Templates are how experienced estimators manage that complexity. Rather than rebuilding a costing spreadsheet from scratch on every bid, you start with a structure that already accounts for the major cost categories, then fill in the numbers specific to the job. The same logic applies throughout the project: a bill of quantities for material takeoffs, an RFQ to collect subcontractor prices, a change order form when scope shifts.

Below are 9 free construction estimate templates for Excel and Word covering every phase of the estimating process, from initial bid to final scope change. Download any of them free.

1. Construction Estimate Template for Excel

Before a single shovel breaks ground, someone has to put a number on the project. A complete construction estimate accounts for pre-construction costs, construction-phase labor and materials, subcontractor work and post-construction expenses, structured in a way that’s auditable when the client asks questions. A construction estimate template gives you that structure before the clock starts.

This free construction estimate template for Excel breaks the estimate into its natural phases: general information, pre-construction costs, construction costs and post-construction costs. Each section has rows for specific cost types with quantity, unit cost and total columns, so the math is automatic and the format is consistent from bid to bid.

Use it as your primary bidding document for new jobs, and keep it as a living record of cost assumptions throughout the project so you have a clear baseline to compare against actual spend.

2. Bill of Quantities Template for Excel

A construction estimate tells you what a project will cost. A bill of quantities tells you exactly what it will take to build it: every material, component and unit of work, measured and priced individually. Without a thorough quantity takeoff, estimates are built on assumptions rather than counts, and the difference between an assumed quantity and the actual quantity is where budget overruns begin. A bill of quantities template forces the discipline of measuring before pricing.

This free bill of quantities template for Excel organizes materials and work items by trade or section, with columns for item description, unit of measure, quantity, unit rate and total cost. The structure follows standard quantity surveying practice, making it suitable for both preliminary estimates and formal tender documents.

Manage Construction Projects on Budget With ProjectManager

ProjectManager is online project management software with interactive Gantt charts, real-time cost tracking and live dashboards built for construction teams. Turn your estimate into a tracked project plan from day one. Try it free for 30 days.

3. Construction Quote Template for Excel

An estimate helps you understand what a job will cost. A quote is what you present to the client: a formal, organized document that turns your internal cost calculation into a clear proposal they can approve and sign. Without a professional quote format, clients may question your numbers or compare your proposal unfavorably to a competitor’s more polished submission. A construction quote template bridges the gap between your internal estimate and the client-facing document.

This free construction quote template for Excel presents your project costs in a clean, professional format that includes labor, materials, equipment and subcontractor costs alongside project timeline and payment terms. It’s designed to communicate your pricing clearly while protecting you with explicit scope boundaries, so there’s no ambiguity about what’s included and what isn’t.

Use it as your standard client-facing document for every bid, and reference it alongside your internal estimate to make sure the two are aligned before sending.

4. Material List Template for Excel

Materials are typically the largest single cost category in a construction estimate, and they’re also the most variable. Quantities change as designs evolve, supplier prices shift and lead times affect what’s available when you need it. Without a detailed material list that tracks quantity, supplier and cost per item, materials budgets are guesses rather than estimates. A material list template brings that tracking into a single organized document.

This free material list template for Excel captures each material item with its description, unit of measure, quantity required, unit cost, total cost and supplier. It gives estimators and project managers a complete view of material requirements across the project, so procurement can be planned in advance and costs can be tracked against the estimate as orders are placed.

It works well as a companion to the bill of quantities: use the BoQ for formal tender purposes and the material list as your internal procurement and cost-tracking document throughout construction.

5. Scope of Work Template for Word

Before you can estimate a construction project, you need a clear, written definition of what’s included. A verbal briefing leaves too much open to interpretation: one contractor prices in site clearance and another doesn’t, one includes commissioning and another assumes handover stops at practical completion. A scope of work template closes those gaps by putting the project definition in writing before the first number gets entered.

This free scope of work template for Word documents project deliverables, milestones, timeline, resource requirements and exclusions in a structured format that both client and contractor can agree to before work begins. The exclusions section is particularly important in construction: it explicitly defines what is outside the contract, reducing the likelihood of disputed change orders later.

Complete the scope of work before finalizing your estimate, and treat it as the governing document for any change order discussion that arises during the project.

6. RFQ Template for Word

Few construction projects are priced entirely in-house. Subcontractors handle specialist trades, suppliers quote on bulk materials and equipment vendors provide pricing for plant and machinery. Without a standard format for collecting those quotes, you end up comparing apples and oranges: one sub includes mobilization, another doesn’t; one quotes in unit rates, another in lump sums. An RFQ template standardizes what you ask for so the responses you get back are actually comparable.

This free RFQ template for Word specifies the scope of supply, required format for pricing, submission deadline, evaluation criteria and terms and conditions in a single document that can be distributed to multiple vendors simultaneously. By controlling the format of the response, you make it straightforward to build the most competitive combined quote from across multiple suppliers.

Send it to a minimum of three vendors per trade package to ensure meaningful price competition, and use the returned quotes to validate or challenge the allowances in your original estimate.

7. Purchase Order Template for Excel and Word

Once your estimate is approved and the project is underway, materials need to be ordered. A verbal or email-based order creates ambiguity: quantities, specifications, delivery dates and payment terms are all open to misinterpretation, and a supplier who delivers the wrong item or quantity will point to the absence of a formal order as the reason. A purchase order template creates a binding procurement document that protects both parties.

This free purchase order template for Excel and Word captures supplier details, item descriptions, quantities, unit prices, delivery requirements and payment terms in a format that serves as the legal record of the transaction. Each PO ties back directly to the estimate line items it fulfills, so your actual procurement costs can be tracked against the estimated allowance in real time.

Issue a PO for every material and subcontractor engagement, and reconcile PO totals against your estimate at each project milestone to catch cost drift before it becomes unmanageable.

8. Construction Change Order Form for Excel

No construction estimate survives contact with the project unchanged. Clients add scope, subsurface conditions reveal surprises, design details shift and material lead times force substitutions. Every one of those changes has a cost, and without a formal change order process, the contractor absorbs costs that should have been billed and the client disputes charges they were never formally informed of. A change order form template ensures that every scope deviation gets priced, documented and approved before work proceeds.

This free construction change order form for Excel documents the change description, reason, cost impact and schedule impact alongside client approval fields. It creates a clear audit trail of every agreed modification to the original contract, which protects both parties if the project ends up in dispute and provides an accurate record of the final project cost versus the original estimate.

Establish the change order process at project kickoff so all parties know that no work will proceed outside the original scope without a signed change order. It’s harder to enforce that discipline mid-project than to set the expectation at the start.

9. RFI Template for Word

Construction estimates are built from drawings and specifications that are rarely complete. Dimensions are unclear, material specifications conflict and conditions on site differ from what the design assumed. Each of those ambiguities is a potential pricing risk: if you estimate based on the wrong interpretation, the correction costs money that wasn’t in the budget. A request for information template is the formal mechanism for resolving those ambiguities before they become expensive surprises.

This free RFI template for Word documents the information request, the section of the drawings or specification being queried, the date submitted and the response from the architect or engineer. It creates a formal record of every clarification sought and received, which protects the contractor if the response later turns out to be incorrect and ensures that changes to the design basis are formally acknowledged before they affect the estimate or the schedule.

Log every RFI in a register, track outstanding responses and flag any that could affect the estimate until they’re resolved. Unresolved design ambiguities in the estimate are a major source of project cost overruns.

Manage Construction Estimates and Projects With ProjectManager

Templates get you to a solid estimate. Delivering the project on that estimate requires tools that keep cost, schedule and scope aligned from kickoff to handover. ProjectManager is online project management software built for construction teams, with Gantt charts, real-time dashboards and cost tracking that connects your estimate to your project plan.

Plan and Schedule Construction Projects on a Gantt Chart

ProjectManager’s Gantt charts let you build your construction schedule directly from your estimate’s work breakdown, assigning resources, labor costs and material budgets to each task. Dependencies link phases so the schedule reflects the real sequence of work, and the baseline locks in your original plan so any deviation shows up immediately against the estimate.

Track Actual Costs Against Your Estimate in Real Time

Staying on budget means knowing where you stand at every point in the project, not just when invoices arrive. ProjectManager’s real-time dashboards pull live data from your project plan and display budget consumed, cost variance and remaining budget at a glance. When actual costs start diverging from the estimate, you can see it in the dashboard before it becomes a problem.

Related Content

• Construction Project Management: A Quick Guide
• Construction Phases: Documentation, Templates & Steps
• 48 Construction Documents (Templates Included)
• Construction Risk Management: An Introduction
• Request for Information: How to Make an RFI

The post 9 Free Construction Estimate Templates for Excel and Word appeared first on ProjectManager.

Templates are the fastest way to build that plan. Rather than figuring out the right structure from scratch on every project, you start with a proven format, fill in your stakeholders, channels and cadences and have something usable within the hour. The same goes for the tools that support your plan: agenda templates keep meetings on track, status reports keep executives informed and escalation matrices make sure the right problems reach the right people.

Below are 10 free communication plan templates for Excel and Word covering the full range of project communication, from planning and stakeholder management to reporting, escalation and accountability. Download any of them free.

1. Communication Plan Template for Word and Excel

Most project communication problems aren’t about the tools; they’re about the absence of a plan. Without deciding upfront who needs what information, on what schedule and through which channel, communication becomes reactive, inconsistent and dependent on whoever happens to be loudest. A communication plan template replaces that chaos with a structured agreement the whole team can follow from kickoff to close.

This free communication plan template for Word and Excel captures every element of a solid communications strategy: stakeholders, communication type, frequency, format, responsible party and delivery channel. Each row represents one communication event, so you can scan the full plan at a glance and spot gaps in coverage before the project starts.

Use it during project initiation to build the plan alongside your project charter and stakeholder register. Revisit it at the start of each phase to make sure the communication schedule still reflects who’s involved and what they need to know.

2. Communication Matrix Template for Excel

A communication plan tells you what communication will happen. A communication matrix template tells you exactly who receives what, in what format and how often, in a compact grid that’s easier to scan than a full narrative plan. When a stakeholder asks why they weren’t included on a particular update, the matrix gives you a clear answer and a starting point for adjusting the plan.

This free communication matrix template for Excel maps stakeholders across the columns and communication types down the rows, with cells indicating delivery frequency and format. It makes the distribution logic of your communication plan visible at a glance, so everyone on the project team knows who is responsible for each channel and nobody falls through the cracks.

Keep Every Stakeholder in the Loop With ProjectManager

ProjectManager is online project management software with real-time dashboards, automated status reports and collaboration tools built into every project view, so your communication plan runs without manual follow-up. Try it free for 30 days.

3. Stakeholder Engagement Plan Template for Word

Knowing who your stakeholders are is the starting point of any communication plan. Knowing how to engage them is what determines whether your project gets the support it needs or faces resistance at every milestone. A stakeholder engagement plan template goes beyond a contact list to capture influence levels, interests and the specific engagement approach each stakeholder requires.

This free stakeholder engagement plan template for Word identifies each stakeholder by name and role, maps their interest and influence on the project and documents the engagement strategy, communication frequency and responsible owner for maintaining the relationship. It gives project managers a single reference point for navigating the political landscape of any project.

It works well as a companion document to your communication plan, with the engagement plan focusing on the relationship strategy and the communication plan handling the operational schedule of when and how information flows.

4. Meeting Agenda Template for Word

A meeting without an agenda is a conversation without a point. Attendees show up unprepared, discussions drift, decisions don’t get made and the meeting ends with another meeting scheduled to finish what the first one started. A meeting agenda template prevents that by establishing the structure, timing and objectives before anyone sits down.

This free meeting agenda template for Word organizes each agenda item with a time allocation, owner and objective, keeping meetings focused on what matters. There’s a section for pre-read materials so attendees come prepared and a notes column for capturing decisions and action items in real time during the meeting.

Share it with attendees 24 hours in advance so they can prepare, and use the action items section at the close of every meeting to confirm who owns what before anyone leaves the room.

5. Progress Report Template for Word

A progress report is how a project speaks to the people who aren’t in the daily work. It communicates what has been completed, what’s in flight, what’s at risk and what’s coming next, in a format that non-technical stakeholders can absorb without needing to dig through task lists. Without a consistent reporting format, each update looks different and stakeholders lose the ability to compare progress over time. A progress report template makes that comparison easy.

This free progress report template for Word covers overall project health, completed milestones, current tasks, upcoming work and any issues or risks requiring stakeholder attention. The narrative format gives project managers room to provide context that a spreadsheet can’t, making it well suited to monthly or phase-gate reporting where stakeholders need the full picture.

Use it on a recurring schedule aligned with your communication plan, adapting the detail level to the audience: more context for executive stakeholders, more operational detail for project team reviews.

6. Executive Project Status Report Template for Word

Executives don’t want pages of detail; they want to know whether the project is on track, what the risks are and whether any decisions need their attention. Sending a detailed project plan to a senior leadership audience wastes their time and buries the signal in noise. An executive project status report template strips the communication down to what leadership actually needs to act on.

This free executive project status report template for Word condenses project health into a one-page view: RAG status indicators for schedule, budget and scope, a summary of key accomplishments, upcoming milestones, current risks and a decisions-needed section. The format is designed to be read in under two minutes while still giving executives everything they need to stay informed and engaged.

Schedule it weekly or bi-weekly depending on your project’s pace and the executive team’s reporting expectations.

7. Highlight Report for Excel

Between detailed progress reports and one-off email updates, there’s a communication gap that leaves stakeholders either over-informed or under-informed. A highlight report fills that gap with a concise, structured snapshot of where the project stands: what was accomplished, what’s coming next, any issues in play and the current risk status, all on a single page.

This free highlight report template for Excel is built for brevity. Each section is limited in scope by design, so the report forces the project manager to prioritize what actually matters rather than listing everything that happened. Key sections include period accomplishments, upcoming work, issues requiring attention and overall project health.

It works especially well as a weekly communication to a broad stakeholder group that doesn’t need deep detail but does need to stay connected to the project’s momentum.

8. Project Update Template for Excel

Regular project updates are the backbone of stakeholder communication, but producing them consistently is a discipline that most teams underinvest in. When updates are ad hoc or inconsistent, stakeholders fill the gap with assumptions and informal check-ins, which increases interruptions and creates misalignment. A project update template makes the update process fast enough to do consistently.

This free project update template for Excel covers the key elements of a useful team update: overall status, work completed in the current period, work planned for the next period, blockers and action items. It’s designed to take no more than 15 minutes to complete, which makes it realistic to maintain as a weekly habit across the life of the project.

It pairs directly with your communication plan by serving as the standard format for the recurring updates your plan schedules.

9. Escalation Matrix Template for Excel

Every project encounters issues that can’t be resolved at the team level. When those issues stall and no one knows who to escalate to, days or weeks can pass before the right person is even aware there’s a problem. An escalation matrix template builds that clarity into your communication plan upfront so the escalation path is established before anyone needs to use it.

This free escalation matrix template for Excel defines issue categories, the conditions under which escalation is triggered, the escalation path at each level and the target resolution timeframe. By documenting this before the project starts, teams avoid the awkwardness of figuring out escalation protocol in the middle of a crisis.

Include it as an appendix to your communication plan and reference it during kickoff so the full team understands how issues move up the chain and who owns resolution at each level.

10. RASCI Matrix Template for Excel

One of the most common sources of communication breakdown in projects is ambiguity over who is responsible for what. When accountability isn’t explicit, decisions stall, tasks slip and team members duplicate effort or step on each other’s work. A RASCI matrix template resolves that ambiguity by assigning a clear role to every person for every task or deliverable in the project.

This free RASCI matrix template for Excel maps tasks down the rows and team members across the columns, with each cell containing one of five designations: Responsible, Accountable, Supportive, Consulted or Informed. The “Informed” column is particularly important for communication planning: it defines who needs to be kept in the loop on each deliverable without being directly involved in producing it.

Use it during project planning to build the accountability layer of your communication plan and review it with the full team at kickoff to surface any disagreements before work begins.

Manage Project Communication With ProjectManager

Templates capture your communication plan, but executing it means sending updates, running meetings and keeping dashboards current across the life of the project. ProjectManager is online project management software that makes that execution automatic, with real-time reporting, in-context collaboration and live dashboards that give every stakeholder the information they need without manual follow-up.

Collaborate and Communicate Directly in the Project

Instead of hunting through email threads for decisions and updates, ProjectManager keeps communication where the work is. Team members can leave comments directly on tasks, tag colleagues and attach files, so every conversation is tied to the work it relates to. Notifications keep everyone informed of changes and @mentions route the right information to the right people the moment it’s needed.

Report Project Status to Stakeholders in One Click

ProjectManager’s real-time dashboards pull live data from your project plan so you’re never building a status report from scratch. Share a dashboard link with stakeholders and they can see current progress, budget status and upcoming milestones on demand, or generate a formatted report in seconds when your communication plan calls for a scheduled update.

Related Content

• Project Communication: A Guide for Project Managers
• How to Write a Project Communication Plan
• Stakeholder Management: A Quick Guide
• How to Run a Project Meeting
• Free Status Report Templates for Projects

The post 10 Free Communication Plan Templates for Word and Excel appeared first on ProjectManager.

Templates make that planning faster. Instead of building a resource tracking system from scratch, you start with a proven structure, fill in your project’s specifics and get to actual work sooner. The right template captures the information that matters: who is responsible for what, when they’re needed and how much it’s going to cost.

Below are 10 free resource planning templates for Excel and Word covering every stage of the resource lifecycle, from estimating what you’ll need to scheduling your team and tracking their skills. Download any of them for free and adapt them to your project.

1. Resource Plan Template for Excel

A project without a resource plan is a plan without a foundation. You might know what work needs to happen, but without mapping every resource required to do it, including labor, materials, equipment and budget, you’re setting yourself up for shortages, conflicts and unplanned costs. A resource plan template gives you a single place to document every resource across the project lifecycle so nothing gets overlooked when planning starts.

