Keeping Track of Projects Using a Worksheet
Keeping track of projects using a spreadsheet is not the same as keeping track of projects using Excel. It is not required to write formulas and perform calculations. But, it helps in tracking important information such as start date, end date, how much has been spent, amount of time, and so on. Many people find it tedious to follow a schedule using Excel since they have to know the schedule and calculation step by step.
For any given task, the first step should be to identify what the individual tasks are that are needed to be done, and this can be done using a calendar. If there are already daily and weekly schedules in place, the first step would be to make the dates more relevant and the remaining tasks would need to be scheduled. Otherwise, it would take too much time to analyze the data, design an action plan, and then implement that action plan.
Many companies realize that the value of the information is the details of daily and weekly activities and this is where keeping track of projects comes in. The data on projects includes the tasks, start date, end date, and other important data such as how much has been spent on each project.
With a spreadsheet, it is not a simple or easy task to calculate all these data. One can just do it manually, but a spreadsheet also allows one to organize the data and generate summary information in different ways. The task can be broken down into different categories such as; timeline, personnel, cost-estimates, schedule, and so on.
Excel worksheet creates such task. The sheet will contain the dates of the tasks, project costs, and corresponding time. They are organized on the bottom column of the worksheet. For example, in the left pane of the spreadsheet, you can create a column called “Tasks” and the column “Cost” on the right.
Keeping track of projects spreadsheet The first step would be to make the tasks as actionable as possible. On the left, one can create a column called “Relevant,” which contains the tasks that are of high importance to the company. This will help the company prioritize the important tasks to complete and get them completed by those who can do it in less time.
The next step is to categorize the tasks into two groups: high priority and low priority. It is important to note that there is no standard for categorizing them as to which is the higher priority. The high priority task can be planned, designed, and implemented by a project manager or anyone else who has the capacity to do it within a given time.
One can assign the tasks to those who can manage the project and schedule them accordingly. It is the responsibility of those who are assigned to manage the project to schedule the project within the given time or avoid canceling the project.
It is important to note that it is very difficult to plan, design, and execute tasks because the task cannot be directly managed. These tasks need to be delegated to others who can do them within the given timeframe.
It is important to note that the higher priority tasks have a higher cost because they require more people to do them and hence it requires more resources. The lower priority tasks can be executed by those who have little knowledge about them and can get the job done within the given time frame.
Keeping track of projects spreadsheet is a useful tool for companies to keep track of their employees’ time. The companies can monitor their employees’ performance and activities, compare performance with the expected rate of the company’s budget, and plan future investment in improving their processes. READ ALSO : jewelry inventory spreadsheet template
