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10 Free Business Plan Templates in Word, Excel, & ClickUp

Praburam Srinivasan

Growth Marketing Manager

February 13, 2024

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Turning your vision into a clear and coherent business plan can be confusing and tough. 

Hours of brainstorming and facing an intimidating blank page can raise more questions than answers. Are you covering everything? What should go where? How do you keep each section thorough but brief?

If these questions have kept you up at night and slowed your progress, know you’re not alone. That’s why we’ve put together the top 10 business plan templates in Word, Excel, and ClickUp—to provide answers, clarity, and a structured framework to work with. This way, you’re sure to capture all the relevant information without wasting time. 

And the best part? Business planning becomes a little less “ugh!” and a lot more “aha!” 🤩

What is a Business Plan Template?

What makes a good business plan template, 1. clickup business plan template, 2. clickup sales plan template, 3. clickup business development action plan template, 4. clickup business roadmap template, 5. clickup business continuity plan template, 6. clickup lean business plan template, 7. clickup small business action plan template, 8. clickup strategic business roadmap template , 9. microsoft word business plan template by microsoft, 10. excel business plan template by vertex42.

A business plan template is a structured framework for entrepreneurs and business executives who want to create business plans. It comes with pre-arranged sections and headings that cover key elements like the executive summary , business overview, target customers, unique value proposition, marketing plans, and financial statements.  

A good business plan template helps with thorough planning, clear documentation, and practical implementation. Here’s what to look for:

• Comprehensive structure: A good template comes with all the relevant sections to outline a business strategy, such as executive summary, market research and analysis, and financial projections 
• Clarity and guidance: A good template is easy to follow. It has brief instructions or prompts for each section, guiding you to think deeply about your business and ensuring you don’t skip important details
• Clean design: Aesthetics matter. Choose a template that’s not just functional but also professionally designed. This ensures your plan is presentable to stakeholders, partners, and potential investors
• Flexibility : Your template should easily accommodate changes without hassle, like adding or removing sections, changing content and style, and rearranging parts 🛠️ 

While a template provides the structure, it’s the information you feed it that brings it to life. These pointers will help you pick a template that aligns with your business needs and clearly showcases your vision.

10 Business Plan Templates to Use in 2024

Preparing for business success in 2024 (and beyond) requires a comprehensive and organized business plan. We’ve handpicked the best templates to help you guide your team, attract investors, and secure funding. Let’s check them out.

If you’re looking to replace a traditional business plan document, then ClickUp’s Business Plan Template is for you!

This one-page business plan template, designed in ClickUp Docs , is neatly broken down into the following sections:

• Company description : Overview, mission, vision, and team
• Market analysis : Problem, solution, target market, competition, and competitive advantage
• Sales and marketing strategy : Products/services and marketing channels
• Operational plan : Location and facilities, equipment and tools, manpower, and financial forecasts
• Milestones and metrics: Targets and KPIs

Customize the template with your company logo and contact details, and easily navigate to different sections using the collapsible table of contents. The mini prompts under each section guide you on what to include—with suggestions on how to present the data (e.g., bullet lists, pictures, charts, and tables). 

You can share the document with anyone via URL and collaborate in real time. And when the business plan is ready, you have the option to print it or export it to PDF, HTML, or Markdown.

But that’s not all. This template is equipped with basic and enterprise project management features to streamline the business plan creation process . The Topics List view has a list of all the different sections and subsections of the template and allows you to assign it to a team member, set a due date, and attach relevant documents and references.

Switch from List to Board view to track and update task statuses according to the following: To Do, In Progress, Needs Revision, and Complete. 