This free resource plan template for Excel covers the full scope of project resources. It includes columns for resource type, description, quantity, cost and availability timeline so you can see at a glance what you need and when. There are sections for both human and non-human resources, making it suitable for construction, IT, marketing and professional services projects alike.

Use it at the start of a new project to build your resource inventory or during project planning to cross-reference resource availability against your schedule. It works equally well as a standalone planning document or as a companion to your project plan.

2. Staffing Plan Template for Excel

Getting the right people into the right roles at the right time is harder than it sounds. Projects often kick off before the team is fully assembled, and without a clear picture of who fills which role, projects stall waiting on the wrong person or get started with an incomplete crew. A staffing plan template makes the hiring and assignment process systematic so team composition is decided before the project begins, not during it.

This free staffing plan template for Excel outlines each role needed for the project, the required skills and qualifications, planned start and end dates and whether the position is filled or open. It provides the structure to cross-reference headcount against the project schedule so you can identify resource gaps before they become delays.

Manage Resource Planning in Real Time

ProjectManager is online project management software with interactive Gantt charts, live workload views and real-time dashboards that keep your resource plan and your project schedule in sync from day one. Try it free for 30 days.

3. Skills Matrix Template for Excel

Most managers know their teams. Fewer have a clear record of exactly who can do what, at what level of competency and where the gaps are. When a new project lands and you need someone with a specific certification or technical skill, guessing wastes time. A skills matrix template maps your team’s capabilities against project requirements so resource decisions are based on data rather than memory.

This free skills matrix template for Excel lists team members down the left side and skills across the top, with a rating scale in each cell to show current proficiency levels. It’s easy to filter by skill, spot who’s overqualified for routine work and identify where training investment would do the most good.

Skills matrices are especially useful in project planning when allocating people to tasks and in HR reviews when identifying where the organization needs to develop or hire. Fill it out once and update it quarterly as team skills evolve.

4. Employee Schedule Template for Excel

Idle time costs money. So does double-booking someone across two projects simultaneously. Without a visual schedule showing who is working, where and when, resource conflicts tend to surface only after they’ve already caused a problem. An employee schedule template gives you a weekly view of your workforce, making overlaps and gaps visible before they disrupt production.

This free employee schedule template for Excel organizes staff by name or role with a seven-day grid for assigning shifts, tasks or project work. Managers can see coverage at a glance, note absences and plan around known constraints like PTO, training days or part-time availability.

It works well in any environment with shift-based staffing, including manufacturing, healthcare, retail and construction. It can also be adapted for knowledge-work environments where you need to plan who is on which project each day of the week.

5. Training Matrix Template for Excel

Keeping track of who has completed which training, which certifications are current and which ones are coming up for renewal is an administrative burden that most organizations underestimate. When a certification lapses unnoticed, it creates compliance risk. When someone is assigned to a task requiring credentials they no longer hold, it creates a safety issue. A training matrix template keeps all of this visible in one document.

This free training matrix template for Excel organizes employees by name with columns for each required training or certification, completion dates, renewal dates and current status. Color-coding makes it easy to see who is current, who is overdue and who is approaching an expiry that needs attention.

It’s particularly valuable in regulated industries including healthcare, construction, manufacturing and finance where certifications are mandatory and audits happen. Use it alongside a skills matrix to give a fuller picture of both hard skills and compliance standing.

6. Annual Work Plan Template for Word

Resource planning doesn’t just happen at the project level. Departments and organizations need to plan how their people, budget and capacity will be allocated across the full year and across multiple initiatives. Without a high-level annual plan, resource conflicts between teams are only discovered mid-quarter, when it’s too late to fix them cleanly. An annual work plan template builds that visibility at the organizational level.

This free annual work plan template for Word outlines goals, key initiatives, assigned owners, required resources and milestones across a 12-month horizon. It provides a structure for leadership teams to document what work is planned, who is accountable and what resources are earmarked for each initiative before the year begins.

It’s best suited to department heads, operations managers and program directors who need to present a full-year resource picture to leadership or align multiple project teams around shared goals.

7. Organizational Chart Template for Excel

Knowing who reports to whom matters for resource planning. When you’re trying to identify who has authority to approve resource requests, who can be pulled into a project without a manager’s sign-off or which team has capacity to absorb extra work, an unclear org structure creates friction. An organizational chart template makes the hierarchy visible so those decisions happen faster.

This free organizational chart template for Excel maps out the full team structure from executive leadership down to individual contributors, with lines showing reporting relationships. Names, titles and departments are included, and the layout is easy to update as the organization changes.

Use it at the start of project planning to identify the right stakeholders, during resource negotiation to understand who controls what capacity and as a communication tool when onboarding new team members who need to understand how the organization is structured.

8. Estimate Template for Excel

Resource planning starts before the project does, in the estimate. If your labor hours, material quantities and vendor costs are underestimated from the start, every subsequent resource plan is built on a weak foundation. Scope creep becomes inevitable not because requirements changed, but because the original plan never had room for the actual work. A project estimate template gives you the structure to think through resource needs before a single task is assigned.

This free estimate template for Excel captures each deliverable or work package with associated labor hours by role, material costs, subcontractor fees and contingency. It produces a bottom-up cost estimate you can use to validate project budgets, support proposal submissions or get sign-off from stakeholders before committing to a timeline.

Best used during presales or project initiation when you need to put a number on what the project requires. Revisit it during project planning to cross-check that your staffing plan and resource budget align with the original estimate.

9. 30-60-90 Day Plan Template for Word

Bringing a new team member into a project without a structured ramp-up plan is one of the most common resource planning oversights. The cost isn’t just in onboarding time; it’s in the weeks before the new hire contributes at full capacity, while still consuming resources and attention from the rest of the team. A 30-60-90 day plan template structures that ramp-up period so new team members become productive contributors faster.

This free 30-60-90 day plan template for Word breaks the first three months on the job into three distinct phases, each with its own goals, activities, success metrics and checkpoints. Managers and new hires can align on expectations from day one, reducing ambiguity and giving both parties a clear picture of what success looks like in each phase.

It’s useful for project managers onboarding new team members, HR departments standardizing their new hire experience and leaders stepping into a new role who want to deliver early wins within the first quarter.

10. Training Record Template for Excel

Without a central record of training history, organizations end up with fragmented documentation across email inboxes, shared drives and paper certificates. When an auditor asks for proof of compliance or a project manager wants to confirm that a team member has completed a required safety course, nobody knows where to look. A training record template puts all of that information in one place.

This free training record template for Excel captures each employee’s training history in a structured log, including course name, provider, completion date, outcome and any associated certification number. It’s designed to work for both mandatory compliance training and optional professional development so the same template can serve HR, operations and individual managers.

Use it to maintain a running log of team-wide training history, to prepare for audits and to provide employees with a portable record of their own development. It works well alongside the training matrix above to separate who needs to be trained from who has already been trained.

Manage Resource Planning With ProjectManager

Templates are a strong starting point, but resource planning in real projects moves fast. When priorities shift, someone calls in sick or a new project lands mid-sprint, a spreadsheet struggles to keep up. ProjectManager is online project management software that handles resource planning dynamically, so teams always have an accurate picture of where their resources stand.

Plan and Allocate Resources on Interactive Gantt Charts

ProjectManager’s Gantt charts do more than schedule tasks. Each task carries resource assignments, labor costs and estimated hours so your project schedule and resource plan stay in sync from the start. You can link dependencies, set baselines and track actual resource usage against the plan as the project runs. When something shifts, drag and drop to update the schedule and resource assignments adjust automatically.

Balance Workloads Across Your Team

Knowing who is assigned to which task is only half the picture. ProjectManager’s workload view shows how many hours each team member has committed across all of their projects, not just the one you’re looking at. If someone is over-allocated, you can see it immediately and rebalance the work before it becomes a bottleneck. Filter by team, date range or project to get exactly the view you need.

Related Content

• Resource Planning: A Guide for Project Managers
• Resource Management: A Guide for Project Managers
• Resource Allocation: How to Allocate Resources for Projects
• Capacity Planning: A Guide for Project Managers
• Staffing Plan: A Guide to Building One for Your Team

The post 10 Free Resource Planning Templates for Excel appeared first on ProjectManager.

The following is a list of the best production scheduling software in descending order. These 10 production scheduling software tools for manufacturing help you manage the production cycle, manufacturing operations, production capacity and much more. If you’re looking for an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that can also manage your product scheduling, you’ve come to the right place. Before we list the best production scheduling software products, let’s define the term so we’re all on the same page.

What Is Production Scheduling Software?

Production scheduling software is a tool for manufacturers to help them plan and schedule production activities. It assists with resource utilization, managing the availability of raw materials, avoiding bottlenecks and more. There are many types of production scheduling software, from cloud-based to on-premise.

Production scheduling software is the most commonly used term to describe this type of software, but other terms are used as well, such as production planning software, manufacturing scheduling software or production planning and scheduling software. Production scheduling software ensures that delays are minimized by streamlining tasks, creating effective production workflows and allocating and optimizing resources that lead to an efficient production schedule.

What Are the Best Production Scheduling Software Features?

The feature set may vary from one production scheduling solution to another and choosing the right software for you and your team depends on the industry you’re in as well as the methodologies you use to plan, schedule and manage your team’s work. Having said that, here are some key features you should look for when choosing production scheduling software.

• Task & workflow management: In a nutshell, production scheduling is the process of creating a timeline for the execution of the tasks that are needed to manufacture a product. Tools like Gantt charts, kanban boards, to-do lists and calendars help production managers understand the order in which production tasks will be completed, what their due dates are, their completion status and who they’re assigned to.
• Resource management: Allocating resources for the completion of production tasks is an important aspect of production scheduling. For this reason, production scheduling software should include features to facilitate the planning, scheduling and allocation of resources such as people, materials, equipment and machinery. Workload charts are an example of a feature that production scheduling software should include, as they help production managers split the amount of work to be done among employees.
• Project management: The production process can be managed as a project as they share common elements such as timelines, resources, costs and stakeholders. Any production manager should be familiar with basic project management principles.
• Cost tracking and budgeting: A production scheduling software should have features that allow production managers to keep track of the costs of each task. Features such as timesheets and cost dashboards allow them to measure their labor costs accurately throughout the production process.
• Document management: Several documents are needed for managing the production process such as manufacturing orders, bills of materials, purchase orders and more. Choose production scheduling software with features such as unlimited file storage and file sharing.

10 Best Production Scheduling Software for Manufacturing

Now that we understand the meaning and scope of production scheduling software, let’s look at the top 10 options.

1. ProjectManager

ProjectManager is award-winning production scheduling software. It’s cloud-based, which means there’s minimal installation required. The software is well-designed with powerful scheduling features that place it at the top of our list for the best production scheduling software. Manufacturers will appreciate the full suite of tools for production planning, resource management, time tracking and reporting—and there’s a mobile app for managing work from the shop floor. Plus, there’s a free 30-day trial so you can try out ProjectManager’s production scheduling features for yourself.

Manage Resources and Costs in Real Time

ProjectManager has powerful Gantt charts that are an essential tool for production scheduling. It links all four types of task dependencies to avoid costly production delays and bottlenecks. Both human and nonhuman resources and associated costs are captured in the Gantt chart as well. Once you’ve created a production schedule, the software allows you to set a baseline. This means you can now track the planned schedule against your actual schedule in real time to catch anomalies and reallocate resources to get you back on track.

Automate Production Workflows

Another plus is that ProjectManager can create custom workflows that help move one activity into another and keep the production line moving. To further efficiency, there are automated workflows. You can add as many triggers as you want to automatically change the status, assignee and more.

Of course, quality control is an issue with automated workflows, but ProjectManager has added a task approval setting so that an authorized individual can inspect and approve the work before it moves forward in production. You can view the production workflow on kanban boards. ProjectManager has multiple project views so the schedule made on a Gantt chart reflects across all other views, such as the kanban, list, calendar, etc.

Real-Time Insights into Team Workload and Task Progress

Another differentiating feature of ProjectManager is its built-in, easy-to-use resource management features. See all the tasks your team is working on in one place on the Team page. Filter tasks by team, daily work, weekly work and more. Click into a task to add files, leave a comment or update hours. If you find that one team member has too much work, instantly reassign a task with a simple drag-and-drop. No other production scheduling software seamlessly integrates detailed planning features with resource management.

Those are the features that make ProjectManager the best production scheduling software, but we didn’t even touch on how it excels at task management and risk management, including its time tracking and reporting features. Check out those and more by getting started with ProjectManager today for free.

Verdict: Best Production Scheduling Software for Manufacturing Projects

ProjectManager Pros & Key Features

• Workload charts for accurate resource utilization, balancing workload and real-time resource allocation
• Real-time dashboards and timesheets for cost and time tracking, monitoring key performance indicators and labor costs
• Workflow automation and task approval settings to ensure quality deliverables while working more efficiently
• Global search and version control to revert to older plans if necessary
• Risk management features, including graphics to gauge impact and likelihood
• Free 30-day trial
• Mobile app for Android and iOS

ProjectManager Cons & Limitations

• Doesn’t have built-in ERP tools, but integrates with Acumatica
• Missing some manufacturing-specific features
• Limited bill of materials support for assembly sequences
• Doesn’t have a free plan

ProjectManager Pricing

• Team plan: $15/user/month
• Business plan: $28/user/month
• Enterprise plan: Contact sales

ProjectManager Reviews

• G2 review: 4.4/5
• Capterra review: 4.1/5
• Getapp review: 4.1/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “ProjectManager works very well with both large and small-scale projects. Being able to use this with anything from a project involving only two members of staff, to hundreds, has been invaluable.” Peter W – from Capterra
• “We used to manage our projects, resources, and reporting in different systems. Enter ProjectManager. We have consolidated systems and work more efficiently.” Jeffrey M – from Capterra
• “Having the full scope of activities and who is responsible to do it, plus the time tracking is excellent.” Flavio M – from G2
• “It has an excellent accounting system capable of calculating the time that a person has used to develop a task that was assigned to him, I like being able to collaborate with all my colleagues in the Finance sector through ProjectManager.” Jesus C – from G2
• “The UI of the application is user-friendly, and it helps to identify what we are looking for with minimal effort.” Pavan H – from G2
• “It’s a solid platform and has very good customer service. you can send collaboration invitations to your customers or partners, without the need for a setup or anything extra. What I like is that the website is always online, does not fall and is easy and intuitive to manage.” Aleksei V – from GetApp

2. Monday.com

Monday.com promises to increase efficiency and accuracy while making it easier to manage internal and external orders. They have customized workflows that allow users to add and remove steps and add assignees. Workflows can be tailored to meet your production scheduling software requirements.

It allows users to manage all manufacturing processes in one place, adding visibility and notifications. There are features to track production processes, capture customer orders and requests, and even reporting tools and a variety of templates to help you get started.

Related: Best Monday.com Alternatives: Free & Paid Options Ranked (2026)

Monday.com’s cost has been increasing and it’s getting to the point where it might no longer be worth the expense. Onboarding and training are difficult and customer support is distant. This gets worse the larger the project. Even the reporting features are limited. It’s really a task management tool and its automation, which is critical for production scheduling software, is confusing.

Related: Monday.com Gantt Chart: How to Make a Gantt Chart With Monday.com

Verdict: Best Production Scheduling Software for Collaboration

Monday.com Pros & Key Features

• Easy-to-use task management boards, which are intuitive, organize tasks and facilitate efficient project management
• Workflow tools for manufacturing projects include customizable templates and tools that help manage production processes
• Customizable dashboards for production oversight offer a centralized view of operations
• Has a 14-day free trial
• Has a mobile project management for Android and iOS

Monday.com Cons & Limitations

• Limited project scheduling features, more geared towards task and workflow management
• Cost-tracking features require a manual-intensive setup
• Project dashboard features are limited
• Lacks drag and drop dependencies, they must be manually set up in the table view, which is unintuitive
• It has only one type of dependencies, finish to start, but not the other three types
• There is no integrated cost tracking, it must be manually setup

Monday.com Pricing

• Basic: $8/user/month
• Standard: $10/user/month
• Pro: $16/user/month

Monday.com Reviews

• G2 review: 4.7/5
• Capterra review: 4.6/5
• Getapp review: 4.6/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “I truly recommend using Monday to small to medium scale enterprises because of its ease of use.” Vikas G – from G2
• “I really like the monday work management interface.” Luiz Fernando J – from G2
• “I love how when you share google drive files it allows for a preview to show reducing the amount of bouncing in and out of the platform which creates more productivity.” Amanda Hopkins – from GetApp

3. SAP S/4HANA

SAP S/4HANA is one of the world’s most widely used enterprise ERP platforms, with production scheduling capabilities built directly into its core manufacturing suite. Its Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) module handles complex finite capacity planning, helping large manufacturers optimize machine utilization, coordinate materials and model multi-constraint production scenarios. With real-time integration across procurement, inventory, shop floor execution and financial reporting, SAP S/4HANA gives enterprise manufacturers end-to-end visibility into their production operations from a single system.

As the dominant ERP for global manufacturers in industries ranging from automotive to chemicals to consumer goods, SAP S/4HANA brings a depth of manufacturing functionality that few platforms can match. Its production orders, work center scheduling and material requirements planning (MRP) are tightly integrated, which means schedule changes cascade automatically across procurement and inventory—reducing manual rework and improving accuracy. The platform’s real-time analytics and embedded machine learning help production managers identify bottlenecks and optimize sequences before they impact delivery timelines.

That said, SAP S/4HANA is enterprise-grade software with enterprise-grade complexity. Implementation typically requires months of setup, dedicated consultants and significant IT investment—total cost of ownership over three years can exceed $2M for large teams. Licensing starts at $180/user/month for the public cloud edition and climbs steeply from there. For smaller manufacturers or teams without dedicated IT resources, this is likely more system than they need.

