Free Project Scheduling Template for Project Managers

In project management, time is of the essence. The last thing you want to do is waste energy creating custom project schedules for each project.

Project scheduling templates are the key to efficient project kickoffs and can save countless hours for project managers.

Why use a project scheduling template? Currently, just under 1 in 4 organizations use project management software — leaving a gap in project planning automation. Templates streamline the scheduling process, saving time and effort by providing a standardized format for organizing projects.

In this post, you’ll find:

• Information on using project scheduling templates

• Benefits of adding templates to your processes

• Tips on customizing your template

• Our free template to schedule your projects

Project scheduling templates are pre-designed documents or structures that plan, organize, and track a project's timeline, tasks, and resources. They offer methods to track a project timeline or monitor tasks across an entire project. Giving it to team members keeps everyone on the same page so you can more effectively meet key milestones and track project progress.

In a 2023 State of Project Management report, 50% of Project Managers said they “mostly” or “always” start a project with a project schedule.

Project schedules typically include:

• Project task list and descriptions

• Project timeline

• Project due dates

• Task priority

• Completion status or project progress

• Task dependencies

• Project budget information

Project scheduling can come in various forms:

• Manual schedules (pen and paper, email, Slack messages, etc.)

• Spreadsheets (Excel, Google Sheets, etc.)

• Project management software (Hubstaff Tasks, Asana, Monday.com, etc.)

We’re big supporters of using project management software to schedule and manage tasks, but those platforms come with a price tag. So if you’re on a budget, spreadsheets can be a good alternative.

Manual scheduling is the one format we can’t get on board with. Things inevitably slip through the cracks when using pen and paper, email, or Slack to organize a project. A spreadsheet or software ensures that doesn’t happen.

Benefits of project scheduling templates

Templates are a starting point for creating project schedules, offering a structured framework that project managers can customize to suit their projects' needs and requirements.

Reduce manual work: A Monday.com survey found that 54% of employees spend five or more hours per week on tedious tasks. The critical benefit of a project timeline template is that it reduces manual work, helping you complete projects more efficiently.

• Consistency: Templates ensure consistency across projects within an organization. Templates provide a structured format for organizing project tasks, timelines, and resources, making understanding the project's scope and requirements easier.
  
  

• Flexibility: While templates provide a structured framework, they are flexible enough to accommodate changes and adjustments as the project progresses. This adaptability ensures the schedule remains relevant and valuable throughout the project lifecycle.

Convinced? Lucky for you, we’ve got a free project scheduling template you can download to get started.

If you’re just starting in project management or have a simple project you need to push through, we’ve got you covered. Follow the link below to access our free project scheduling template.

FREE PROJECT SCHEDULING TEMPLATE

Now, let’s talk about how to make this template your own.

How to customize your project scheduling template

1. Follow the link to Google Sheets to access our free project scheduling template

2. Select “File”

3. Select “Make a copy”

4. Customize the template by entering

   a. Task status (On Hold, Not Started, In Progress, or Complete)

   b. Importance (High, Medium, or Low)

   c. Due date (In the format XX/XX/XXXX)

   d. Task name

   e. Task description

   f. Deliverables

   g. % done

   h. Budget

   i. Hours spent working on the task

5. Once you have your customized project schedule template complete, send the document to your stakeholders

More of an Excel person? No problem. You can turn this into an Excel project management template with these simple steps:

1. Open the Google Sheets spreadsheet.

2. Select "File"

3. Hover over "Download"

4. Select "Microsoft Excel (.xlsx)"

5. Reformat as needed because there may be some inconsistencies

This project management template is simple and easy for anyone to get started. But let’s be clear: an actual project management system handles advanced project management needs best. If complex projects are coming down the pipeline, it’s time to ditch the spreadsheets.

Once you wrap up this project, consider graduating to a project management or workforce management tool that can further automate your project scheduling. Templates are great, but software that does manual work for you is even better.

Around 50% of business leaders expect to invest in technology advancements and digitalization in the next three to five years. Don’t let your company fall behind while competitors move to automation.

Hubstaff is an all-in-one workforce management tool with task management add-ons that enable you to:

• Manage and schedule tasks: With the Tasks add-on, teams can create tasks, add checklists, automate workflows, and much more, all with a few clicks.

• Agile workflows: Tasks offers Agile methodologies and built-in time-saving features such as Kanban boards and Agile Sprints.
  
  

• Project Epics: Group smaller tasks into project buckets (Epics) to make managing day-to-day work easier. They’re perfect for Agile teams and reducing roadblocks.
  
  

• Track time: This enables teams to see how much time they spend on specific tasks, track budgets, project estimates, and much more.
  
  

• Reporting and Insights: See real-time project spend, payroll, and productivity. You can also use the Insights add-on to prioritize meetings and fight burnout.

Hubstaff is versatile and user-friendly enough for any team member to use easily. Our project management features are scaleable enough to work for your team through various project phases.

Check out a free trial to see if Hubstaff is the right fit for you. And if you try out this template, let us know! We want your feedback to improve our template and make it as easy to use as possible.