This template is a comprehensive toolkit for documenting the different sections of your business plan and streamlining the creation process to ensure it’s completed on time. 🗓️

If you’re looking for a tool to kickstart or update your sales plan, ClickUp’s Sales Plan Template has got you covered. This sales plan template features a project summary list with tasks to help you craft a comprehensive and effective sales strategy. Some of these tasks include:

• Determine sales objectives and goals
• Draft positioning statement
• Perform competitive analysis
• Draft ideal customer persona
• Create a lead generation strategy

Assign each task to a specific individual or team, set priority levels , and add due dates. Specify what section of the sales plan each task belongs to (e.g., executive summary, revenue goals, team structure, etc.), deliverable type (such as document, task, or meeting), and approval state (like pending, needs revisions, and approved).

And in ClickUp style, you can switch to multiple views: List for a list of all tasks, Board for visual task management, Timeline for an overview of task durations, and Gantt to get a view of task dependencies. 

This simple business plan template is perfect for any type of business looking to create a winning sales strategy while clarifying team roles and keeping tasks organized. ✨

Thinking about scaling your business’s reach and operations but unsure where or how to start? It can be overwhelming, no doubt—you need a clear vision, measurable goals, and an actionable plan that every member of your team can rally behind. 

Thankfully, ClickUp’s Business Development Action Plan Template is designed to use automations to simplify this process so every step toward your business growth is clear, trackable, and actionable.

Start by assessing your current situation and deciding on your main growth goal. Are you aiming to increase revenue, tap into new markets, or introduce new products or services? With ClickUp Whiteboards or Docs, brainstorm and collaborate with your team on this decision.

Set and track your short- and long-term growth goals with ClickUp’s Goals , break them down into smaller targets, and assign these targets to team members, complete with due dates. Add these targets to a new ClickUp Dashboard to track real-time progress and celebrate small wins. 🎉

Whether you’re a startup or small business owner looking to hit your next major milestone or an established business exploring new avenues, this template keeps your team aligned, engaged, and informed every step of the way.

ClickUp’s Business Roadmap Template is your go-to for mapping out major strategies and initiatives in areas like revenue growth, brand awareness, community engagement, and customer satisfaction. 

Use the List view to populate tasks under each initiative. With Custom Fields, you can capture which business category (e.g., Product, Operations, Sales & Marketing, etc.) tasks fall under and which quarter they’re slated for. You can also link to relevant documents and resources and evaluate tasks by effort and impact to ensure the most critical tasks get the attention they deserve. 👀

Depending on your focus, this template provides different views to show just what you need. For example, the All Initiatives per Quarter view lets you focus on what’s ahead by seeing tasks that need completion within a specific quarter. This ensures timely execution and helps in aligning resources effectively for the short term.

This template is ideal for business executives and management teams who need to coordinate multiple short- and long-term initiatives and business strategies.

In business, unexpected threats to operations can arise at any moment. Whether it’s economic turbulence, a global health crisis, or supply chain interruptions, every company needs to be ready. ClickUp’s Business Continuity Plan Template lets you prepare proactively for these unforeseen challenges.

The template organizes tasks into three main categories:

• Priorities: Tasks that need immediate attention
• Continuity coverage: Tasks that must continue despite challenges
• Guiding principles: Resources and protocols to ensure smooth operations

The Board view makes it easy to visualize all the tasks under each of these categories. And the Priorities List sorts tasks by those that are overdue, the upcoming ones, and then the ones due later.

In times of uncertainty, being prepared is your best strategy. This template helps your business not just survive but thrive in challenging situations, keeping your customers, employees, and investors satisfied. 🤝

Looking to execute your business plan the “lean” way? Use ClickUp’s Lean Business Plan Template . It’s designed to help you optimize resource usage and cut unnecessary steps—giving you better results with less effort.

In the Plan Summary List view, list all the tasks that need to get done. Add specific details like who’s doing each task, when it’s due, and which part of the Business Model Canvas (BMC) it falls under. The By Priority view sorts this list based on priorities like Urgent, High, Normal, and Low. This makes it easy to spot the most important tasks and tackle them first.

Additionally, the Board view gives you an overview of task progression from start to finish. And the BMC view rearranges these tasks based on the various BMC components. 