Verdict: Best Production Scheduling Software for Enterprise Manufacturing

SAP S/4HANA Pros & Key Features

• Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) module handles finite capacity planning and multi-constraint production scenarios
• Real-time integration across procurement, inventory and shop floor execution eliminates manual data handoffs
• Material requirements planning (MRP) automatically cascades schedule changes to purchasing and inventory
• Industry-specific functionality for automotive, chemicals, consumer goods, discrete manufacturing and more
• Embedded analytics and machine learning for production optimization and bottleneck identification
• Available as public cloud, private cloud and on-premise deployments

SAP S/4HANA Cons & Limitations

• Extremely high total cost of ownership; licensing starts at $180/user/month with implementation costs often exceeding $500K
• Implementation is lengthy and complex, typically requiring dedicated SAP consultants and months of configuration
• Steep learning curve; significant training is required before teams can use it productively
• Not suitable for small or mid-sized manufacturers without a dedicated IT team
• Interface is less intuitive than modern cloud-native tools, which can slow adoption
• Customizations are expensive to build and maintain over time

SAP S/4HANA Pricing

• Public Cloud: Starting at $180/user/month
• Private Cloud & On-Premise: Contact sales

SAP S/4HANA Reviews

• G2 review: 4.3/5
• Capterra review: 4.3/5
• Getapp review: 4.3/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “The thing I like most about this is that you can manage all the Enterprise Resources, so that you can get better efficiency.” Javier R. – from Capterra

4. Smartsheet

Smartsheet is a flexible work management platform that has become a go-to choice for production scheduling in operations-heavy environments. Its spreadsheet-style interface, combined with powerful Gantt chart views, resource management tools and automated workflows, makes it easy for manufacturing teams to build and maintain complex production schedules without a steep learning curve. Operations managers who are comfortable with Excel will find Smartsheet intuitive from day one, while gaining the collaboration and real-time visibility that spreadsheets can’t provide.

Smartsheet’s automation capabilities stand out for production scheduling use cases. Teams can set up automated alerts when tasks fall behind, trigger handoffs between production stages and keep stakeholders updated without manual status reports. Its dashboards give production managers a real-time view of schedule health across multiple projects, and its reporting tools make it easy to surface delays before they compound. The platform integrates well with tools manufacturers already use, including Microsoft 365, Salesforce and Jira.

The main limitation is that Smartsheet is a work management tool, not a manufacturing system. It has no native inventory management, bill of materials support, MRP functionality or shop floor control. It works best as a scheduling and coordination layer, and will need to be paired with a dedicated manufacturing or ERP system if those capabilities are required.

Verdict: Best Production Scheduling Software for Scheduling and Visibility

Smartsheet Pros & Key Features

• Intuitive spreadsheet-style interface that is familiar to teams coming from Excel-based scheduling
• Gantt chart views with dependency linking for building and managing detailed production timelines
• Automated workflows to trigger alerts, handoffs and status updates without manual intervention
• Real-time dashboards for tracking production schedule health across multiple projects
• Strong integrations with Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Jira and other enterprise tools
• Free trial available
• Mobile app for Android and iOS

Smartsheet Cons & Limitations

• No native inventory management, MRP or bill of materials support
• Not a manufacturing system—works best as a coordination layer alongside a dedicated ERP or MRP tool
• Business plan pricing ($32/user/month) can become expensive for larger teams
• Advanced features like cross-sheet formulas and dynamic views require higher-tier plans
• Limited resource scheduling depth compared to dedicated manufacturing tools
• No built-in time tracking on lower-tier plans

Smartsheet Pricing

• Pro: $9/user/month
• Business: $19/user/month
• Enterprise: Contact sales

Smartsheet Reviews

• G2 review: 4.4/5
• Capterra review: 4.5/5
• Getapp review: 4.5/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “Smartsheet has allowed me to take my to-do list and run with it in a way that I didn’t think would be possible.” Victoria W – from G2
• “SmartSheet is my go-to for project tracking and timelines. It’s like Excel but way smarter.” Michael J – from GetApp

5. NetSuite

NetSuite is production scheduling software with a task scheduler that has drag-and-drop scheduling capabilities. You can automatically schedule work orders as they’re created or when they reach a specific status. A manufacturing workbench is a single place to configure work, such as setting up runs, lag and hold time batch configuration, etc.

If you’re a manufacturer who makes products in batches, the tool has batch scheduling. A shop calendar defines when resources are available, but all this comes at a steep price that’s likely outside of what a manufacturer can afford to spend.

Not only is the pricing high, but it’s subject to change and that often happens just as you’re about to renew. For such complicated software, there’s little support. Of course, you can get additional support for an additional cost. If you want to customize reports, that’s not something that you can easily do. It might be all-in-one in terms of production scheduling software, but can you afford or even understand it?

Verdict: Best Production Scheduling Software for Scheduling Tasks

NetSuite Pros & Key Features

• Batch-scheduling features enables manufacturers to schedule production in batches, optimizing machine use and reducing downtime
• Manufacturing workbench configures work provides a centralized platform to define and configure work orders, routing and production processes
• Built-in inventory and supply chain management integrates production scheduling directly with inventory, procurement and supply chain modules
• Offers a free 14-day trial
• Mobile app available for Android and iOS

NetSuite Cons & Limitations

• Designed for large corporations with IT teams, smaller companies might find its complexity overwhelming
• Difficult to implement, steep learning curve which requires employee training, customization and resource intensive onboarding
• It’s an expensive software that requires add-ons to meet the specific requirements of organizations increasing the total cost of ownership
• Limited flexibility without customization, which can be extensive and raise costs
• Slow support response and reliance on third parties for technical assistance and ongoing maintenance
• Overkill for simple manufacturing operations can make the software feel bloated

NetSuite Pricing

• Contact for quote (average $99/month)

NetSuite Reviews

• G2 review: 4/5
• Capterra review: 4.2/5
• Getapp review: 4.2/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “The best part about NetSuite is the ease of use for new users across our organization.” Joe W – from G2
• “NetSuite was the easiest ERP Software to learn and use.” Wes P – from Capterra
• “Netsuite is a platform our company will be able to grow with. The functionality is easy to use and allows for a real time look at the health of our business.” Raji A – from GetApp

6. ClickUp

ClickUp is one of the fastest-growing project management platforms available, and its versatility makes it a strong contender for production scheduling in manufacturing environments. Teams can build out detailed production schedules using ClickUp’s Gantt chart, timeline views, custom task statuses and powerful automations—all within a single workspace. Its all-in-one approach means production managers can track tasks, assign resources, collaborate with cross-functional teams and generate reports without switching between tools.

ClickUp’s flexibility is one of its strongest selling points for manufacturing teams. Custom fields, custom views and highly configurable workflows mean you can model your production process almost exactly as it runs on the floor, rather than forcing your operations into a rigid software structure. Its free plan is generous for small teams, and the paid tiers are among the most affordable in this list while still offering a deep feature set including dependency management, workload views and resource tracking.

That flexibility, however, comes with a learning curve. The sheer number of settings and options can be overwhelming for new users, and teams without dedicated project management experience may struggle to set it up effectively. ClickUp also lacks manufacturing-specific capabilities like MRP, inventory tracking or bill of materials management, so it functions best as the scheduling and coordination backbone of a broader manufacturing tech stack.

Verdict: Best Production Scheduling Software for Flexibility and Customization

ClickUp Pros & Key Features

• Highly customizable views including Gantt, timeline, kanban, calendar and list for flexible production scheduling
• Custom task statuses and workflows that can map closely to your actual production stages
• Powerful automation tools to reduce manual work and keep production moving between stages
• Workload management views to balance task assignments across production team members
• Generous free plan; paid tiers are among the most affordable in this list
• Mobile app for Android and iOS

ClickUp Cons & Limitations

• Steep learning curve due to the volume of settings, views and configuration options
• No native inventory management, MRP or bill of materials support
• Not a manufacturing system—requires pairing with an ERP or MRP tool for full production management
• Performance can slow with very large task lists or complex automations
• Customer support response times have been inconsistent on lower-tier plans
• Reporting features are less advanced than dedicated project management tools

ClickUp Pricing

• Free plan available
• Unlimited: $7/user/month
• Business: $12/user/month
• Business Plus: $19/user/month
• Enterprise: Contact sales

ClickUp Reviews

• G2 review: 4.7/5
• Capterra review: 4.6/5
• Getapp review: 4.7/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “ClickUp has become an essential tool for managing error tracking, team communication, and task follow-ups.” Nebi K – from G2
• “I like the design in general—crisp, and minimalistic enough.” Ole K – from G2

7. MRPeasy

MRPeasy is production scheduling software with planning and procurement features. It’s built for small to mid-sized manufacturing companies and helps to allocate their resources. The software helps plan costs and production, with administration and bill features. It tracks serial numbers and works well with lean manufacturing.

You can keep track of your customer information, including history and account purchases. It integrates with QuickBooks and Xero, with APIs for third-party applications. There are four pricing tiers, but there’s no free or even affordable option.

The problem is, if you buy the cheapest version of the software, you’ll only be able to do straightforward activities. Even some of those more expensive tools don’t live up to the price tag, such as limited customization on its dashboard, reporting and statistics. You can’t even print the statistic graph if you need it for a presentation.

Verdict: Best Production Scheduling Software for Procurement

MRPeasy Pros & Key Features

• Tracks customer information, which allows users to track customer details, order history and communications
• Integrates with QuickBooks and Xero helping manufacturers streamline invoicing, expense tracking and financial reporting
• Built-in production planning and inventory management for real-time visibility into project schedules, inventory levels and material requirements
• Offers a free trial
• Mobile app available for Android and iOS

MRPeasy Cons & Limitations

• Only offers a calendar view for scheduling production processes, which is restrictive for users accustomed to more dynamic tools like Gantt charts
• Relies on integrations, which means additional costs for a fully functional version of the software, which add subscription fees and setup complexity
• Doesn’t have workload management tools for balancing workloads across employees or machines
• Limited customization of workflows that can frustrate manufacturers with specialized processes
• No native mobile app that is a drawback for teams that need to manage operations on the go
• Steep learning curve for non-technical users that demands training

MRPeasy Pricing

• Starter $49/user/month
• Professional $69/user/month
• Enterprise $99/user/month
• Unlimited $149/user/month

MRPeasy Reviews

• G2 review: 4.5/5
• Capterra review: 4.5/5
• Getapp review: 4.6/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “It covers all the essential features I need to manage my manufacturing processes, from inventory tracking to order management, without overwhelming me with complexity.” Alice B – from G2
• “It provided a solid foundation for managing manufacturing processes and streamlining operations.” Marek T – from Capterra
• “Overall functionality from controlling customer orders to inventory is pretty smooth and seamless.” Christopher H – from GetApp

8. Wrike

Wrike isn’t necessarily the go-to tool for manufacturers; it’s more of a fit for marketers, digital agencies and professional services. However, it’s a simple, effective and collaborative project management solution that can help with certain aspects of production scheduling. Wrike has a project schedule template that can break down the larger production process into small actionable items. Then you can assign due dates and track progress. Additionally, you can use the built-in chat function, risk protection, and, in terms of production scheduling software, it monitors workloads and activities. It’s also easy to track progress, bill and invoice.

However, Wrike has features, such as its Gantt chart, that aren’t intuitive. The kanban can only view tasks, not projects, and there’s no portfolio-level reporting for manufacturers who are running multiple projects. It mostly leans on its lists, but still requires a lot of time to understand how to use it as a production scheduling software. The automation features are poor, there aren’t many integrations and data and tasks can be hard to find.

Verdict: Best Production Scheduling Software for Risk Protection

Wrike Pros & Key Features

• Monitors workflows, activities, has automated workflows to minimize manual intervention
• Helps track the progress of your team with customizable dashboards
• Interactive Gantt charts facilitates real-time updates and aligns stakeholders
• Free 14-day trial
• Mobile app available for Android and iOS

Wrike Cons & Limitations

• The Gantt chart functionality is not ideal for production scheduling as it can be clunky with high-volume or repetitive manufacturing tasks
• Lack of resource management reports that provide deep reporting on capacity planning, labor utilization or shift scheduling
• Limited cost-tracking features for managing material costs, labor rates or overall production budgets
• Steep learning curve, especially for new users, who can feel overwhelmed by its complex interface
• Workflow automation is basic for manufacturing needs, doesn’t support conditional logic or advanced triggers
• No built-in inventory or supply chain tracking to manage raw materials, order tracking or vendor coordination

Wrike Pricing

• Team plan: $9.80/user/month (2-user minimum)
• Business plan: $24.80/user/month (5-user minimum)

Wrike Reviews

• G2 review: 4.2/5
• Capterra review: 4.4/5
• Getapp review: 4.4/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “Wrike has become essential in my day and keeps me organized and on top of my tasks.” Paige T – from G2
• “Productivity has been enhanced by removing essential but repetitive chores.” Denise S – from G2
• “Wrike has allowed better management of planning or organization of business projects thanks to the fact that it provides the tools that adjust to the needs of each team, achieving that the collaboration is much more efficient and thus the productivity is increased in a successful way.” Caroline Smith – from GetApp

9. Katana MRP

Katana MRP is production scheduling software that focuses on materials requirement planning for small and medium-sized manufacturers. It also has inventory management tools. It can automate workflows, prioritize orders and provide visibility into the availability of raw materials and finished goods.

Its dashboard provides a real-time picture of production. It has a shop floor control function that lets users see the manufacturing order and ingredient list for tasks. There’s a visual planning tool that allows you to view supplier prices.

But surprisingly, it doesn’t allow you to track shipping supplies. It’s also not the easiest software to learn how to use, plus you have to create ingredients for each product, which is time-consuming. There are a lot of features, but you’ll be paying top dollar for them. User permissions also need improvement.

Verdict: Best Production Scheduling Software for Materials Requirement Planning

Katana Pros & Key Features

• Automated workflows allow manufacturers to set up rules that automatically trigger actions
• Visibility into the availability of raw materials and levels directly to production orders
• Seamless integration with e-commerce and accounting platforms
• Offers a free 14-day trial

Katana Cons & Limitations

• Limited production planning and scheduling features lacks depth of tools like Gantt charts
• No workload management features, such as resource leveling or shift planning
• No project status, cost or health reports limits usefulness for manufacturers who need insights into job-level financial performance or progress
• Lacks native CRM and customer communication tools so users must integrate with external CRMs to track leads, manage customer interactions or over the sales funnel
• No built-in quality control tools for managing inspections, defect tracking or compliance documentation
• Limited customization of workflows and statuses makes it hard to tailor the system to unique production processes
• No mobile app

Katana Pricing

• Essential $99/user/month
• Advanced $299/user/month
• Professional $599/user/month
• Enterprise, contact sales

Katana Reviews

• G2 review: 4.4/5
• Capterra review: 4.2/5
• Getapp review: 4.2/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “I’ve found Katana to be quite easy to use and operate.” Lucas M – from G2
• “The Excel templates allow for bulk uploads of all of the required data categories which don’t need to be uploaded manually.” Brent T – from Capterra
• “Since it integrates with my Shopify store, I now have a closed loop system that can tell me what I need to make, and how much of each part I need to make.” Jordan Berke – from GetApp

10. Fishbowl

Fishbowl Inventory is flexible ERP software that provides users with visibility into warehouse and manufacturing workflows. It integrates with Xero, QuickBooks and Reckon Accounts. The software is essentially made up of two plans, one being Fishbowl Manufacturing, which is used for assembly, disassembly, repair, replacement and other jobs.

Fishbowl Warehouse works to track inventory. It gives stock alerts, reordering, receiving and shipping goods data. This wide range of features is very costly. You have to buy both plans, which cost thousands of dollars.

The high up-front cost is painful enough, then there’s the limited customization. Even the touted shipping features aren’t all they should be. You’d think customer support would fill in these holes, but it’s unreliable. Plus, product costs are averaged from past purchases so there’s no first in, first out (FIFO) or last in, last out (LIFO) support.

Verdict: Best Production Scheduling Software for Warehouse and Manufacturing Workflows

Fishbowl Inventory Pros & Key Features

• Tracks inventory and gives stock alerts across multiple locations, warehouses and product lines
• Has maintenance capabilities with built-in tools for managing equipment and scheduled maintenance
• Seamless integration with QuickBooks for end-to-end operations
• Offers a 14-day free trial
• Mobile app available for Android and iOS

Fishbowl Inventory Cons & Limitations

• Non-friendly user interface has outdated and clunky interface
• Few production scheduling features and steep learning curve with limited onboarding support
• Not ideal for managing manufacturing projects due to limited cloud capabilities
• Frequent updates can be disruptive and occasionally cause issues
• Customer support is hit-or-miss and can deliver generic responses that don’t resolve issues
• Requires third-party add-ons for full functionality that adds to the cost

Fishbowl Inventory Pricing

• Contact for quote (starting at $4,395)

Fishbowl Inventory Reviews

• G2 review: 4/5
• Capterra review: 4.2/5
• Getapp review: 4.2/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “We were looking for a platform to help us keep up with our inventory quantities, costs, ordering, and manufacturing.” Bryan W – from G2
• “There is a learning curve but in the end you have what you need.” Rulon C – from Capterra
• “This software is easy to use and easy to deploy. Great extension for QB users. It can also connect Shopify, Amazon, Ebay, Shipping management such as Shiprush, etc.” Yuji I – from GetApp

Not Ready for Software? Try These Free Production Planning Templates

If you’re not ready to committ to a production scheduling software, don’t worry, we have plenty of free Excel templates to help you. These templates will help you organize your manufacturing processes, track progress and, of course, make a production schedule.

Production Schedule Template

This free production schedule template may not be as robust as production scheduling software, but it will help you organize your orders, inventory, ship dates and more. It’s an essential document for staying on top of your production cycle.

Gantt Chart Template

This free Gantt chart template will help you organize your production schedule tasks in a linear, descending order. That way, you’ll be able to stay on top of any dependencies and always understand what needs to come next to get your production done on time for your customer. After all, a Gantt chart is an essential feature for any production scheduling software.

Inventory Management Template

As you product products for your customers, obviously you’re going to have to stay on top of your inventory. This free inventory management template for Excel will help you stay fully stocked and avoid any outages during your production process. This one can even be paired with one of the above production scheduling software for a more comprehensive manufacturing management experience.

