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Project templates are predesigned documents that help organize and manage a project from start to finish. They provide a standardized approach to common project tasks, helping project managers and teams stay consistent, efficient and aligned. These templates often include predefined sections, tasks, timelines and checkpoints that help guide the project through its life cycle.
Download these free project templates to help with the project planning process, change management, project scheduling and more. But know that templates are only a bandaid and will prove frustrating in time. We suggest upgrading to project management software, but until one is ready, these free project templates will help manage projects to successful completion.
1. Project Plan Template
A project plan is a document that thoroughly covers all the guidelines and procedures the project team needs to follow to deliver the project. It’s one of the project templates used during the project’s planning phase and will ensure that nothing important is overlooked. Download this free project plan template for Word to ensure that projects are started currently so they’ll have a better chance of being completed successfully.
The project template for planning is divided into five sections, each covering a distinct aspect of the project. It begins with the purpose, stating the goals, success criteria and the project’s general governance. That is followed by team management and stakeholder management. Next, scope management and the project schedule are created. Then, resources, procurement, budget and cost management are defined. Finally, there’s space to talk about change management and responding to risks.
2. Gantt Chart Template
A Gantt chart is a visual tool, typically displayed as a horizontal bar chart, that illustrates the timeline of a project by showing the start and end dates of each task. This allows project managers to schedule work and track its progress, identify potential bottlenecks and manage project deadlines effectively. It’s no wonder it’s an essential tool in project management and an important project template.
Download this free Gantt chart template for Excel to view the entire project in one place. It’s easy to use. Just fill out the spreadsheet, which makes up the left side of the template. There are columns to capture all the project tasks and their start and end dates. There’s also a column for the task’s duration, priority and percentage complete to help project managers track its progress. Of all the project templates, this might be the most useful.
However, a Gantt chart template is nothing compared to Gantt chart software. ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software with robust Gantt charts that do more than schedule tasks, resources and costs. Unlike a template, our Gantt chart can link all four types of task dependencies to avoid delays and cost overruns. It can also filter for the critical path without having to do time-consuming and complicated calculations. Plus, once a baseline is set, the software automatically tracks progress and performance in real time against the project plan. Try doing that on a template! Get started with ProjectManager today for free.
3. Project Proposal Template
A project proposal is a written document that outlines the details of a proposed project, including its objectives, timeline, budget, potential risks and expected outcomes, aiming to persuade stakeholders to approve the project and allocate resources to it. Yes, it’s similar to the project templates for planning, but this is more about selling the idea to the project decision-makers. However, it can be useful if the project is approved as it will be used to create the project plan.
Download this free project proposal template for Word and get a document that fully covers all the pertinent information needed to convince stakeholders of the project’s viability and why they should invest in it. There’s a cover letter to introduce the project and an executive summary to briefly explain the who, what, where, why and how of the project. Then it goes into the process, solution, deliverables, duration, costs, billing and much more. This is one of the project templates that makes sure all the bases are covered.
4. Project Budget Template
The project templates discussed so far only touch on costs. This free project budget template for Excel is exclusively about the financial plan that will estimate the costs of the project. It’s a tool that project managers use to determine if a project is financially viable and can be
Fuente: PMideas (10 Free Project Templates for Excel and Word).