Each task can further be broken down into subtasks and multiple checklists to ensure all related action items are executed. ✔️

This template is an invaluable resource for startups and large enterprises looking to maximize process efficiencies and results in a streamlined and cost-effective way.

The Small Business Action Plan Template by ClickUp is tailor-made for small businesses looking to transform their business ideas and goals into actionable steps and, eventually, into reality. 

It provides a simple and organized framework for creating, assigning, prioritizing, and tracking tasks. And in effect, it ensures that goals are not just set but achieved. Through the native dashboard and goal-setting features, you can monitor task progress and how they move you closer to achieving your goals.

Thanks to ClickUp’s robust communication features like chat, comments, and @mentions, it’s easy to get every team member on the same page and quickly address questions or concerns.

Use this action plan template to hit your business goals by streamlining your internal processes and aligning team efforts.

For larger businesses and scaling enterprises, getting different departments to work together toward a big goal can be challenging. The ClickUp Strategic Business Roadmap Template makes it easier by giving you a clear plan to follow.

This template is packaged in a folder and split into different lists for each department in your business, like Sales, Product, Marketing, and Enablement. This way, every team can focus on their tasks while collectively contributing to the bigger goal.

There are multiple viewing options available for team members. These include:

• Progress Board: Visualize tasks that are on track, those at risk, and those behind
• Gantt view: Get an overview of project timelines and dependencies
• Team view: See what each team member is working on so you can balance workloads for maximum productivity

While this template may feel overwhelming at first, the getting started guide offers a step-by-step breakdown to help you navigate it with ease. And like all ClickUp templates, you can easily customize it to suit your business needs and preferences.

Microsoft’s 20-page traditional business plan template simplifies the process of drafting comprehensive business plans. It’s made up of different sections, including:

• Executive summary : Highlights, objectives, mission statement, and keys to success
• Description of business: Company ownership and legal structure, hours of operation, products and services, suppliers, financial plans, etc.
• Marketing: Market analysis, market segmentation, competition, and pricing
• Appendix: Start-up expenses, cash flow statements, income statements, sales forecast, milestones, break-even analysis, etc.

The table of contents makes it easy to move to different sections of the document. And the text placeholders under each section provide clarity on the specific details required—making the process easier for users who may not be familiar with certain business terminology.

No business template roundup is complete without an Excel template. This business plan template lets you work on your business financials in Excel. It comes with customizable tables, formulas, and charts to help you look at the following areas:

• Highlight charts
• Market analysis
• Start-up assets and expenses
• Sales forecasts
• Profit and loss
• Balance sheet
• Cash flow projections
• Break-even analysis

This Excel template is especially useful when you want to create a clear and visual financial section for your business plan document—an essential element for attracting investors and lenders. However, there might be a steep learning curve to using this template if you’re not familiar with business financial planning and using Excel.

Try a Free Business Plan Template in ClickUp

Launching and running a successful business requires a well-thought-out and carefully crafted business plan. However, the business planning process doesn’t have to be complicated, boring, or take up too much time. Use any of the above 10 free business plan formats to simplify and speed up the process.

ClickUp templates go beyond offering a solid foundation to build your business plans. They come with extensive project management features to turn your vision into reality. And that’s not all— ClickUp’s template library offers over 1,000 additional templates to help manage various aspects of your business, from decision-making to product development to resource management .

Sign up for ClickUp’s Free Forever Plan today to fast-track your business’s growth! 🏆

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Plan for the future, no matter what your business plans are or the size of your business with these designs and templates. whether it's just one big project or an entire organization's worth of dreams, these templates will keep you and your company on track from ideation to completion..

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Every successful business took a lot of planning to get there, and these templates will be cornerstones of your future success. Whether you're looking to attract new business, pitch your services or reimagine your company, with these simple, customizable templates at your fingertips you can turn complexity into something tangible. These templates can become marketing assets or simply remain internal touchpoints for your team. And as your dreams change, you'll always have this template to refer to – it's easy to change what exists on paper. If you're a small business, focusing on your niche can help you dominate in your field, and you can forge a plan to figure out exactly what that niche might be and how to target your ideal customer . When it's time to share your vision with stakeholders, craft a presentation that outlines your plan succinctly and with style. Let these templates from Microsoft Designer be your partner in business strategy for years to come.