Production Flowchart Template

Sometimes you need to just think big picture. Our free flowchart template is prefect for mapping out all the big, important steps in your production process. Once you get that settled, you can go deeper and really build a detailed production schedule. Again, this can be paired with any of the best production scheduling software we identified above. We hope these templates help you on your manufacturing journey!

Related Content

• Best Project Management Software: Rankings, Reviews & Comparisons
• Production Management: A Quick Guide
• Production Planning in Manufacturing: Best Practices
• Production Scheduling Basics
• How to Create a Master Production Schedule (MPS)
• 10 Mejores software de programación de producción (2026)
• 10 meilleurs logiciels d’ordonnancement de la production (2026)
• 10 Beste Produktionsplanungssoftware (2026)
• Melhor software de programação de produção (2026)

ProjectManager is online production scheduling software that empowers everyone to plan, manage and track their production run in real time. It gives manufacturers automated and custom workload, task approval, filtered reports and much more. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

The post 10 Best Production Scheduling Software for Manufacturing Projects in 2026 appeared first on ProjectManager.

How Microsoft Planner Works

Microsoft Planner is similar to many task management tools on the market. It organizes teamwork and tasks for project management. It’s a hub for teams to work together, make plans, assign tasks and check progress with dashboards.

The tool acts as a hub for project documentation, file sharing, and team visibility. It’s part of the broader Microsoft 365 suite, which also includes OneDrive, Outlook (mail and calendar), Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more. Microsoft Planner integrates smoothly with Microsoft Teams and other task management tools like Microsoft To Do and Microsoft Lists. However, it isn’t fully compatible with Microsoft Project—Microsoft’s most advanced project management software—because it can’t open or edit Microsoft Project files (MPP files). And don’t get us started on how complicated, buggy and expensive that product suite is. You’ll end up paying a lot for very little.

But, it’s understandable why people use it. Microsoft promises a holistic approach to business, offering everything they need in one place. If that sounds too good to be true, you understand why search terms such as Microsoft Planner alternative are so popular.

Why Seek a Microsoft Planner Alternative?

There are many reasons why people are looking for a Microsoft Planner alternative. The software uses kanban boards, which are a great visual workflow tool, but one size doesn’t fit all. Those who work in an agile environment certainly appreciate kanban boards, but probably not the rigidity of Microsoft Planner.

Managers will wonder where the Gantt charts are and others will want a task list. But they’ll be sorely disappointed as Microsoft doesn’t have multiple project views to let users work how they want. Microsoft Planner Premium, one of the multiple versions of Microsoft Planner does offer a timeline tool, which is far from a Gantt chart, but Microsoft doesn’t seem to care what users want.

Related: Microsoft Planner Gantt Chart: How to Make a Gantt Chart in Microsoft Planner

Microsoft Planner Pricing Plans

Another key disadvantage of Microsoft Planner is its confusing pricing structure and the constant changes Microsoft makes to the features included in each plan. To access the full version of the software, you’ll need to pay for the higher tiers. Even then, Microsoft Planner remains a lightweight and expensive project management solution compared to the alternatives featured in this list. Below are the current Microsoft Planner pricing plans.

Microsoft Planner Basic

The version included in most Microsoft 365 subscriptions. Good for lightweight task management. Starts from $6 to $22 per user per month, billed annually. Price varies depending on the Microsoft 365 subscription.

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic: $6.00/user/month, billed annually
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard: $12.50/user/month, billed annually
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium: $22.00/user/month, billed annually
• Microsoft 365 Apps for Business: $8.25/user/month, billed annually

Microsoft Planner Premium

The next level up, for users or teams needing more advanced project management features.

• Planner Plan 1: $10/user/month, billed annually
• Planner and Project Plan 3: $30/user/month, billed annually
• Planner and Project Plan 5: $55/user/month, billed annually

For more detailed information about each of these Microsoft Planner plans and the features that are available for each pricing tier, visit our Microsoft Planner blog.

2026 Best Microsoft Planner Alternatives Software Rankings

We’ve looked at 11 of the best Microsoft Planner alternatives on the market and created a list for you to see which one fits your needs. We did some editorializing and started the list with our number-one choice and then worked our way down the top 10. You’re sure to find a Mircosoft Planner alternative that’s a good fit for your next project.

1. ProjectManager

The best Microsoft Planner alternative by far is ProjectManager. ProjectManager is an online project management software that has in-depth project data, enabling you to effectively schedule projects, track progress and manage resources in one tool. Build detailed project plans, then monitor your teams’ progress as they update their tasks on desktop or mobile. With numerous powerful features and full compatibility with Microsoft Project and PowerBI, it’s clear that ProjectManager is the best Microsoft Planner alternative. And there’s a generous free 30-day trial.

Dynamic Scheduling and Tracking

Unlike Microsoft Planner, ProjectManager has multiple project views, including kanban boards, task lists, sheet and calendar views. All data is updated in real time across each view, and there are interactive Gantt charts that can link dependencies, set baselines to track project variance and even filter for the critical path. You can even manage costs and track the progress as it happens. The Gantt chart can be easily edited and shared to keep everyone updated on the most current iteration of the plan.

Effortless Resource Management

As the project progresses, use the Team page to see exactly what everyone’s working on and how far along they are. Filter by team type, due dates and more. Instantly reallocate work with a simple drag-and-drop to reduce bottlenecks and keep everyone happy and productive. You can even click into a task and attach files or comments to collaborate and keep everything on one platform.

Track Performance in Real Time

For a high-level view of the project, our dashboards require no configuration and automatically capture six project metrics that are displayed in colorful graphs. For more detail, there are customizable reports for project and portfolio status, timesheets and more. They can also be easily shared with stakeholders to keep them updated.

ProjectManager is the best Microsoft Planner alternative for the simple fact that it has every aspect of project management covered including task approval settings, risks, resource management, timesheets, automated workflows and more. On top of that, this tops our list as it’s incredibly easy to use. Its intuitive user interface requires no time-consuming training. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

ProjectManager Pros & Key Features

• Fully featured Gantt chart for project planning, scheduling and tracking
• Real-time resource, cost and time tracking
• Unlike Microsoft Planner, ProjectManager allows users to open and edit Microsoft Project files (MPP files)
• Multiple project management tools and features
• Mobile app for Android and iOS
• Free 30-day trial

ProjectManager Cons & Limitations

• Limited customization
• Few native integrations
• No free plan

Pricing

• Team: $15/user/month
• Business: $28/user/month

Q&A

• Does ProjectManager offer a free trial? Yes, ProjectManager has a 30-day free trial
• Does ProjectManager have a mobile project management app? Yes, it’s available for Android and iOS

ProjectManager Reviews

• G2 review: 4.4/5
• Capterra review: 4.1/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “ProjectManager works very well with both large and small-scale projects. Being able to use this with anything from a project involving only two members of staff, to hundreds, has been invaluable.” Peter W – from Capterra
• “We used to manage our projects, resources, and reporting in different systems. Enter ProjectManager. We have consolidated systems and work more efficiently.” Jeffrey M – from Capterra
• “Having the full scope of activities and who is responsible to do it, plus the time tracking is excellent.” Flavio M – from G2
• “It has an excellent accounting system capable of calculating the time that a person has used to develop a task that was assigned to him, I like being able to collaborate with all my colleagues in the Finance sector through ProjectManager.” Jesus C – from G2
• “The UI of the application is user-friendly, and it helps to identify what we are looking for with minimal effort.” Pavan H – from G2

2. Trello

Trello is a Microsoft Planner alternative that shares Microsoft’s all-in attitude about kanban boards. In fact, they do kanban better than Microsoft, which is why it’s high on our list. It’s a great collaborative tool and you can customize workflows to streamline work. If you’re working in an agile environment, this will appeal to you. It’s far more flexible than Microsoft Planner. The fact that it syncs data across devices is also a plus for remote workers.

It’s not much of a Microsoft Planner alternative if it only has kanban boards. While it might be a useful tool, those managing projects in a more traditional fashion are going to look elsewhere the moment they don’t see Gantt charts. There’s a timeline view, but that’s a lite version of the Gantt at best. Even kanban enthusiasts will be surprised that there are no swimlanes and work-in-progress (WIP) limits.

Trello Pros & Key Features

• Ideal for agile teams
• Customizable project management views
• Flexible for software and product development teams
• Free plan

Trello Cons & Limitations

• Kanban boards and calendars are its only project planning views
• Requires users to purchase add-ons and integrations due to its lack of features
• Doesn’t have fully-featured Gantt charts

Pricing

• Free plan: $0/user/month
• Standard: $5/user/month
• Premium: $10/user/month
• Enterprise: $17.50/user/month

Q&A

• Does Trello offer a free trial? Yes, Trello has a 14-day free trial
• Does Trello have a mobile project management app? Yes, it’s available for Android and iOS

Trello Reviews

• G2 review: 4.4/5
• Capterra review: 4.5/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “I loved the fact that it is so easy to use, so easy that my non-tech-savvy employees were able to use it and I didn’t have to go behind them fixing mistakes.” Michelle N – from G2
• “Trello’s visual simplicity and flexibility are what I like best.” Cagri M – from G2

3. Monday.com

Monday.com is a task management software, which makes it an ideal Microsoft Planner alternative. It’s less expensive than signing up for the full suite of Microsoft products and a lot easier to use. The user-friendly interface isn’t only simple to get around but will please non-professional project managers who don’t need deep dives into data. It’s a great way to organize your tasks on kanban boards, task lists and timelines.

It’s not the best Microsoft Planner alternative, especially because it really is just task management software. It might have some other features but not the ones that are essential to managing projects. A case in point is the Gantt chart. Again, a timeline isn’t a Gantt chart, although it’s a great visual tool and targets newbies. If you’re a project manager on a more serious level, though, you’ll want to look elsewhere.

Monday.com Pros & Key Features

• User-friendly interface
• Reports and dashboards to track multiple projects
• Has a free 14-day trial
• Mobile app available for Android and iOS
• Free plan

Monday.com Cons & Limitations

• Lightweight Gantt charts lack important project management features
• Limited project reporting capabilities compared to other Microsoft Planner alternatives
• Customizable views require manual setup

Pricing

• Free plan: $0/user/month
• Basic: $8/user/month
• Standard: $10/user/month
• Pro: $16/user/month

Q&A

• Does Monday offer a free trial? Yes, Monday has a 14-day free trial
• Does Monday have a mobile project management app? Yes, it’s available for Android and iOS

Monday.com Reviews

• G2 review: 4.7/5
• Capterra review: 4.6/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “I truly recommend using Monday to small to medium scale enterprises because of its ease of use.” Vikas G – from G2
• “I really like the monday work management interface.” Luiz Fernando J – from G2

4. Asana

Asana is one of the more popular Microsoft Planner alternatives. It features everything from timelines to kanban boards. There’s also a calendar view. All are shared with the project team to keep them working from one source of knowledge. It makes our list especially because of its real-time task management reporting features that help keep projects on track and set strategic goals. There are collaborative tools and a bug tracker, which is great for software development.

However, there’s a problem with this Microsoft Planner alternative: the lack of risk management tools. Risks can quickly sidetrack a project and without features to identify and track their projects can quickly go off track or worse. That would be bad enough, but another shortcoming is that you can only assign one person to a task. That might work for some projects, but most will have a small team working together to execute a task. Needless to add, these people won’t be using Asana.

Asana Pros & Key Features

• Easy-to-use task automation features
• User-friendly interface
• Has a free 14-day free trial
• Has a free plan
• Has a mobile app available on iOS and Android

Asana Cons & Limitations

• Gantt chart lacks features such as critical path analysis and cost tracking
• Limited project management features for program and portfolio management
• Timeline and Gantt chart features are not robust enough for project management offices (PMOs)

Pricing

• Free plan: $0/user/month
• Premium: $13.49/user/month
• Business: $30.49/user/month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Q&A

• Does Asana offer a free trial? Yes, Asana has a free 30-day trial
• Does Asana have a mobile project management app? Yes, it’s available for Android and iOS

Asana Reviews

• G2 review: 4.4/5
• Capterra review: 4.5/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “I can create tasks, set their dates, routines, collaborate with my teammates, see their tasks, private my tasks, and so much more.” Shivam K – from G2
• “The dashboard view is the main benefit; it helped me organize the work into stages and gave me a clear picture of how far along the team was.” Carrie C – from G2

5. Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project is the most capable scheduling tool in the Microsoft family, but in 2026 it is worth being clear about what it actually is: primarily a desktop-installed application. Unlike most tools on this list, Microsoft Project was not built for the browser. The online version has seen limited investment as Microsoft consolidates its project management strategy around Planner and the broader Microsoft 365 suite—with Planner steadily absorbing features that were once exclusive to Project. If you are looking for a cloud-first alternative to Microsoft Planner, Microsoft Project is not it.

Related: Best Microsoft Project Alternatives

That said, for organizations running Windows-heavy enterprise environments that need serious Gantt scheduling, critical path analysis and robust resource management, Microsoft Project still delivers. It has decades of adoption among credentialed project managers and PMOs, and its scheduling depth remains unmatched within the Microsoft ecosystem. The tradeoffs are real: no native Mac or mobile support, limited integrations outside the Microsoft family, and a licensing cost that runs from several hundred to over a thousand dollars depending on the plan. If your team is deeply embedded in Windows and needs that level of scheduling power, Project is worth considering—just not as a lightweight online replacement for Planner.

If you’d like more information on how Microsoft Planner compares to Microsoft Project in terms of their project management functionality, you can check out this blog where we explore the differences between Microsoft Planner and Microsoft Project.

Microsoft Project Pros & Key Features

• Offers a variety of project management views for managing the entire project life cycle
• Robust enough for project management offices (PMOs)
• Built-in project management reports and templates
• Has a free 1-month trial

Microsoft Project Cons & Limitations

• It’s an expensive project management solution
• Steep learning curve and overwhelming user interface for beginners
• Microsoft Project has a unique file format which is hard to share
• No mobile app
• No free plan

Microsoft Project Pricing

• Project Standard 2024: $679.99, one-time license purchase
• Project Professional 2024: $1129.99, one-time license purchase

Microsoft Project Reviews

• G2 review: 4.4/5
• Capterra review: 4.5/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “The quality of MS Project output is often sufficient for the requirement of most projects.” Paul B – from Capterra
• “It is easy to set up a project plan using templates provided in MS Project.” Alex N – from G2

6. ClickUp

ClickUp is a cloud-based Microsoft Planner alternative that’s flexible enough to work with a variety of teams. Like most of the software listed, there are task management features to help with productivity. But there are also process management, time management and collaborative tools. Add to that reporting features and you have an idea why this product made our list. You even get a dashboard for a high-level view of the project and an easy-to-use tool that’s very attractive to users.

If there’s a downside to this Microsoft Planner alternative it’s the customization necessary to use the tool. There’s so much time and effort necessary to squeeze the benefits out of the software that it’s likely halfway through the setup you’ll be looking for another tool on this list. Of course, the reason it’s on the list is that there are many benefits, but the work necessary to maximize the benefits is a lot. There are still detrimental aspects of the software, such as new projects showing up at the bottom of your list, but these would be acceptable if customization wasn’t so much trouble.

ClickUp Pros & Key Features

• Versatile tool that can work for various types of businesses and teams
• Document editing and online collaboration features
• Mobile app available for Android and iOS
• Free plan

ClickUp Cons & Limitations

• Cluttered user interface, hard to learn for most users
• Most of its features are not designed for managing projects
• Files can be exported in PDF format only, which makes it to use them outside of ClickUp
• No free trial

Pricing

• Free plan: $0/user/month
• Unlimited: $5/user/month
• Business: $9/user/month
• Business Pro: $19/user/month

Q&A

• Does ClickUp offer a free trial? No, ClickUp doesn’t have a free trial
• Does ClickUp have a mobile project planning app? Yes, it’s available for Android and iOS

ClickUp Reviews

• G2 review: 4.7/5
• Capterra review: 4.6/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “I love the ease of keeping everything in one place! Group projects organized by tasks, forums with results, and my favorite part, documents!” Naomy G – from G2
• “Overall, my experience with ClickUp has been highly positive. It has streamlined project management tasks and improved team collaboration significantly.” Paula L – from Capterra

7. ProofHub

ProofHub is an all-in-one project management and team collaboration software that brings project planning, team collaboration, and task management into a single platform, making it a reliable Microsoft Planner alternative. Instead of switching between multiple apps, you can plan tasks, track deadlines, and review work all in one space. Moreover, its built-in tools for discussions, time tracking, and proofing reduce back-and-forth communication and speed up approval processes. And you get all of this at a fixed flat rate pricing with no per-user fee, you can add as many users as you want without any additional cost, making it a scalable option for growing organizations that want predictability without compromising functionality.

The only downside to ProofHub as a Microsoft Planner alternative is that it focuses on ease of use rather than advanced customization or heavy integrations. That may not satisfy teams looking for deeply tailored workflows. But for most, this simplicity is exactly what makes ProofHub stand out. Its all-in-one structure reduces the learning curve and helps teams get projects moving quickly without unnecessary complexity.

ProofHub Pros & Key Features

• Multiple project views, including board, Gantt, calendar and table
• Built-in proofing and approval tools for quick review processes
• Time tracking and custom reporting features
• Discussions, chat, and file storage in one centralized hub
• Flat pricing with no per-user fees

ProofHub Cons & Limitations

• Limited third-party integrations
• No free plan available, but you can sign up for a 14-day free trial
• May not be ideal for individual users

ProofHub Pricing

• Essential: Flat $45/month (billed annually) for unlimited users and up to 40 projects
• Premium: Flat $89/month (billed annually) for unlimited users and projects

ProofHub Reviews

• G2 review: 4.6/5
• Capterra Review: 4.5/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• I love how easy it is to create tasks, set deadlines, and keep conversations focused within each project. The discussions, proofing, time tracking, and file-sharing features save us from endless email chains.” Rahul K. – from G2
• “ProofHub, with its ease of access, has been nothing less than a savior as it helps us to monitor and allocate tasks and also serves as a single hub of communication for internal teams to get the work done.” Akash – from Capterra

8. Smartsheet

Smartsheet is a Microsoft Planner alternative that gets inspiration from another Microsoft product, Excel. The software tries to be a super spreadsheet or a smarter version of Excel. For the most part, it succeeds. It’s amazing how many companies are still running their business with Excel, which is maybe why Smartsheet uses the spreadsheet as a model. It’s familiar but far more customizable and powerful. Benefits include automation, proofing and approvals, to name a few.

