How to Track Project Progress in Excel (Download Free Template)

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If you are looking for some special tricks to track project progress in Excel, you’ve come to the right place. There is one way to track project progress in Excel in Microsoft Excel. This article will discuss every step of this method to track project progress in Excel. Let’s follow the complete guide to learn all of this.


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Why Is It Important to Track Project Progress?

To maintain the following things, we need a project tracker in Excel.

  • Overflow of task
  • Distribution of resources
  • No fixed priority list

There are also advantages to tracking project progress. These are:

  • It gives an overview of the data without getting into too many details
  • Resource utilization which is efficient
  • Can repeat the process without any hassle
  • Capable of jumping from one task to another

Steps for Creating Template to Track Project Progress in Excel

In the following section, we will use one effective and tricky method to track project progress in Excel. This section provides extensive details on every step of tracking project progress in Excel. You should learn and apply to improve your thinking capability and Excel knowledge


Step 1: Create Project Layout

To track project progress we have to follow some specified steps. At first, we want to create a project layout. To do this, you have to follow the following things.

  • Firstly, type your required Headline fields for your data. Click here to see a screenshot that illustrates what the fields look like.

Create Project Layout

  • Enter the Project name. Then, input the task name one by one.

How to Track Project Progress in Excel

  • Now, input the responsible person’s name who is responsible for each task.

Create Project Layout

  • Select the range of the cell where we want to input data and then select Date.

How to Track Project Progress in Excel

  • Input the Starting Date of each task.
  • Then, input the Due Date of each task.
  • Input the spent days by each task.

  • Then, calculate the days required by using the following formula in cell G2.

=E2-D2

  • Press Enter.
  • Next, drag the Fill handle icon.

How to Track Project Progress in Excel

  • Therefore, you will get the Days Required column, as shown below.

Create Project Layout

  • Then, Then, calculate Progress by using the following formula in cell H2.

=F2/G2

  • Press Enter.

How to Track Project Progress in Excel

  • To convert the data into percentages click on the Percentage.

Create Project Layout

  • Next, drag the Fill handle icon.
  • Therefore, you will get the Progress column, as shown below.

How to Track Project Progress in Excel

  • Then, input the progress status in the Status column.
  • Finally, you will be able to get the following output.

Create Project Layout


Step 2: Build Tracker List for Project

We want to make a tracker that takes off our loads to a great extent as we don’t have to do manual updates on certain calculations. Here, we will use the SUM, AVERAGE, and COUNTIF functions. To do this you have to follow the following things.

  • At first, we have to copy some columns from the previous sheet by pressing ‘Ctrl+C’ and go to the Project Progres Tracker sheet, and press ‘Crl+V’ to paste it, as shown below.
  • Next, in the remaining column, we have to use the following formula in cell E2.

=1-D2

  • Press Enter.

Build Tracker List for Project

  • Next, drag the Fill handle icon.
  • Therefore, you will get the Remaining column, as shown below.

How to Track Project Progress in Excel

  • To calculate the overall project completion, we have to use the following formula in cell E16.

=AVERAGE(D2:D13)

The AVERAGE function returns the average of the twelve tasks which is almost 60 percent.

  • Press Enter.

Build Tracker List for Project

  • To calculate the total days required, we have to use the following formula in cell J5.

=SUM(C2:C13)

The SUM function returns the combined days of the Days Required column.

  • Press Enter.

How to Track Project Progress in Excel

  • To calculate the total days spent, we have to use the following formula in cell J6.

=SUM(B2:B13)

The SUM function returns the combined days of the Days Spent column.

  • Press Enter.

  • To calculate the overall project progress, we have to use the following formula in cell J7.

=J6/J5

  • Press Enter.

How to Track Project Progress in Excel

  • To create a dynamic summary like Task Status, we have to use the following formula in cell J11.

=COUNTIF(F2:F13,"Completed")

The COUNTIF function will return the value by counting the number of cells of the range F2:F13, and the given condition is “Completed”. Using this approach, we will be able to calculate how many tasks have been completed in this project, which is a necessary step to track project progress.

  • Press Enter.

How to Track Project Progress in Excel

  • Next, we have to use the following formula in cell J12.

=COUNTIF(F2:F13,"In Progress")

The COUNTIF function will return the value by counting the number of cells of the range F2:F13, and the given condition is “In Progress”. Using this approach, we will be able to calculate how many tasks have been in progress in this project, which is a necessary step to track project progress.

  • Press Enter.

  • To calculate the percentage of completed tasks, we have to use the following formula in cell K11.

=J11/(J11+J12)

  • Press Enter.

How to Track Project Progress in Excel

  • To calculate the percentage of In Progress tasks, we have to use the following formula in cell K12.

=J12/(J12+J11)

  • Press Enter.
  • Finally, we get the dynamic summary Task Status.

Build Tracker List for Project

Read More: How to Create a Progress Tracker in Excel (3 Handy Ways)


Similar Readings


Step 3: Insert Charts for Project Progress Tracker

Now, we are going to create three different charts for tracking project progress. To do this, we have to follow the following steps.

  • To create a chart, select the range of data and go to the Insert tab. Next, select the Stacked Column chart.

Generate Dynamic Project Progress Tracker

  • As a consequence, you will get the following chart.

How to Track Project Progress in Excel

  • To modify the chart style, select Chart Design and then, select your desired Style 8 option from the Chart Styles group.

  • To create a Pie chart, select the range of data and go to the Insert tab. Next, select the 3-D Pie chart.

How to Track Project Progress in Excel

  • As a consequence, you will get the following Pie chart.

  • To modify the chart style, select Chart Design and then, select your desired Style 7 option from the Chart Styles group.

How to Track Project Progress in Excel

  • To create a Doughnut chart, select the range of data and go to the Insert tab. Next, select the Doughnut chart.

  • As a consequence, you will get the following Doughnut chart.

How to Track Project Progress in Excel

  • To modify the chart style, select Chart Design and then, select your desired Style 7 option from the Chart Styles group.

Generate Dynamic Project Progress Tracker

Read More: How to Make Progress Chart in Excel (2 Simple Methods)


Step 4: Generate Dynamic Project Progress Summary

Now, we will create a project progress summary. To do this, we are going to show our charts in a new sheet as a report.

  • To create a dynamic project progress summary, at first, you have to create a new sheet and set the name of that sheet as Project Performance.
  • Next, you have to every chart by pressing ‘Ctrl+C’ and go to the Project Performance sheet, and press ‘Crl+V’ to paste it.
  • As a consequence, you will get the final output like the following.

Create Dynamic Project Progress Summary


Conclusion

That’s the end of today’s session. I strongly believe that from now you may be able to track project progress in Excel. If you have any queries or recommendations, please share them in the comments section below.

Don’t forget to check our website Exceldemy.com for various Excel-related problems and solutions. Keep learning new methods and keep growing!


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Saquib Ahmad Shuvo

Saquib Ahmad Shuvo

Welcome to my Profile. I am working on and researching Microsoft Excel right now, and I will be posting articles about it here. I received a B.Sc. in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). Having studied naval architecture, I have a strong interest in research and development. Always try to learn from different sources and come up with creative solutions.

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