Free Business Plan Template for Excel

Ajay Jagtap

• October 31, 2023

With 1 in 8 people using Excel, I’d be hard-pressed to believe that anyone has never used it at some point in life.

While we have all used it at least once—be it for school homework, college assignments, or travel planning—we never really got the hang of it.

(Excel formulas are tough!)

Preparing a business plan from scratch using Excel is not a joke; we get that. That’s why we created this business plan template in Excel .

So, no more worrying about Excel formulas or plan structure—download the document and follow the instructions in the article for successful business planning.

Sounds good? Let’s start with understanding the pros and cons of using Excel for planning:

Pros and Cons of Using Excel for Business Plans

Before we head to discussing the Excel business plan template, let’s understand the pros and cons of using Excel for business planning:

• Free to use:  MS Excel is 100% free for all its users, making it a cost-effective choice.
• Data Analysis:  Excel is a powerful tool for performing various financial and data analyses and calculations.
• Collaboration: Collaborating with your team while working on a project using Excel is easier.
• Lack of automation: Excel may not help create dynamic business plans with automated features.
• Limited presentation:  Excel cannot create an appealing business plan like a business plan software.
• Complex formulas: Excel’s formulas are complex and require a significant learning curve to master.

So these were the pros and cons. Let’s cut to the chase and discuss the key components of our free business plan Excel template.

Key Components of Our Excel Business Plan Template

It’s a fact—you cannot use Excel to create the entire plan from scratch, no! Excel is a powerful tool for complex calculations and analyses; let’s use it for that only.

So, we’ll use this business plan Excel template only to perform complex financial analyses and calculations—to prepare financial projections.

Following are the critical components of a good business plan template you must include in your financial plan:

1. Income Statement

The income statement is one of the key financial statements of your financial plan that highlights its profit and loss over a given period of time.

The critical components of your income statement include—revenue/sales, Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), operational costs, EBITDA, interest, and others.

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2. Balance Sheet

Your balance sheet is a statement that reports your company’s assets, liabilities, and shareholder equity, providing a snapshot of its financial position at a specific period of time.

The statement helping you calculate financial ratios includes the following:

• Assets—e.g. Inventory, cash, property.
• Liabilities—e.g. Accounts payable, loans, salaries to be paid.
• Owners equity—e.g. Capital investment/contribution.

3. Cash Flow Statement

The cash flow statement of your financial plan is the projection of your cash in and outflows over a certain period of time.

As one of three key components of your financial plan, the cash flow statement summarizes the amount of cash or cash equivalents entering or leaving your company.

4. Break-Even Analysis

A break-even analysis helps you determine the number of units you need to sell to cover all fixed and variable costs.

The break-even point is considered a measure of safety margin, and anything you sell beyond the point will result in profit.

While your balance sheet already highlights the assets, liabilities, and owner’s equity, assets are considered critical for investors to assess the company’s financial health. So, our simple business plan template (Excel) has a separate sheet for business assets.

6. Accounts Payable & Receivable

The accounts payable refer to the amount due to vendors or suppliers for services or goods received, whereas accounts receivable represent the money due to the company.

The increase or decrease in your accounts payable or receivable can be seen in your cash flow statement.

7. Working Capital

Working capital is the subtraction of your current liabilities from your current assets. As a critical element in identifying your company’s health, it helps investors understand if it has enough capital to pay employees and fund operations to meet short-term goals.

Download the Financial Forecast Template In Excel

We discussed all the critical statements to be covered in your financial plan. Now what? It’s time for you to download the financial forecast template and start preparing your financial plan.

Unlike other free Excel templates, this template has all the reports with the suggested revenue streams, expenses, and other details.

You can directly download and use the template to forecast cash flow, create balance sheets, and prepare income statements that provide detailed information about your revenue and expenses. So what are you waiting for?