But, remember, most people searching for a Microsoft Planner alternative are looking for something other than a spreadsheet, even a smart one. But be wary of any product that touts its intelligence. There’s a lot missing from this product. For instance, there’s no time tracking, budgeting or resource management. Sure, you can use other tools, but then you’re jumping around and your work is spread across many different platforms. That adds inefficiencies and costs.

Smartsheet Pros & Key Features

• Strong project spreadsheet features
• Automation to streamline tasks and processes
• Mobile app for Android and iOS
• 30-day free trial

Smartsheet Cons & Limitations

• Its spreadsheet tools aren’t ideal for managing all types of projects
• Project dashboards have an outdated look and feel compared to other Microsoft Planner alternatives
• Users need to learn formulas to use spreadsheets

Pricing

• Pro plan: $7/user/month
• Business plan: $25/user/month

Q&A

• Does Smartsheet offer a free trial? Yes, Smartsheet has a 30-day free trial
• Does Smartsheet have a mobile project management app? Yes, it’s available for Android and iOS

Smartsheet Reviews

• G2 review: 4.4/5
• Capterra review: 4.5/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “Automation can save hours of time by automatically sending emails and reminders to ensure we meet our deadlines.” Amy S – from G2
• “Easily allows a sharable document that concurrent users can view and make live changes to.” Steven K – from G2

9. Wrike

Wrike is probably already familiar to you. This Microsoft Planner alternative likes to advertise. If you’ve been searching for a project management tool, then you’ll be seeing their ads. That should tell you something. This is a product for consumers but not professional project managers. Wrike does, however, have kanban boards, reporting tools and Gantt charts, so it’s a pretty good tool for project management. The integration is decent and the dashboard is important for getting a high-level view of the project.

Oddly enough, considering that the Microsoft Planner alternative is being pitched to anyone managing a project, it has a steep learning curve. Even weirder, you have to manually onboard your project team. Isn’t software supposed to streamline processes like this? There’s a lot of data captured by the software, but without a filter to sift through the noise, it can be difficult to find the signal. Even changing a test’s status is a hurdle to clear. Who wants to struggle with the very tool that is being sold to help them better manage their work?

Wrike Pros & Key Features

• Multiple project planning and monitoring tools
• Easy-to-use project reports
• 14-day free trial
• Free plan
• Mobile app available for Android and iOS

Wrike Cons & Limitations

• Gantt chart view interface looks and feels outdated
• Limited project reporting features
• Non-friendly user interface can make it difficult to navigate the software

Pricing

• Free plan: $0/user/month
• Professional plan: $9.80/user/month
• Business plan: $24.80/user/month

Q&A

• Does Wrike offer a free trial? Yes, Wrike has a 14-day free trial
• Does Wrike have a mobile project management app? Yes, it’s available for Android and iOS

Wrike Reviews

• G2 review: 4.4/5
• Capterra review: 4.1/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “Wrike has become essential in my day and keeps me organized and on top of my tasks.” Paige T – from G2
• “Productivity has been enhanced by removing essential but repetitive chores.” Denise S – from G2

10. Basecamp

Basecamp is the Microsoft Planner alternative that sells itself as a collaborative tool. Collaboration is important, but it’s not unique to project management software. Well, all except Microsoft, which seems to have a blind spot about collaboration. Even their Teams are not ideal. Back to Basecamp, it does collaboration really well. While it doesn’t have a lot of other features, it offers many integrations.

Of course, integration is great for pulling in other apps you use outside of project management. The fact that this Microsoft Planner alternative has no Gantt chart is detrimental. There’s also no scheduling, resource management or risk management, but then this is primarily a communication tool. However, it even falls short there. It feels as if conversations are siloed and that’s not how you collaborate.

Basecamp Pros & Key Features

• Online collaboration tools for project management teams
• Friendly user interface
• Mobile app for Android and iOS
• 30-day free trial
• Free plan

Basecamp Cons & Limitations

• Limited project management feature set
• No Gantt charts
• No resource or cost-tracking features

Pricing

• Free plan: $0/user/month
• Basecamp plus: $15/user/month
• Basecamp pro unlimited: $299 flat fee, no user maximum

Q&A

• Does Basecamp offer a free trial? Yes, Basecamp offers a 30-day free trial
• Does Basecamp have a mobile project management app? Yes, it’s available for Android and iOS

Basecamp Reviews

• G2 review: 4.1/5
• Capterra review: 4.3/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “As a company, it allows us to flawlessly track all of our conversations, planning, tasks, and project progress.” Özgür K – from G2
• “The interface transforms complex functionalities into an intuitive experience for all users.” Tom G – from G2

11. Zoho Projects

Zoho Projects is another Microsoft Planner alternative that offers a kanban board for task management. What makes it unique is the social feed shows task updates. That’s pretty cool and a unique way to foster collaboration. There’s also a forum for longer-from discussions. There are timesheets, issue tracking and even a Gantt project view. That’s a lot of what any project manager and the team will want to run a more productive project.

Managers will quickly hit a wall when they try to manage resources. There are no resource management features. There’s no reporting either. Now, the Microsoft Planner alternative doesn’t look as hot, huh? That’s why it’s at the bottom of our list. There are definitely some worthwhile features but without resource management and reporting, you’ll be managing as if one hand was tied behind your back.

Zoho Projects Key Features & Benefits:

• Low-cost project management tools
• Free plan for up to three users
• Offers a variety of third-party integrations
• Mobile app for Android and iOS
• Free plan

Zoho Projects Cons & Limitations:

• Its project planning views such as Gantt charts and kanban boards have limited functionality
• There are navigability and usability issues across its feature set that affect the user experience
• Short free trial period

Pricing

• Free plan: $0/user/month
• Premium: $5/user/month
• Enterprise: $10/user/month

Q&A

• Does it offer a free trial? Yes, Zoho Projects has a 15-day free trial
• Does it offer a mobile app? Yes, Zoho Projects has a mobile app

Zoho Projects Reviews

• G2 review: 4.3/5
• Capterra review: 4.5/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “Zoho One offers a comprehensive suite of tools that integrate well with each other, which is great for streamlining multiple business functions in one place.” Peter S – from G2
• “A very powerful tool and very easy to use.” Tobias S – from Capterra

ProjectManager Is the Best Microsoft Planner Alternative

While there are many strong contenders, there can only be one best and that’s ProjectManager. All the Microsoft Planner alternatives have something to benefit your project, but ProjectManager has them all. From task management to risk management, resource management to multiple project views, timesheets to collaboration, and budget to real-time data, the list goes on. The fact that it’s also easy to onboard your team is only the icing on the cake.

Related Content

• Best Project Management Software Rankings
• Mejores alternativas a microsoft planner (2026)
• Best Microsoft Project Alternatives
• Best Monday.com Alternatives
• Best Smartsheet Alternatives
• Best ClickUp Alternatives
• Best Wrike Alternatives
• Best Asana Alternatives

ProjectManager is award-winning project management software that helps you plan, schedule and track progress in real time. Our collaborative platform allows teams to share files, comment and tag anyone on the project team. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

The post 11 Best Microsoft Planner Alternatives of 2026 (Free & Paid) appeared first on ProjectManager.

What Is Gantt Chart Software?

Gantt chart software is a type of project management software that’s used to schedule projects and track their progress using Gantt charts and other complementary project planning, scheduling, monitoring and reporting features. This software can either be cloud based or stored in your PC.

Gantt chart software is commonly used in the project planning phase of project management to schedule tasks, but it’s actually useful throughout the life cycle of a project. It was designed to automate processes of a static Gantt chart, which previously were made on paper or spreadsheets.

Best Gantt Chart Software Features

Just because it’s called Gantt chart software, it doesn’t mean that it should only be equipped with Gantt charts and nothing else. Here’s a quick overview of some of the project management features you should look out for when choosing a Gantt chart software.

• Project Scheduling: At a minimum, Gantt chart software should help you create a project schedule showing the order in which project tasks must be completed and their duration on a visual project timeline.
• Project Planning: Besides Gantt charts, you’ll also need project planning tools such as task lists, kanban boards, project calendars and project dashboards.
• Project Budgeting: You need to be able to track the costs of your project with tools like timesheets and dashboards so you can monitor your project budget.
• Team Management: Gantt chart software should let you assign tasks to your team members, monitor their progress and offer collaboration features such as messaging and file sharing.
• Task Management: Any Gantt chart tool should let you add a priority level to your project tasks, create milestones and link task dependencies.
• Critical Path Analysis: Gantt chart software should also allow you to identify the critical path, which shows those tasks that are essential to getting the project done on time.
• Workload Tracking: Throughout the project, you’ll assign tasks to your team members, so it’s important to have workload management tools to know who’s under or overallocated.
• Project Reporting: Project dashboards and status reports are essential to keep your project stakeholders informed.

Using Gantt chart software offers other advantages, but first and foremost it disproves the belief that Gantt charts are hard to use. It’s true that making a Gantt chart on paper or even on an Excel spreadsheet is difficult and editing the Gantt chart is even worse, but those hurdles have been cleared with the advent of Gantt chart software.

2026 Best Gantt Chart Software Rankings

By now, you’re ready to hear about the best Gantt chart software. We’ve narrowed it down to a top 16 in order of preference, with the leader starting things off.

1. ProjectManager

ProjectManager is award-winning Gantt chart software with features that expand upon that tool and offer task management, resource management and risk management. It has multiple project views that share live project data, real-time dashboards, reporting and other essential time-tracking features. It’s powerful and expansive project management software that helps project managers and their teams plan, manage and track projects in real time. And there’s even a free 30-day trial you can take to try out the Gantt features for yourself.

Best Gantt Chart Software

While every product here has a good Gantt chart, ProjectManager leaves the competition in the dust. First off, ProjectManager’s Gantt chart is easy to set up. You can import any kind of spreadsheet, even Microsoft Project files (we’ll explain why you’d want to do that in the next segment). There are even industry-related templates to get you started quickly. Once you add the start dates and end dates, the project timeline automatically populates. You can then add milestones, color-code phases, add resources, costs and more.

But what makes ProjectManager’s Gantt chart software special is that it links all four types of task dependencies, which is a must to avoid costly delays. You can also filter for the critical path. That means no time–consuming calculations. It’s done in an instant. Now you can see the tasks that are critical to delivering your project. Best of all, you can set a baseline once you’ve completed the project plan. This feeds the real-time dashboard, reports and more to allow users to track their actual effort against their planned effort. That’s how you stay on schedule and keep to your budget.

Real-Time Tracking

Let’s take a look at the real-time dashboard. Other Gantt chart software products might have it, but they usually require time-consuming configuration or expensive plugins. ProjectManager’s dashboard is ready when you are, capturing live data and displaying it on easy-to-read graphs and charts. There are also secure timesheets that give project managers a live view of how far their team is in completing their tasks. Plus, customizable reporting tools can be filtered to show the data you want to see for project and portfolio status, workload, timesheets, variance and more. Then shared in a variety of formats with stakeholders.

Robust Resource Management Features

ProjectManager’s Gantt chart software is great for planning and managing resources. From nonhuman costs to easy onboarding of labor, accounting for availability and more. There’s a color-coded workload chart that makes it easy to see who on the team is overallocated. You can then reallocate resources right from that page, balancing your team’s workload to keep them working at capacity and productive, but avoiding burnout.

ProjectManager tops this list because its Gantt chart software is superior to the competition. The fact that it builds on that with multiple project views, such as kanban boards, task lists and calendars, a collaborative platform and the flexibility that makes it ideal for construction, manufacturing, IT, professional service and really any industry only sweetens the deal. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

Verdict: Best Gantt Chart Software for Project Management

ProjectManager Pros & Key Features

• Multiple project planning views such as kanban boards, task lists, project calendars and spreadsheets
• Real-time project dashboards for cost, progress and workload tracking.
• Secure timesheets
• Robust project reporting functionality
• Has a free 30-day trial
• Has a mobile project management app available for Android and iOS

ProjectManager Cons & Limitations

• Limited customization
• Few native integrations
• No free plan

ProjectManager Pricing

• Team: $15.00 user/month, billed annually
• Business: $28.00 user/month, billed annually
• Enterprise: contact sales for a custom quote

ProjectManager Reviews

• G2 review: 4.4/5
• Capterra review: 4.1/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “ProjectManager works very well with both large and small-scale projects. Being able to use this with anything from a project involving only two members of staff, to hundreds, has been invaluable.” Peter W – from Capterra
• “We used to manage our projects, resources, and reporting in different systems. Enter ProjectManager. We have consolidated systems and work more efficiently.” Jeffrey M – from Capterra
• “Having the full scope of activities and who is responsible to do it, plus the time tracking is excellent.” Flavio M – from G2
• “It has an excellent accounting system capable of calculating the time that a person has used to develop a task that was assigned to him, I like being able to collaborate with all my colleagues in the Finance sector through ProjectManager.” Jesus C – from G2
• “The UI of the application is user-friendly, and it helps to identify what we are looking for with minimal effort.” Pavan H – from G2

2. Smartsheet

Smartsheet is collaborative software that has some Gantt chart software features but is mostly a super-powered spreadsheet. It emphasizes the sharing of data with teams. It has a lot of templates and forms to help you get started as well as training tools. There are workflow automation tools that create efficiencies. There’s also a high level of customization, which many users will appreciate. If you want a Gantt chart, you’re going to have to create one yourself and it’s not going to satisfy users looking for Gantt chart software.

That should be a clue that this isn’t project management software and is barely Gantt chart software. But it’s popular, which is why it’s included, if at the bottom of our rankings. There’s a lack of project portfolio management features, resource management and capacity planning are expensive add-ons only available for top-tier subscriptions. The dashboard is cumbersome and, if you’re an enterprise customer, you’ll find the tool lacking. It’s not bad as a supplement to other tools, but why pay all that money for only a partial solution?

Verdict: Best Gantt Chart Software for Spreadsheets and Pre-built Project Templates

Smartsheet Pros & Key Features

• Allows to export Gantt charts as Excel, Google Sheets and other file formats
• Offers multiple project management tools such as kanban boards, spreadsheets and Gantt charts
• Has a 30-day free trial
• Has a mobile project management app available for Android and iOS

Smartsheet Cons & Limitations

• The spreadsheet-like Gantt charts aren’t visually appealing and are hard to use
• Not ideal for managing multiple projects, as you’ll need a separate spreadsheet for each project
• Limited spreadsheet project reports

Smartsheet Pricing

• Pro: $9 user/month, billed annually
• Business: $19 user/month, billed annually
• Enterprise: contact sales for a custom quote
• Advanced Work Management: contact sales for a custom quote

Smartsheet Reviews

• G2 review: 4.4/5
• Capterra review: 4.5/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “Smartsheet has allowed me to take my to-do list and run with it in a way that I didn’t think would be possible.” Victoria W – from G2
• “I like that Smartsheet has a lot of different functions. It can be used for project management, inventory or event planning.” Lauren M – from Capterra

3. Monday.com

Monday.com is Gantt chart software that bills itself as a project management, workflow and automation and collaborative tool. It’s made an aggressive push to a general market and appeals to users who like a spreadsheet view. It has integrations you can pick from or build your own. Users like its colorful interface and how the software helps to visualize work. It’s also priced for a general market with very competitive subscription tiers.

Related: Monday.com Gantt Chart: How to Make a Gantt Chart With Monday.com

However, if you’re a business that needs project management software, Monday.com is going to fall short. Even if you’re using it for less dynamic projects, the onboarding and training are not great and support is hard to reach. In terms of Gantt chart software, its Gantt chart is especially problematic. For example, you have to manually add task dependencies. It’s really a task management, not a project management tool.

Verdict: Best Gantt Chart Software for Creative Teams

Monday.com Pros & Key Features

• Simple, minimalistic user interface
• Project portfolio reports and dashboards to track progress, resources and costs across projects
• Has a free 14-day trial
• Has a mobile app available for Android and iOS
• Free plan

Monday.com Cons & Limitations

• Gantt charts are overly simplistic and lack important features such as cost tracking
• Limited project reporting capabilities
• Customizable views require manual setup

Monday.com Pricing

• Free: $0.00 user/month
• Basic: $9.00 user/month, billed annually
• Standard: $12.00 user/month, billed annually
• Pro: $19.00 user/month, billed annually
• Enterprise: contact sales for a custom quote

Monday.com Reviews

• G2 review: 4.7/5
• Capterra review: 4.6/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “We used to have a mess of excel sheets and emails but now everything’s in one place.” Laura A – from G2
• “It is overall a great product but it requires a lot of setup initially to take advantage of all its functions and features.” Ana D – from Capterra

4. Primavera P6

Oracle Primavera P6 is the enterprise standard for Gantt chart software in industries where schedule complexity is non-negotiable: construction, engineering, oil and gas, infrastructure and defense. For project management offices running capital projects with hundreds of interdependent tasks, tight resource constraints and critical path schedules that carry real financial consequences, Primavera is what serious project managers reach for — and has been for decades.

What’s worth clarifying in 2026 is that Primavera P6 comes in two distinct versions. P6 Professional is the traditional desktop application — powerful, deep and the version most credentialed project managers were trained on. P6 EPPM (Enterprise Project Portfolio Management) is the cloud-based version: fully web-accessible, built for enterprise teams that need real-time collaboration, portfolio-level visibility and remote access without a local installation. For modern teams evaluating Primavera, EPPM is the version that matters.

In both versions, the Gantt charts are genuinely excellent — highly customizable, dependency-aware, capable of critical path analysis and built to handle massive project complexity. The tradeoffs are well-documented: steep learning curve, enterprise-grade licensing costs and an interface that can feel heavy to teams coming from lighter tools. Primavera is not the right choice for small teams or agile-first organizations. But for enterprise PMOs where schedule accuracy is mission-critical, nothing on this list comes close.

