who will do it when they will do it, how they will do it, and what measures of success have been established. With a well-defined project charter, teams are more likely to succeed in their projects.
With this Project Charter Google Sheets Template, you'll be able to create a project charter within a few minutes. It has everything you need for smooth project management, including Project scope, Stakeholders, Priority, Constraints, Project Goals, Problems and Opportunities, and more.
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Go to a Google Docs file & download
15. Google Sheets Weekly Timesheet Template (Basic Time Tracking Template for Contractors)
Why We Chose It:
Many businesses rely on contractors to complete projects their employees don’t have time for. But working with contractors can be confusing, as they don’t work set hours each day.
Keeping track of how much you spend on different contractors is essential if you want to stay on budget. Luckily, documents like timesheets can help you record contractors’ work hours and pay them accordingly.
The great thing about this Google Sheets Weekly Timesheet Template is that it’s fully customizable. Simply edit it as you see fit to match your relationship with contractors. Another great thing is that you can use it for every contractor on your team.
You can even ask your contractors to duplicate each sheet on a new tab so that you can refer to older timesheets should you need to.
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Go to a Google Sheet file & download
16. Microsoft Excel Weekly Timesheet Template (Good Template for Monitoring Team’s Productivity)
Why We Chose It:
This Weekly Timesheet template is a good alternative to the one above. It's designed to report regular and overtime hours, recording time in, time out, and lunch breaks for each workday.
Being an Excel template, it automatically calculates total, regular, and overtime hours, which aids in tracking team efficiency and productivity.
The template's simplicity, ease of editing, and capability to log hours worked make it particularly suitable for small businesses, contractors, or self-employed individuals, providing a straightforward method to assess team performance
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Go to Microsoft’s official website & download
17. Employee Timecard Tracker (Comprehensive Employee Work Hours Management Tracker)
Why We Chose It:
This template is highly effective as it allows for the tracking and calculation of total regular and overtime hours for employees on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis.
The inclusion of separate tables for each month of the year and the breakdown into days, weeks, months, and year views make it an accessible and thorough tool for time management in various time frames
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Go to Microsoft’s official website & download
18. Simple Project Scope Statement for PDF (Top Project-Planning Template for Timely Delivery)
Why We Chose It:
When you are managing a project, it’s vital to have a clear understanding of the scope of work. Without a clearly defined scope, there's a high risk for problems in the future regarding expectations, budgeting, and resource allocation.
By clearly outlining the project's objectives, deliverables, assumptions, constraints, and timelines, this template helps prevent scope creep and keeps the team aligned and focused on timely delivery.
Whether you’re working on a small or large project, this project-planning template can help you create a detailed scope statement. Simply outline the project scope, deliverables, exclusions, milestones, and costs.
Also, the project plan outline template includes project details at the top and an approval section for stakeholder signatures at the bottom.
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Go to Smartsheet’s official website & download
19. Project Performance Report for Excel (Simple Template for Keeping Stakeholders in the Loop)
Why We Chose It:
A status report is intended to provide stakeholders with an update on the progress of a project or a milestone within the project.
This template is designed for high-level status reporting on multiple projects, utilizing tables and conditional formatting for ease of customization.
This template's accessibility and ability to succinctly summarize project performance make it ideal for communicating essential information, ensuring stakeholders are continuously informed about project progress and outcomes.
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Go to Microsoft’s official website & download
20. To-Do List Template (Basic Template for Managing Tasks)
Why We Chose It:
Use this simple to-do list template to keep track of your project’s tasks. You can fully customize the template and add details like task status, priority, due date, assignee, and deliverables. It’s a great way to view your tasks across the entire week to stay ahead.
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Go to Smartsheet’s official website & download
21. Issue Tracker Template (Great Template for Avoiding Issues)
Why We Chose It:
Use this template to track and manage the issues that appear on your project. Issues can have a description, status, category, priority, assignee, open/close status, and comments.
A good strategy would be to assign team members to solve problems as soon as they appear to avoid delays.
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Go to Smartsheet’s official website & download
22. Project Risk Template (Top-Choice Template for Predicting Project Risk)
Why We Chose It:
Project risks are changes to the scope, cost, or schedule of a project. An unplanned risk might result in poor quality output because the cost or time to implement something was not considered when planning the project.
Or perhaps the scope was not captured correctly initially; as a result, a new scope would need to be created, which adds time and cost to the project.
Use this template to identify project risks, like scope creep or poorly defined dependencies. It’s a sure-proof way to identify and mitigate risks early in the project and avoid negative consequences.
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Go to Smartsheet’s official website & download
Which Are the Best Project Planning Templates? Our Conclusion
Starting a new project can be an overwhelming experience. The stress can be greater if you’re in charge of the planning process and managing the project.
Regardless of what kind of project you’re leading—a marketing campaign or a product launch—these 22 project plan templates can give you a starting point so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel from start to finish.
Simply choose the template that would benefit your project and follow the download button. After that, you’re free to customize the template to fit your specific needs.
Good luck!