How to Use an Excel Business Plan Template

We’re hoping you’ve already downloaded the business plan template. So, the question arises: How can this Excel template be used to prepare realistic forecasts?

Let’s get this over with:

Understand the template structure

Before you start planning, you must understand the structure of the financial portion of your business plan. Get a thorough review of the template and understand:

• What critical statements does it include?
• What are the revenue streams?
• What are considered to be assets and liabilities?
• What does the taxation structure look like?

And others. Once you thoroughly understand the structure, you can move ahead with the next step.

Analyze historical data

Financial forecasting is about assumptions—a lot of them, but accurate ones. If you’re a total stranger to financial forecasting, analyzing historical data will help you get off on the right foot.

Analyze the historical data and try to gain insights about your business financials:

• Monthly revenue over the last year?
• How much you’re spending on day-to-day operations?
• What is your sales growth rate? How fast is it increasing over time?

And others. These historical figures will be of massive help in the next step.

Make pre-assumptions

As I said before, financial forecasts heavily rely on certain assumptions like sales forecasts, operational expenses, revenue growth, and others.

So, in this step, you’ll make assumptions about these variables based on the historical data to make them realistic and accurate.

Prepare key financial reports

Once you have made pre-assumptions, it’s time to prepare forecasts. Don’t overwhelm yourself with a lot of numbers; start by preparing critical financial reports that include—a cash flow statement, balance sheet, and income statement.

Other statements of your plan rely heavily on these reports, so the process will become much easier after having prepared these three beforehand.

Monitor and track progress

After preparing your financial reports, the next step is timely monitoring these reports and tracking progress.

You can compare your assumptions with actual results to see if your projections are accurate and relevant to the changing market trends.

Analyzing metrics like customer acquisition rate, acquisition costs, net profit, and gross margin will help track progress.

If you follow these steps rigorously, you can surely make a decent plan to support your business strategies and achieve financial goals.

Still, it was just about financial planning. What about the entire business plan? Excel is a no-go for business planning; let’s see why.

How Excel may not be the best choice for business planning?

Since Excel doesn’t offer all the necessary features for business planning that a business plan software like Upmetrics would, it is not the tool to be used to create a comprehensive business plan.

Following are a few reasons why Excel may not be a better choice for business planning compared to a tool like Upmetrics:

• Limited features: Since it is not designed specifically for planning, it has limited business planning features compared to software like Upmetrics. A business planning software may include features like business plan builder, financial forecasting, and pitch deck creator.
• Limited collaboration: Everyone knows Excel isn’t the tool with the best collaboration features. Business plan software offers collaboration features, allowing multiple team members to work on a business plan simultaneously.
• No Automation: Upmetrics comes with many automation features like AI assistant and financial forecasting tool, helping entrepreneurs and small businesses save time and reduce human errors.
• No customizable templates: Upmetrics has 400+ business plan examples and templates that make it easier for new users to get started, which has not been the case with Excel.

These were just a few of many reasons why a planning tool is a better alternative than Excel to create a comprehensive plan to support their business strategy.

Improve Your Business Financial Plan with Upmetrics

I’d surely have recommended Excel for financial planning if you had asked maybe a decade ago.

Today? There’s no way Excel stands a chance when competing with a cutting-edge AI business planning solution like Upmetrics.

Upmetrics simplifies business planning with its library of business templates, financial forecasting tool, and AI-powered assistant, making it a much more efficient alternative to Excel.

What are you waiting for? Start planning today!

Make your plan in half the time & twice the impact with Upmetrics

Fill-in-the-blanks, AI-assistance, and automatic financials make it easy.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do i create a business plan in excel.

It’s challenging to draft an entire business plan in Excel. However, you can use Excel to create the financial portion of your plan using a free business plan Excel template. A ready-made template is always better and faster than preparing your financial reports from scratch.

Are there any alternatives to Excel for creating a business plan?