Verdict: Best Gantt Chart Software for Large-Scale Industries

Primavera P6 Key Features & Benefits

• Customizable Gantt charts
• Multiple Gantt chart views
• Allocates resources
• Mobile app for Android and iOS
• Free trial

Primavera P6 Cons & Limitations

• Steep learning curve
• Limited collaboration tools
• Cluttered user interface
• Heavy system requirements
• Expensive, especially for small teams
• No free plan

Primavera P6 Pricing

The pricing for Primavera products in this blog comes from the Oracle Primavera Global Price List.

• Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management: $2,750 license price, plus an additional $605 fee for software update license & support
• Primavera P6 Progress Reporter: $950 license price, plus an additional $209 fee for software update license & support
• Primavera P6 Professional Project Management: approx. $2,500 license price, plus an additional $550 fee for software update license & support

Primavera Reviews

• G2 review: 4.4/5
• Capterra review: 4.4/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “Oracle Primavera Cloud is very user-friendly, has amazing management and scheduling tools which allows good coordination between the team and also saves money and time.” Bruno L. – from Capterra
• “Accurate calculation and output data is perfect” Sameh H. – from Capterra

5. Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project is one of the most recognized names in Gantt chart software, and its scheduling depth is real — Gantt charts, critical path, resource management, baseline tracking and deep integration with Teams, Excel and the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. For organizations already committed to Windows and Microsoft infrastructure, it is a natural fit.

Related: Microsoft Project Gantt Chart: A How-to Guide With Pros, Cons & Alternatives

But in 2026 it is worth being direct about what Microsoft Project actually is: primarily a desktop-installed application. Unlike Primavera P6’s EPPM, which was purpose-built for cloud deployment, Microsoft Project’s online version has seen limited investment as Microsoft consolidates its project management strategy around Planner and the broader Microsoft 365 suite. If your team is browser-first, remote or cross-platform, that is a real constraint.

For Windows-heavy enterprise environments that need serious scheduling power, Microsoft Project still delivers — the Gantt charts are precise and capable. The pricing is a barrier: licensing runs from several hundred to over a thousand dollars per user with no free plan, the proprietary file format creates sharing headaches outside the Microsoft ecosystem, and there is no mobile app. If your team is deeply embedded in Windows and needs that depth of scheduling capability, Project is worth considering — just not as a cloud-first tool.

Verdict: Best Gantt Chart Software for Microsoft Users

Microsoft Project Pros & Key Features

• Offers a variety of project management views to plan, schedule and track projects
• Robust enough for project, program and project portfolio management.
• Built-in project management reports
• Has a free 1-month trial

Microsoft Project Cons & Limitations

• Both the desktop and online versions are expensive, especially for larger teams
• Steep learning curve and overwhelming user interface for beginners
• Microsoft Project files have a unique format which makes them hard to use and share with people that don’t have a Microsoft Project license
• Doesn’t have a mobile app
• No free plan

Microsoft Project Pricing

• Project Standard 2024: $679.99, one-time license purchase
• Project Professional 2024: $1129.99, one-time license purchase

Microsoft Project Reviews

• G2 review: 4/5
• Capterra review: 4.4/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “Microsoft project has really helped to improve my productivity and project planning overall.” Jamie G – from Capterra
• “I love the automatically generated gantt charts and the timeline feature.” Eric B – from G2

6. Wrike

Wrike is Gantt chart software that’s broad enough to deliver project and product management features, proofing and publishing as well as risk management. It tends to be used by marketers, digital agencies and those working in professional services. They like its simple but effective collaborative features, such as built-in chat. It’s best for monitoring workloads and activities, plus it can track the progress of the project. Agencies like the billing and invoicing capabilities.

It’s lower on our Gantt chart software list primarily because the Gantt chart and other features aren’t intuitive. Even worse, you can’t view projects, only tasks on its kanban board. If you like lists, though, this is for you. Gantt charts, not so much. For example, you can’t track all four task dependencies on its Gantt chart. Also, if you’re managing multiple projects, you’ll not like the lack of portfolio reporting. There’s also no option to pay monthly, the cost is divided into 12 to show how much you’ll pay monthly but you have to sign up for a year.

Verdict: Best Gantt Chart Software for Workflow Management

Wrike Pros & Key Features

• Workflow automation features
• Easy to understand project dashboards
• Has a 14-day free trial
• Has a mobile app available for Android and iOS
• Free plan

Wrike Cons & Limitations

• Gantt charts lack critical path analysis features
• The software is hard to navigate
• Onboarding employees can be hard due to its non intuitive user interface

Wrike Pricing

• Free: $0 user/month
• Team: $10.00 user/month
• Business: $25.00 user/month
• Enterprise: contact sales for a custom quote
• Pinnacle: contact sales for a custom quote

Wrike Reviews

• G2 review: 4.2/5
• Capterra review: 4.4/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “Wrike has become essential in my day and keeps me organized and on top of my tasks.” Paige T – from G2
• “Productivity has been enhanced by removing essential but repetitive chores.” Denise S – from G2

7. TeamGantt

TeamGantt is intuitive Gantt chart software for beginners and those who are tasked with the management of small projects or businesses. Gantt charts can be complicated, especially for those who aren’t used to working with them. Here the interactive Gantt charts are easy to use, which is further helped by the fact that the software offers strong tutorial content. They hold your hand but still have features such as automatic dependencies, so it’s not a bare-bones tool.

But beginners quickly become more experts and expect their Gantt chart software to follow suit. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. For example, there are no budgeting or invoicing tools, which are going to send users to other software to fill the holes. While there are reporting features, they’re underwhelming. Compared to other Gantt chart software these reports are basic and not very useful. The Gantt chart is good, but the software rests its reputation on that tool. Users who want project management software will have to look elsewhere.

Verdict: Best Mobile-friendly Gantt Chart Software

TeamGantt Pros & Key Features

• Collaboration features such as file sharing and messaging
• Lets you compare planned and actual timelines
• Has a free 30-day trial
• Has a mobile app

TeamGantt Cons & Limitations

• Missing project management tools when compared with most Gantt chart software
• There are no kanban boards
• Limited project reporting features
• No free plan

TeamGantt Pricing

• Pro: $49 user/month, billed annually

TeamGantt Reviews

• G2 review: 4.8 / 5
• Capterra review: 4.6 / 5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “I like the simplicity of the functionality since it allows me to easily and quickly set up new projects thus saving much time.” Sarah D – from G2
• “It really does what it says on the tin! It’s quick and easy to create and move tasks around. The interface is intuitive.” Lola R – from Capterra

8. GanttPRO

GanttPRO is a simple way to plan with Gantt chart software. It enables users to work alone or create a workspace with Gantt charts that are shared with your team. It’s especially useful for small teams. It’s easy to use and well-designed, with a lot of features that teams will want. It also has kanban boards for those who don’t want to only work on Gantt charts. Add to that a competitive price and you can see why it made it to our list.

However, there’s a reason it lands in the middle of our listing. One is that there are no customizable reporting tools. You can’t even customize its dashboard. If you’re looking to do billing or invoicing, you’re out of luck. There are no such features. You might be able to live with that if you integrate with some of your favorite third-party apps, but that’s not likely. While there’s some integration, it’s very light and is one of the biggest areas that could use improvement on the tool.

Verdict: Best Gantt Chart Software for Sharing Files

GanttPRO Pros & Key Features

• Files can be downloaded in a variety of formats, which makes it easy to view, share and edit them using other software
• Cost and budget tracking features
• Has a free 14-day free trial
• Has a mobile app available on iOS and Android

GanttPRO Cons & Limitations

• Time tracking features can be improved, there are no timesheets
• Limited project reporting features, no project health reports
• Lack of integrations
• Doesn’t have a free plan

GanttPRO Pricing

• Core: $7.00 user/month, billed annually
• Advanced: $10.00 user/month, billed annually
• Business: $17.00 user/month, billed annually
• Enterprise: Contact sales for a custom quote

GanttPRO Reviews

• G2 review: 4.8/5
• Capterra review: 4.8/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “I especially enjoy the collaboration feature where I can invite colleagues to edit tasks and timelines in the live document. I have moved from using Google Sheets.” Glen K – from Capterra
• “GantPro software offers a seamless project management experience with its intuitive interface and robust features.” Dixie F – from Capterra

9. Ganttic

Ganttic offers a twist on a traditional Gantt. With its resource-centric Gantt charts, users are able to see who or is doing what and when. Offering a high-level overview of their entire resource pool, WBS, and project portfolio, the cloud-based tool is suitable for managers of mid-sized teams or large enterprises. It’s used mostly in industries such as engineering, construction, production, and design – fields where managers need to see the workloads, manage skills, and optimize utilization for equipment, people, and vehicles. Color coding, drag-and-drop scheduling, custom data fields, and automated reports are just a few other features that come standard with the tool.

Ganttic is a comfortable middle ground for those fed up with spreadsheet scheduling and those who don’t need all the bells and whistles of an expensive ERP. And while this makes it a perfect tool for resource management, there are some project management features that some users may find are lacking. Luckily, Ganttic was built with flexibility and modern workflows in mind. Offering native Calendar integrations, as well as robust opportunities for importing your existing spreadsheets or building your own custom workflow with its built-in API or Zapier connections.

Verdict: Best Gantt Chart Software for Resource Management Features

Ganttic Pros & Key Features

• Resource utilization and capacity planning tools
• Online Gantt chart software
• Has a free 14-day trial
• Has a mobile app
• Free plan

Ganttic Cons & Limitations

• Limited customization features
• Missing project portfolio roadmaps, dashboards and other PPM tools, so it’s not ideal for managing multiple projects, programs or portfolios.
• Outdated user interface

Ganttic Pricing

• Up to 10 resources: $0 per month per resource
• Up to 20 resources: $25 per month per resource
• Up to 50 resources: $59 per month per resource
• Up to 150 resources: $149 per month per resource
• Up to 250 resources: $229 per month per resource
• Up to 500 resources: $379 per month per resource
• Up to 1000 resources: $599 per month per resource
• Up to 1500 resources: $790 per month per resource

Ganttic Reviews

• G2 review: 4 / 5
• Capterra review: 4.3 / 5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “Our planning and resource management is made easy with the adoption of Ganttic.” Thomas K – from G2
• “Love how quick I can move from project to project.” Nathan R – from Capterra

10. ClickUp

ClickUp is Gantt chart software that helps users manage tasks, workflows, collaborate and streamlines processes with automation. There’s a great deal of customization, which is both positive and negative. It gives you more control but it’s also a bit overwhelming. If you want to take advantage of this, you’ll be spending a lot of time setting up instead of working. However, it’s a great collaboration tool. You can send emails on the app, chat and edit Google Docs together.

What’s really going to stop people from adopting this Gantt chart software is its limited project time management features. While there are some rudimentary time-tracking features, such as deadlines and time spent on tasks, it’s a far cry from other Gantt chart software. A Gantt chart needs powerful time tracking to help you keep to your project plan. Then there’s the steep learning curve. We alluded to it above, with all the customization options available, but it goes beyond that. If you don’t have the hours necessary to learn ClickUp, you might want to keep looking.

Verdict: Best Gantt Chart Software for Collaboration Features

ClickUp Pros & Key Features

• Multiple task and work management views
• Has a mobile app available for Android and iOS
• Free plan

ClickUp Cons & Limitations

• User interface is cluttered
• Gantt charts can only be exported as PDFs, which makes it hard to export data to other software like Excel or Google Sheets
• Gantt charts don’t show the critical path and don’t allow project managers to track costs at the task level
• Doesn’t have a free trial

ClickUp Pricing

• Free: $0.00 user/month
• Unlimited: $7.00 user/month, billed annually
• Business: $12.00 user/month, billed annually
• Enterprise: contact sales for a custom quote

ClickUp Reviews

• G2 review: 4.7/5
• Capterra review: 4.6/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “Good for operational tasks and customer support.” Hovhannes G – from G2
• “ClickUp sits right in the middle between typical task management tools and business platforms.” Pawel M – from Capterra

11. Zoho Projects

Zoho Projects is online Gantt chart software for project planning, tracking work and team collaboration. The fact that they offer a free edition, though with limited features and only for three users, is attractive. If you find the software working for you, then the pricing structure is reasonable. It offers the standard features one expects with Gantt chart software. It’s also pretty easy to navigate, which users who have been scratching their heads with complicated software like Microsoft Project will definitely appreciate.

But users might find this Gantt chart software a bit bland. It hits the basics but doesn’t go the extra mile to make the software more competitive. It’s not easy to find tasks and the tool’s search function could use an upgrade. Same with bug reporting. Users have complained about the dashboard functionality, but the biggest complaint is the steep learning curve. Many Gantt chart software products are hard to learn, which is a hurdle users are often not willing to clear.

Verdict: Best Low-cost Gantt Chart Software

Zoho Projects Pros & Key Features

• Invoicing and budgeting features
• Multiple project dashboards and reports
• Has a free 10-day trial
• Has a mobile app
• Free plan

Zoho Projects Cons & Limitations

• Gantt charts don’t show information such as percent complete, assignee and other information compared with other Gantt chart software in this list
• Limited dashboard functionality
• There’s no time logging at the task level, which affects how timesheets work

Zoho Projects Pricing

• Free: $0 user/month, up to five users
• Premium: $4.00 user/month, billed annually
• Enterprise: $9.00 user/month, billed annually
• Projects plus: contact sales for a custom quote

Zoho Projects Reviews

• G2 review: 4.3/5
• Capterra review: 4.5/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “What I like most is how it integrates perfectly with the entire Zoho ecosystem.” Emy L – from G2
• “While the UI and the setup were slightly complicated, Zoho Projects helps you track your projects efficiently.” Shria G – from Capterra

Related Gantt Chart Content

If you’re still on the fence, we have a ton of free content on our site that can help you understand how Gantt charts work and why they’re such an important part of project management. Here are some articles to help you make a decision about which Gantt chart software is right for you.

• Free Gantt Chart Template for Excel
• Canva Gantt Chart: A How-to Guide With Pros, Cons & Alternatives
• Power BI Gantt Chart: A How-to Guide With Pros, Cons & Alternatives
• Microsoft Planner Gantt Chart: How to Make a Gantt Chart in Microsoft Planner
• Trello Gantt Charts: How to Make a Gantt Chart in Trello
• Tableau Gantt Chart: A How-to Guide With Pros, Cons & Alternatives
• Notion Gantt Chart: Key Features, Pros and Cons
• Jira Gantt Chart: How to Make Gantt Charts Using Jira
• Confluence Gantt Chart: How-to Guide With Pros, Cons & Alternatives
• 11 mejores software de diagrama de Gantt del 2026 (gratis y de pago)
• 11 meilleurs logiciels de diagramme de Gantt (2026)
• 11 Beste Gantt-Diagramm-Software 2026 (Kostenlos und Kostenpflichtig)
• 11 Melhores Softwares de Gráfico de Gantt 2026 (Grátis e Pagos)

You’ve Seen the List of Gantt Chart Software. Which Is the Best of the Best?

It’s important to pick the Gantt chart software that fits your needs. You’ll want one that’s easy to use and doesn’t require a complicated and time-consuming setup. It should easily link all four types of task dependencies, filter for the critical path and set a baseline to help you track project variance.

Then that Gantt chart should seamlessly connect with other project views and tools, such as dashboards and reporting. It should be cloud-based to allow teams to collaborate and give you real-time data to make more informed decisions. Look for a Gantt chart software that does all that and you’ll never look for another Gantt chart software again.

ProjectManager is award-winning Gantt chart software that links all four dependencies, filters for the critical path and sets a baseline to track progress in real time. Our Gantt chart is one of the multiple project views that all update together to keep you on the same page. There are also built-in task management, risk management and resource management features. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

The post 11 Best Gantt Chart Software of 2026 (Free and Paid) appeared first on ProjectManager.

The challenge is that “summary” means something different depending on who is receiving it and what it is summarizing. An executive summary makes the case for a decision before a project begins. A project status report summarizes progress during execution. A meeting minutes document summarizes what was decided in a specific meeting. A lessons learned template summarizes what the organization should remember after a project closes. Each format serves a different audience at a different point in the project lifecycle, and using the wrong format for the audience means the reader gets either too much detail or not enough.

We put together 10 free summary templates for Word and Excel covering the most common summary documents used across project management, from project approval to post-project review. Each one is free to download and ready to adapt for your team or organization.

1. Executive Summary Template

An executive summary is the version of a longer document that busy decision-makers actually read. It distills a business case, proposal, report or project plan to its essential points: the problem being addressed, the recommended approach, the expected outcome and what is being asked of the reader. It is written last but read first, and on most proposals and reports it is the only section the executive audience reads before deciding whether to approve, reject or ask for more information.

This template structures the executive summary across the sections decision-makers need: purpose and context, key findings or recommendations, supporting rationale, financial summary, risks and a clear call to action. The call to action section is the one that most informal summaries omit – and it is the section that determines whether the reader knows what to do next. A summary without a clear ask puts the decision back on the reader to figure out what response is expected.

The right tool for business analysts, project managers and department leaders who need to present a proposal, business case or project report to senior stakeholders and want a structured format that leads with conclusions rather than building to them at the end.

2. Project Summary Template

A project summary is the one-page overview of a project that any stakeholder can read in two minutes and understand the full picture: what the project is, why it matters, what it will deliver, who is involved, when it will be done and what it will cost. Unlike a full project charter or plan, the summary is designed for distribution, not for management. It is the document you share with stakeholders who need to stay informed but do not manage the day-to-day execution.

This template covers the standard project summary fields: project name and description, objectives, key deliverables, timeline summary with start and end dates, budget summary, project manager and key stakeholders, current status and any open issues or risks. The current status field is what separates a project summary used at initiation from one used during execution: keeping it updated turns the summary into a living document that replaces the need for a separate status update for stakeholders who only need the top-line picture.

Most useful for project managers sharing project information across departments, with steering committees or with external stakeholders who need visibility without the full detail of the project plan.

Replace Manual Summaries With Live Project Reporting in ProjectManager

ProjectManager generates real-time project dashboards and status reports automatically as your team logs work, so your summaries always reflect current data rather than yesterday’s update. Try it free for 30 days.

3. Project Status Report Template

A project status report is the recurring summary that keeps stakeholders informed without requiring them to attend every meeting or review the full project plan. Published weekly or biweekly, it answers the three questions every project sponsor and steering committee wants answered at any given point in the project: is the project on schedule, is it within budget and are there any issues that require attention or a decision at the leadership level.

This template structures the status report around the RAG rating system: an overall project health indicator (Red, Amber or Green) backed by schedule status, budget status, risk summary and a section for key accomplishments, upcoming milestones and issues requiring escalation. The RAG rating at the top does the work of the summary before the reader even starts reading the detail – it tells the reader immediately whether the project needs attention or is tracking as expected.

Essential for project managers on any project with stakeholders who are not involved in day-to-day execution but need regular, consistent updates on whether the project is tracking to its commitments.

4. Progress Report Template

A progress report summarizes what has been accomplished during a specific period. Where a status report answers whether the project is on track, a progress report documents what was actually completed: which tasks were finished, what milestones were reached, how many hours were logged and what the team will tackle next. It is the ground-level counterpart to the executive status report, written for operational managers rather than steering committees.

This template covers the progress reporting structure used by project teams: reporting period, team member contributions, tasks completed, tasks in progress, tasks planned for next period, hours logged, issues encountered and blockers requiring resolution. The tasks-in-progress section is the most important for operational managers: it shows what is actively being worked on so they can spot situations where tasks have been in progress for too long without being completed.

Best used by project managers, team leads and operations supervisors who need to report upward on team productivity and project advancement at a task level, particularly useful on projects where the team is distributed or working across multiple concurrent workstreams.

5. Project Update Template

A project update is the lightweight summary for stakeholders who need to stay informed without reading a full status report. Where a formal status report follows a structured template and covers all project dimensions, a project update is a shorter, more conversational document designed for quick distribution: three to five paragraphs covering what happened, what is coming next and whether there is anything the reader needs to be aware of or act on.

This template guides the project update through its key sections: update date and period covered, summary of progress since the last update, key decisions or changes, upcoming milestones and next steps and any items requiring stakeholder input or action. The items-requiring-action section is critical for keeping stakeholders engaged rather than passive: it gives readers a specific reason to respond rather than simply acknowledging receipt.

The right tool for project managers communicating with stakeholders who want to stay informed but are not involved in execution decisions, and for any project where a formal status report is more structure than the audience needs or the project size warrants.

6. Meeting Minutes Template

Meeting minutes are the summary of what was discussed, decided and assigned during a meeting. Without a written record, decisions made in a meeting exist only in the memory of the people who were present – and memory of what was decided diverges quickly once the meeting ends and people return to competing priorities. Meeting minutes create the authoritative record: what was agreed, who is responsible for what and by when, making it straightforward to follow up without ambiguity about what was committed.

This template covers the standard meeting minutes structure: date, attendees, agenda items discussed, decisions made for each item, action items with owner and due date and next meeting details. The action items section with owners and due dates is the output that makes meeting minutes actionable rather than archival: it converts discussion into trackable commitments so the next meeting starts by reviewing what was promised in the last one rather than relitigating what was agreed.

Most useful for project managers, team leads and anyone who runs recurring meetings where decisions are made and work is assigned, and where a written record of those commitments prevents the drift that happens when follow-up relies on each attendee’s individual recollection.

7. Executive Project Status Report Template

An executive project status report is the version of the status report written specifically for senior leadership and board-level stakeholders. Where a standard project status report contains operational detail useful to a project manager or team lead, an executive status report strips that detail away and leads with the information executives need to govern the portfolio: overall project health, financial summary, key risks, decisions required and strategic impact. The format is designed to be read in under five minutes.

This template covers the executive reporting structure: overall RAG status, project summary in three to five sentences, budget summary with committed versus actual spend, schedule summary against milestones, top three risks with mitigation status and decisions required from the executive team with a deadline. The decisions-required section is the element most project managers under-use: surfacing specific decisions needed from leadership, rather than simply reporting problems, is what separates a useful executive update from one that informs without moving anything forward.

Essential for project managers presenting to steering committees, boards or C-suite stakeholders on major projects, and for portfolio managers who need a consistent reporting format across multiple projects so leadership can compare project health at a glance.

8. After Action Report Template

An after action report is the structured debrief conducted after a project, event or incident to capture what happened, why it happened and what the organization should do differently next time. It is the summary that turns experience into institutional knowledge. Without a structured after action process, the same problems recur on subsequent projects because the people who encountered them on the last project either forget the details or move on before anyone documents what they learned.

This template guides the after action review through the four core questions: what was the intended outcome, what actually happened, why did it happen that way and what should be done differently next time. The why-did-it-happen section is where most informal debriefs fall short: identifying that something went wrong is less useful than identifying the root cause, because the root cause is what needs to be addressed in the process, training or resourcing for the next project.

Most useful for project teams, military and government organizations, operations teams and anyone running structured debrief processes after significant projects, events or incidents where capturing the lessons while the team’s memory is fresh determines whether those lessons are actually retained.

9. Project Closure Template

A project closure document is the official summary that formally closes a project. It records that all deliverables have been completed and accepted, that the project has met its objectives, that outstanding items have been handed over or escalated and that the project resources have been released. Without a formal closure process, projects drift into a gray zone where they are effectively done but no one has officially confirmed it, resources remain nominally allocated and the organization does not capture the final cost and schedule data for future planning.

This template covers the closure documentation fields: project summary, deliverables completed and accepted, objectives achieved, final budget versus planned, final schedule versus baseline, outstanding items and how they will be handled, lessons learned summary, team acknowledgment and sponsor sign-off. The final budget and schedule comparison fields are the ones that most directly feed into future project planning: they are the data points that tell the organization whether its estimates are accurate and where the pattern of overruns consistently appears.

The right tool for project managers closing any project that requires formal documentation that commitments were met, resources are released and the organization has a record of final cost and schedule performance to reference when scoping future work.

10. Lessons Learned Template

A lessons learned document is the summary that the next project team should read before they start. It captures what worked well on the current project and what should be done differently, so the organization does not have to rediscover the same problems from scratch each time. On projects that run over budget, miss deadlines or have recurring quality issues, the lessons learned document is often the most valuable output of the whole project because it is the one document with the potential to prevent the same outcome from happening again.

This template structures the lessons learned capture across the dimensions that matter for future planning: what went well and should be repeated, what went poorly and why, root cause analysis for significant issues, recommendations for process or tool changes and action items to implement those changes before the next project begins. The action items section with owners is what separates a lessons learned exercise that changes behavior from one that produces a document nobody reads after the meeting ends.

Essential for project managers, program managers and PMOs on any project where the organization wants to build a knowledge base that improves future performance, particularly valuable on complex, high-risk or first-of-a-kind projects where the learning curve is steep and the cost of repeating mistakes is high.

Summarize and Report on Projects With ProjectManager

Summary templates capture what happened and communicate it to the right people. Generating those summaries accurately, pulling current data on schedule, budget and task completion without chasing manual updates, requires a system that tracks project reality in real time. ProjectManager gives project teams a live platform where status dashboards and reports update automatically as work is logged, so every summary you write starts from current data rather than information that was accurate two days ago when someone last sent an update.

Generate Project Summaries From a Live Dashboard

ProjectManager’s project dashboard aggregates schedule, budget, task completion and team performance data into a single real-time view that updates as your team works. Instead of compiling a status summary from individual updates, you read the dashboard and report what it shows. The data is always current because it draws directly from the tasks and timesheets your team is actively logging against, not from a spreadsheet someone maintains separately. Share the dashboard link with stakeholders who want visibility without a meeting.

Track Portfolio Performance Across Every Project

ProjectManager’s portfolio dashboard rolls up the status of every project in the portfolio into a single executive-level view: overall health, budget variance, schedule performance and resource utilization across all active projects simultaneously. For program managers and PMOs producing executive summary reports across a portfolio, the portfolio dashboard is the source of record that replaces hours of manual data compilation. Filter by project, date range or team to generate the summary view the audience needs.

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The post 10 Free Summary Templates for Word and Excel appeared first on ProjectManager.

The format of that outline depends on where you are in the project lifecycle and who the audience is. A business case outlines a project for a sponsor who needs to approve the budget. A project charter outlines it for the team that needs to execute it. A statement of work outlines it for a vendor or contractor who needs to deliver a specific part of it. A Gantt chart outlines the timeline for everyone. Each format captures a different dimension of the same project, and most complex projects need more than one.

We put together 10 free project outline templates covering the most common planning and scoping documents used across project management. Whether you are outlining a project for internal approval, external delivery or day-to-day execution, each template is free to download and ready to adapt for your team.

1. Project Outline Template

A project outline is the foundational planning document that captures everything a project team needs to know before work starts: what the project will deliver, why it matters, who is involved, how long it will take and what it will cost. Unlike a full project plan, which tracks execution in detail, an outline is written to create alignment before execution begins. It is the document that turns a vague idea into a defined, approvable piece of work.

This template covers the standard project outline structure: project name and description, objectives, key deliverables, scope boundaries, key stakeholders, timeline summary, budget estimate, assumptions, constraints and sign-off. The scope boundaries section is particularly valuable early in a project: explicitly stating what is out of scope prevents assumptions from accumulating into scope creep once work begins and the team is too deep into execution to revisit decisions made at the start.

The right tool for project managers, team leads and business analysts starting any project that requires stakeholder alignment before work can begin, particularly useful on projects where multiple departments are involved and agreement on scope and responsibilities needs to be documented before the first task is assigned.

2. Project Charter Template for Excel

A project charter is the formal document that authorizes a project to exist. Where an outline summarizes a project for planning purposes, a charter is the governance document: it records the sponsor’s approval, defines the project manager’s authority and creates the official record that this project has been sanctioned to proceed. On projects that require formal governance, the charter is often the document that gates the transition from planning into execution.

This Excel template covers the core charter fields: project title, purpose and justification, objectives, scope, key deliverables, milestones, budget summary, project manager and sponsor details, stakeholder list and formal sign-off. The sign-off section is what makes this document more than a planning worksheet. It creates a record that the sponsor reviewed and approved the project scope, budget and timeline, which is the reference point for every scope change discussion that happens during execution.

Most useful for organizations running structured project governance where projects require formal approval before resources are committed, and for any project where the scope or budget is large enough that a documented record of authorization matters for compliance or audit purposes.

Turn Your Project Outline Into a Live Project Plan With ProjectManager

ProjectManager lets you build the schedule, assign tasks, set dependencies and track progress all in one place, so your project outline becomes an actionable plan your team executes against in real time. Try it free for 30 days.

3. Business Case Template

A business case is the project outline you write before anyone has approved the project. It makes the argument that the project is worth doing: what problem it solves, what the expected return is, what it will cost, what the risks are and why now is the right time to pursue it. For organizations that require formal investment decisions before committing resources to a project, the business case is the document that moves a project from an idea on someone’s desk to an approved initiative with a budget and a team.

This template covers the standard business case structure: executive summary, problem statement, proposed solution, options considered, cost-benefit analysis, risk assessment, recommended approach, implementation timeline and approval section. The options-considered section is worth the effort: presenting two or three alternatives rather than a single recommendation signals thorough analysis and gives decision-makers a frame for evaluating the recommendation rather than reacting to it in isolation.

Essential for project managers, business analysts and department heads who need to make a formal investment case to leadership before a project can begin, particularly on projects where the budget is significant, the strategic impact is material or competing priorities mean the project has to earn its place in the portfolio.

4. Statement of Work Template

A statement of work outlines a project from the perspective of what will be delivered and by whom. Where a project charter documents internal authorization, a statement of work is the outline you share with a vendor, contractor or external team to define exactly what they are being asked to produce. It specifies deliverables, acceptance criteria, timeline, payment terms and the conditions under which work is considered complete, making it both a planning document and the foundation of a contractual agreement.

This template covers the core SOW fields: project background, scope of work, deliverables, tasks and milestones, timeline, payment schedule, acceptance criteria, change request process and terms and conditions. The acceptance criteria section is the most contractually important: it removes subjectivity from the completion conversation by defining in advance what “done” looks like for each deliverable, which is where most client-vendor disputes originate.

The right tool for organizations working with contractors, agencies or external vendors on any project where a formal agreement on deliverables, timeline and payment is needed before work begins. Also useful internally on large cross-functional projects where different teams have distinct, negotiated deliverables.

5. Work Breakdown Structure Template

A work breakdown structure is the project outline that organizes the scope into discrete, manageable pieces of work. Rather than describing a project at a high level, a WBS decomposes it into every deliverable and task required to complete it, organized hierarchically from the project goal down to individual work packages. It is the planning document that bridges the gap between a project scope statement and an actionable task list.

This template structures work into a hierarchical breakdown: project at the top level, major deliverables at the second level and work packages at the third. The numbered coding system at each level creates a reference structure that connects tasks to their parent deliverables throughout the project, making it straightforward to trace any task back to the scope element it supports. That traceability is what makes the WBS useful for scope change management: when a change is requested, the WBS shows exactly which work packages are affected.

Most useful for project managers scoping complex projects where the full scope is not obvious from a high-level description, and for any project where cost, schedule and resource estimates need to be built from the bottom up rather than estimated at the project level.

6. Project Plan Template for Excel

A project plan is the outline that governs execution. Where a project charter documents what the project is and who approved it, and a WBS documents what needs to be delivered, a project plan brings those elements together into a time-sequenced schedule with owners, durations and dependencies assigned to every task. It is the document the project manager works from every day to track whether the project is on schedule and where corrective action is needed.

This Excel template builds the project plan as a Gantt-style schedule: tasks listed with start and end dates, assigned owner, duration, dependencies and completion status. The dependency column is the critical planning field – it documents which tasks cannot start until others are complete, which is the information a project manager needs to sequence work correctly and to understand how a delay in one task ripples through the rest of the schedule.

The right tool for project managers running any structured project where tasks need to be sequenced, owned and tracked against a baseline timeline, particularly useful on projects with multiple workstreams or team members where coordinating dependencies without a shared schedule creates risk.

7. Project Execution Plan Template

A project execution plan outlines how a project will be delivered rather than what will be delivered. Where a project outline or charter defines the scope and objectives, an execution plan documents the approach: how the team will be organized, how decisions will be made, how risks will be managed, how changes will be handled and how quality will be maintained throughout delivery. It is the operational manual for the project team during execution.

This template covers the execution planning sections that govern how work gets done: project approach and methodology, team roles and responsibilities, communication plan, risk management approach, change control process, quality assurance plan and procurement strategy. The communication plan section is often underestimated: defining who gets what information, how often and in what format prevents the miscommunication that accounts for a significant share of project delays and stakeholder conflicts during execution.

Most useful for project managers on large or complex projects where multiple teams, vendors or governance bodies are involved and the team needs a shared reference for how decisions are made, how problems are escalated and how the project will be managed from day one through to close.

8. Project Canvas Template

A project canvas is the one-page project outline. Rather than capturing every detail across multiple documents, a project canvas distills a project to its essential elements on a single sheet: the goal, the team, the key stakeholders, the main deliverables, the timeline, the budget, the risks and the constraints. It is the format you use when you need to create alignment quickly, share a project overview without asking people to read a full charter or keep the big picture visible to the team throughout execution.

This Excel template lays out the project canvas sections in a single-page grid: purpose and objectives, deliverables, team and roles, stakeholders, timeline and milestones, budget, risks and assumptions, and success criteria. The single-page constraint is what gives the canvas its value: it forces prioritization. If something cannot fit on the canvas, it is a signal that the project scope or plan needs to be simplified, not that the template is too small.

Best used at the start of a project to create a shared visual reference for the team, or in project kickoff meetings where a full charter would lose the room. Also effective as a living document posted in a shared workspace where the team can track high-level progress against the original outline throughout execution.

9. Gantt Chart Template

A Gantt chart is the project outline that shows time. Every other outline document captures what the project will deliver or how it will be managed. A Gantt chart shows when each piece of work happens, how long it lasts, what it depends on and where the critical path runs through the schedule. For many stakeholders – particularly sponsors and senior leaders who do not manage day-to-day execution – the Gantt is the project outline they actually read, because it communicates the full timeline in a format that requires no explanation.

This Excel Gantt chart template maps tasks across a timeline with start date, end date, duration, assigned owner and a visual bar that shows the task’s position and length in the schedule. The visual format makes it possible to see at a glance whether tasks overlap where they shouldn’t, whether there are gaps in the schedule that represent idle time and whether the project end date is realistic given the task sequence. That visual comprehension is what makes a Gantt chart the most widely shared project planning document in use.

The right tool for project managers presenting a project plan to stakeholders, coordinating work across multiple teams or tracking schedule progress against a baseline, and for any project where the sequence and timing of work is as important as the content of the deliverables.

10. Request for Proposal Template

A request for proposal is the project outline you write for vendors. When a project requires an external supplier to deliver a component, an RFP outlines what the project needs, what success looks like and what the selection criteria are, so vendors can respond with a proposal. Without an RFP, procurement becomes a comparison of apples to oranges: each vendor defines the problem and the solution differently, making it impossible to evaluate responses on a consistent basis.

This template covers the standard RFP structure: project overview and background, scope of work, deliverables and requirements, timeline, evaluation criteria, submission instructions, questions and clarification process and terms and conditions. The evaluation criteria section is the element that separates a well-structured RFP from an informal brief: it tells vendors exactly how their proposals will be scored, which disciplines their responses to focus on what the buyer actually cares about rather than what the vendor wants to emphasize.

Most useful for procurement teams, project managers and operations leads sourcing external vendors for any component of a project, and for any organization that needs a consistent, documentable process for selecting suppliers so the decision can be defended internally after the contract is awarded.

Plan and Track Projects With ProjectManager

Project outline templates define the plan. Executing against it, assigning tasks, sequencing dependencies, tracking progress and keeping stakeholders informed, requires a system that reflects what is actually happening rather than what was written down at the start. ProjectManager gives project teams a live platform where the outline becomes a working schedule, hours and costs update as work is logged and the project manager always has a current picture without waiting for status updates to compile.

Build Your Project Schedule on a Gantt Chart

ProjectManager’s Gantt chart lets you move from a project outline to a live schedule in a single step. Import your task list, set durations and dependencies, assign owners and set your baseline. As the project progresses, actual progress tracks against the baseline automatically so you can see at any point whether the project is on schedule, where delays are developing and what their downstream impact will be. The schedule updates in real time as your team logs work, not at the end of the week when you chase status updates.

Manage Resources Across the Entire Project Plan

ProjectManager’s workload view shows how hours are distributed across the team against every task in the project plan, making it easy to spot who is over-allocated before the schedule slips rather than after. When a team member is at capacity and a new task needs assigning, the workload view shows who has availability so reallocation is based on real data rather than a best guess. The view updates as tasks are completed and hours are logged, keeping the resource picture accurate throughout the project lifecycle.

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• 10 Small Business Plan Templates for Excel and Word
• 25 Free Project Management Templates for Excel

The post 10 Free Project Outline Templates for Word and Excel appeared first on ProjectManager.

The challenge is that work orders take different forms depending on the context. A maintenance team needs a request form that captures the fault and the urgency. A construction site needs a change order that documents a scope modification and its cost impact. A procurement team needs a purchase order that authorizes a vendor to supply specific goods at a specific price. The format of a work order matters because the wrong template for the job captures the wrong information, and the gaps show up later as billing disputes, missed work or compliance problems.

We put together eight free work order templates for Excel and Word covering the most common work authorization and tracking needs across project management, maintenance, procurement and field operations. Each one is free to download and ready to adapt for your team or business.

1. Work Order Template

A work order is the formal document that authorizes a specific piece of work to begin. It defines what needs to be done, who is responsible for doing it, when it needs to be completed and what resources are required. For organizations that manage ongoing operations alongside project work, a work order is how ad hoc tasks get the same structure and accountability as planned project activities, without requiring a full project management process for every job.

This template covers the standard work order fields: work order number, issue date, requestor, assigned to, priority level, description of work, estimated and actual hours, materials required, estimated and actual cost and a completion sign-off. The structured format creates a complete record of every work order from authorization through to close, which is the data organizations need to track labor costs, measure technician productivity and justify maintenance expenditures to management.

The right tool for facilities managers, operations teams, maintenance departments and service businesses that need a consistent, traceable process for authorizing and tracking work across a team or multiple locations.

2. Maintenance Request Form Template

A maintenance request is what sits upstream of a work order. Before maintenance can be authorized and scheduled, someone needs to report the problem: what is broken, where it is located, how urgent it is and what impact it is having on operations. A maintenance request form standardizes that report so the maintenance team receives consistent, actionable information rather than a vague verbal description that requires follow-up questions before anyone can act on it.

This Word template captures the request details that maintenance teams need to prioritize and plan the work: date submitted, requestor name and contact, location of the issue, equipment or asset affected, description of the problem, severity level and any safety implications. The severity field is particularly important for organizations managing a backlog of requests: it gives the maintenance manager the information needed to sequence jobs by urgency rather than by the order they were received.

Most useful for facilities teams, property managers, manufacturing operations and any organization where maintenance requests come from multiple sources and need to be logged, prioritized and assigned before work can begin.

Turn Work Orders Into Trackable Projects With ProjectManager

ProjectManager lets you assign work orders as tasks, track progress in real time as your team executes and monitor costs against budget automatically. No manual updates required. Try it free for 30 days.

3. Job Card Template

A job card is the field-level work order. Where a general work order authorizes a task and tracks its cost, a job card is the physical or digital document a technician or crew member carries through the job from start to finish. It specifies what needs to be done in enough detail to complete the work without additional instruction, and it captures what actually happened during the job so the record reflects reality rather than the original plan.

This Excel template includes fields for job number, issue date, requested by, assigned technician, priority, detailed work description, estimated and actual hours, parts and materials used and completion status. The before-and-after structure captures both the plan and the outcome, giving supervisors the data they need to review completed work, identify where estimates were accurate and flag jobs that took significantly longer or required more materials than anticipated.

Best used by maintenance teams, manufacturing operations, facilities departments and service businesses where work is issued as discrete jobs and each job needs a traceable record from assignment through to completion and sign-off.

4. Job Sheet Template

A job sheet is the site-level record of a completed job. Where a job card travels with the technician through the work, a job sheet is the document that gets filed when the job is done: a record of what was found, what was done, what materials were used and whether the work was completed to specification. For service businesses and contractors, it is often the document the client signs before an invoice is issued, making it both a work record and a billing confirmation.

This Excel template covers the core job sheet fields: job number, client or site information, work requested, work carried out, materials and parts used, time on site, technician details and a client sign-off section. The client sign-off is the key field for service businesses: it creates a confirmed record that the work was completed to the client’s satisfaction before the billing conversation starts, which significantly reduces the number of disputes that require time to resolve after the fact.

Particularly useful for field service companies, contractors, HVAC and electrical businesses and facilities maintenance teams where a signed completion record is required for billing, warranty compliance or service level agreement reporting.

5. Purchase Order Template

A purchase order is the work order for procurement. It is the document that formally authorizes a vendor to supply specific goods or services at a specific price, creating a legal record of the agreement before delivery occurs. Without a purchase order, procurement happens informally: a phone call, an email, a verbal agreement. When the invoice arrives and the price or quantity does not match expectations, there is nothing to refer back to, which is how procurement disputes start and budget overruns accumulate quietly across a project.

This template covers the standard PO fields: PO number, issue date, buyer and vendor details, delivery address, line-item breakdown of goods or services ordered with quantities and unit prices, subtotal, tax and total amount authorized. The line-item structure is important: it creates a clear reference for matching the invoice against the order at the time of payment, which is where most procurement discrepancies surface and where a well-structured PO saves significant time in accounts payable.

The right tool for project managers, procurement teams and operations managers who need to formalize supplier agreements, track committed spend against project budgets and create an auditable record of every purchase before goods are received or invoices are approved.

6. Construction Change Order Form Template

A change order is where construction projects either maintain control or lose it. The original contract covers the original scope. Everything that gets added, removed or modified after the contract is signed needs to be documented, priced, approved and incorporated into the record before work proceeds. Without a formal change order process, scope creep accumulates quietly, the contract price and the actual cost diverge and the dispute about who owes what happens after the work is done rather than before it starts.

This template documents each change with fields for the original contract reference, a description of the scope change, the reason for the change, the cost impact broken down by labor and materials, the schedule impact in days added or removed and sign-off fields for the contractor and owner. The cost and schedule impact fields are the critical ones: they require both parties to agree on the financial and timeline implications of the change before work proceeds, which is the only way to keep the project budget and schedule meaningful as the scope evolves.

Essential for general contractors, subcontractors, construction project managers and owners on any project where the original scope is likely to change and every modification needs to be authorized, priced and signed before work begins.

7. Sales Order Template

A sales order confirms a customer’s purchase before it is fulfilled. It is the internal document that bridges the gap between a customer placing an order and the order being picked, packed, shipped or delivered: a record of what was ordered, in what quantity, at what price and when it needs to be fulfilled. Without a sales order, fulfillment teams work from informal requests and delivery commitments are tracked in someone’s memory rather than a shared document that everyone on the order fulfillment chain can reference.

This template covers the standard sales order structure: order number, order date, customer details, billing and shipping addresses, line-item breakdown of products or services ordered with quantities, unit prices and totals, payment terms, requested delivery date and order status. The order number and status fields are particularly important for businesses managing multiple concurrent orders: they make it possible to track every order from placement through to delivery without relying on email threads or verbal updates to know where each one stands.

Most useful for product businesses, distributors and service companies that need to track customer orders from placement through to fulfillment and want a consistent document format that their sales and operations teams can both work from.

8. Material Requisition Form

A material requisition form is the internal work order for materials. Before a purchase order goes to a vendor, someone in the organization needs to formally request the materials: what is needed, in what quantity, for which project or department and when it is required. A material requisition form creates that internal authorization step, ensuring that materials are requested through a consistent process, approved by the right person and procured against a documented need rather than an informal request that bypasses budget controls.

This template captures the requisition details that procurement teams need to source and approve materials: requisition number, date, requesting department or project, required delivery date, line-item breakdown of materials needed with quantity and unit of measure, estimated cost, purpose and authorization sign-off. The authorization field is the process step that separates a controlled procurement workflow from one where anyone can request materials without oversight, which is where unbudgeted spending tends to accumulate on construction and manufacturing projects.

Best used by construction project managers, manufacturing operations and procurement teams on projects where material costs are tracked against a budget and every requisition needs to be reviewed and approved before it becomes a purchase order.

Manage Work Orders and Projects With ProjectManager

Work order templates authorize and document the work. Managing that work, assigning it to team members, tracking progress against deadlines, monitoring costs against budget and keeping stakeholders informed, requires a system that updates in real time as work is executed. ProjectManager gives operations and project teams a live platform where work orders become trackable tasks, hours and costs update automatically and managers always have a current picture without having to compile a manual status report.

Schedule and Track Work Orders on a Gantt Chart

ProjectManager’s Gantt chart turns a backlog of work orders into a structured, visual schedule. Assign each work order as a task, set the duration, link dependencies where one job cannot start until another is complete and track progress as work is logged. When priorities shift or a job runs longer than planned, the impact on the rest of the schedule is visible immediately so managers can resequence rather than discovering the conflict when a crew shows up to start work that is not ready. The Gantt updates in real time as your team executes.

Balance Team Workload Across All Open Work Orders

ProjectManager’s workload view shows how many hours each team member or technician is assigned across all open work orders, making it straightforward to see who is at capacity and who has availability before assigning new jobs. When a rush priority comes in, managers can redistribute work based on actual availability rather than best guesses about who is busy. The workload view updates as tasks are completed so the capacity picture reflects what is actually happening, not what was planned at the start of the week.

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The post 8 Free Work Order Templates for Excel and Word appeared first on ProjectManager.

The problem with informal logging is that the record is only as useful as the person who created it. Different people capture different levels of detail. Information gets omitted. Formats change between weeks. When you need to look back at what happened during a project or justify a billing amount to a client, the gaps in an informal log are exactly where the problems hide. A template removes that variability by defining what gets recorded and how, so the log is consistent whether it is filled out by the same person every day or by a rotating team across shifts.

We put together eight free work log templates for Excel and Word covering the most common logging needs in project management, field work and professional services. Each one is free to download and ready to adapt for your team or project.

1. Work Log Template for Excel

A work log is the foundational record of what was done, by whom and when. On projects with multiple team members, contractors or concurrent workstreams, a work log is how the project manager keeps a traceable account of activity without having to chase individual updates. It is also the document that protects everyone when questions arise later about what was completed, in what sequence and at what time.

This Excel template logs work entries with columns for date, task or activity description, assigned team member, hours worked, status and notes. The running log gives the project manager a complete timeline of work activity that can be filtered by person, date or task type to answer any question about what happened during a project without relying on memory or scattered email threads.

The right tool for project managers, team leads and operations supervisors who need a structured, searchable record of work activity across a project or ongoing operation, particularly useful when multiple people are contributing to the same body of work and accountability needs to be clear.

2. Timesheet Template

Time is the most common unit of billing and the hardest to recapture accurately once a project is over. A timesheet turns daily work activity into a precise, verifiable record of hours that can be used for client billing, payroll processing or internal capacity planning. Without a consistent timesheet format, hour estimates drift, billing disputes become impossible to resolve and the organization loses the data it needs to price future work accurately.

This timesheet template records hours worked by day and task across a standard work week, with space for employee name, project or client name, task descriptions and manager approval. The totals calculate automatically so billing and payroll processing start from accurate numbers rather than approximations. The approval section creates an auditable record that the hours were reviewed before being submitted.

Most useful for consultants, agencies, contractors and any team that bills clients by the hour or needs to track labor costs against project budgets with enough detail to defend the numbers if questioned.

Log Work in Real Time With ProjectManager

ProjectManager replaces static log templates with a live system where tasks update as your team works, hours log directly against projects and reports generate without manual data entry. Try it free for 30 days.

3. Daily Report Template

A daily report turns the end of each workday into a structured checkpoint. Instead of relying on team members to remember what happened last Tuesday or reconstructing a project timeline from email threads after the fact, a daily report creates a running record that captures progress, blockers, decisions and next steps at the moment they are relevant. Over the course of a project, the stack of daily reports becomes a complete operational history.

This template covers the standard daily report structure: date, team or individual reporting, work completed, work in progress, issues or blockers encountered, decisions made and planned work for the following day. The consistent format means reports can be compared across days to track whether the project is progressing as planned or whether issues are accumulating faster than they are being resolved.

Particularly useful for project managers running construction projects, software development sprints or any work environment where daily accountability to a schedule matters and stakeholders need a regular, reliable update on progress.

4. Job Sheet Template

A job sheet is the field-level record of a specific piece of work. Where a work log captures everything happening across a project, a job sheet focuses on a single job or task: what was requested, what was done, what materials or time were used and whether the work was completed to specification. It is the document a technician fills out on site and a manager reviews to confirm the work was done correctly before closing out the job.

This Excel template covers the core job sheet fields: job number, client or site details, description of work requested, work carried out, materials used, time on site, technician name and signature and a completion sign-off section. The structured format ensures nothing gets omitted between the job being assigned and the record being filed, which protects both the service provider and the client if questions arise about what was done.

Best used by maintenance teams, field service companies, contractors and facilities managers who need a consistent record of every job completed across multiple sites, technicians or work types.

5. Job Card Template

A job card is the authorization document that sits at the start of a job rather than the end. It defines what needs to be done before work begins: the task description, the assigned person, the estimated time, the materials required and any safety or compliance requirements that apply. A job card turns a verbal instruction or a ticket into a written, traceable directive that the worker carries through to completion.

This Excel template includes fields for job number, issue date, requested by, assigned to, priority, work description, estimated hours, actual hours, parts or materials needed and a completion status. The before-and-after structure captures both what was planned and what actually happened, which is exactly the data a supervisor needs to manage workload, track technician productivity and identify where job estimates consistently differ from actual time.

Most useful for maintenance departments, manufacturing operations, facilities teams and service businesses where work is issued as discrete jobs and each job needs a paper trail from authorization through to sign-off.

6. Service Report Template

A service report is the formal record of a service visit. It documents what the technician found on arrival, what was done to address it, what parts were used, how long the visit took and whether the issue was fully resolved or requires a follow-up. For service businesses, it is both a record of work delivered and a document the client signs to confirm the work was completed, which makes it a critical part of the billing and warranty process.

This template covers the complete service visit record: service date, client details, equipment or system serviced, fault description, work performed, parts replaced, labor hours, technician name and a client sign-off section. The sign-off is particularly important for service businesses that bill on completion. It creates a confirmed record that the client acknowledged the work before the invoice is issued.

The right tool for HVAC, IT support, equipment maintenance, medical device servicing and any field service operation where a signed record of each visit is required for billing, warranty compliance or regulatory purposes.

7. Construction Daily Report Template

Construction projects move quickly and involve multiple trades, subcontractors and deliveries happening simultaneously. A daily report captures the site picture at the end of each day: who was on site, what work was completed by each crew, what materials arrived, what equipment was used and whether anything happened that could affect the schedule or budget. That daily record is how the project manager stays on top of a fast-moving site and how disputes about delays or additional costs get resolved later.

This template covers the construction-specific daily report structure: date and weather conditions, crew list by trade with hours worked, work completed by area or phase, materials received, equipment on site, safety incidents, inspections passed and a notes section for anything that could affect upcoming work. The weather and crew fields are particularly important for construction – they document the conditions that explain why work did or did not happen on a given day, which is essential when schedule disputes arise.

Best used by general contractors, site managers and construction project managers tracking daily activity across multi-trade projects where a consistent site record is required by the owner, lender or contract terms.

8. Change Log Template

Every project changes. Scope adjustments, requirement updates, design revisions, timeline shifts. Changes happen whether they are formally managed or not. The difference between a project that absorbs change cleanly and one that loses track of what was agreed is whether every change was documented at the time it was made. A change log is that documentation: a running record of every modification to the original plan, who approved it and what impact it had.

This template records each change with fields for change number, date, description, reason for the change, impact on scope, timeline and budget, who requested it and who approved it. The numbered sequence creates a traceable history of every modification from project start to finish. When a stakeholder asks why the project cost more than planned or finished later than originally scheduled, the change log is the document that provides a defensible, factual answer.

Particularly useful for project managers on contracts where scope changes need formal approval before work proceeds, or on any project where the gap between the original plan and the final outcome needs to be documented and explained.

Track and Log Work With ProjectManager

Log templates capture what happened. Acting on that information, assigning work, tracking progress, managing budgets and keeping the team accountable, requires a system that updates in real time as the work is done. ProjectManager gives project managers and their teams a live platform where task status, hours and costs update automatically as work is recorded, so the picture is always current without anyone having to compile a manual report.

Plan and Assign Work on a Gantt Chart

ProjectManager’s Gantt chart turns your work plan into a live timeline. Assign tasks to team members, set durations and dependencies, mark milestones and track progress against the baseline as work is completed. When something slips, the downstream impact is visible immediately so you can resequence before the delay becomes a problem. The Gantt updates in real time as your team logs hours, giving you the same picture a stack of daily reports would provide without waiting until the end of the day to compile them.

Track Every Task in a Live List View

For teams that prefer a structured task list over a timeline, ProjectManager’s list view shows every task across the project with owner, due date, priority, status and completion percentage in a single sortable view. Filter by assignee to see what each team member is working on, sort by due date to identify what is coming up and use the status column to spot blocked or overdue items before they affect the schedule. The list updates as work is logged so it reflects the actual state of the project, not last week’s plan.

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