Yes, there are a few alternatives to Excel for creating a business plan. However, using a business plan software like Upmetrics would be a better alternative to creating a business plan than others.

Why should I use an Excel template for my business financial plan?

You cannot certainly master Excel formulas in one day, and preparing advanced financial reports from scratch means you must be very good at accounting, budgeting, and Excel sheets and ready to spare some intense hours.

So, considering the complexity of Excel—using a ready-made template seems like a great starting point for budding entrepreneurs with no financial planning experience.

Are there any free business plan templates available in Excel?

Although it’s tough to create the entire business plan in Excel from scratch, Upmetrics offers a free business plan Excel template to help you gain inspiration and make the financial portion of your business plan.

Can I share my financial plan online with others using Excel?

Yes, you can share your financial plan online with others using Excel. To share your document with others, simply click on the “Share with People” option and enter their email addresses, and you have shared the doc.

About the Author

Ajay is a SaaS writer and personal finance blogger who has been active in the space for over three years, writing about startups, business planning, budgeting, credit cards, and other topics related to personal finance. If not writing, he’s probably having a power nap. Read more

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8 Business Plan Templates You Can Get for Free

8 min. read

Updated July 3, 2024

A business plan template can be an excellent tool to simplify the creation of your business plan. 

The pre-set structure helps you organize ideas, covers all critical business information, and saves you time and effort on formatting.

The only issue? There are SO many free business plan templates out there. 

So, which ones are actually worth using? 

To help remove the guesswork, I’ve rounded up some of the best business plan templates you can access right now. 

These are listed in no particular order, and each has its benefits and drawbacks.

What to look for in a business plan template

Not all business plan templates are created equal. As you weigh your options and decide which template(s) you’ll use, be sure to review them with the following criteria in mind:

• Easy to edit: A template should save you time. That won’t be the case if you have to fuss around figuring out how to edit the document, or even worse, it doesn’t allow you to edit at all.
• Contains the right sections: A good template should cover all essential sections of a business plan , including the executive summary, product/service description, market/competitive analysis, marketing and sales plan, operations, milestones, and financial projections. 
• Provides guidance: You should be able to trust that the information in a template is accurate. That means the organization or person who created the template is highly credible, known for producing useful resources, and ideally has some entrepreneurial experience.
• Software compatibility: Lastly, you want any template to be compatible with the software platforms you use. More than likely, this means it’s available in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or PDF format at a minimum. 

1. Bplans — A plan with expert guidance

Since you’re already on Bplans, I have to first mention the templates that we have available. 

Our traditional and one-page templates were created by entrepreneurs and business owners with over 80 years of collective planning experience. We revisit and update them annually to ensure they are approachable, thorough, and aligned with our team’s evolving best practices.  

The templates, available in Word, PDF, or Google Doc formats, include in-depth guidance on what to include in each section, expert tips, and links to additional resources. 

Plus, we have over 550 real-world sample business plans you can use for guidance when filling out your template.

Download: Traditional lender-ready business plan template or a simple one-page plan template .

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2. SBA — Introduction to business plans

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers two different business plan templates along with a short planning guide. 

While not incredibly in-depth, it’s enough to help you understand how traditional and lean plans are structured and what information needs to be covered. The templates themselves are more like examples, providing you with a finished product to reference as you write your plan.

The key benefit of using these templates is that they were created by the SBA. While they may provide less guidance, you can be assured that the information and structure meet their expectations.

Explore: The SBA’s planning guide and free templates

3. SCORE — Planning workbook

SCORE’s template is more like a workbook. It includes exercises after each section to help you get your ideas down and turn them into a structured plan.

The market research worksheets are especially useful. They provide a clear framework for identifying your target market and analyzing competitors from multiple angles. Plus, they give you an easy way to document all the information you’re collecting.

You will likely have to remove the exercises in this template to make it investor-ready. But it can be worth it if you’re struggling to get past a blank page and want a more interactive planning method.

Download: SCORE’s business plan template

4. PandaDoc — A template with fillable forms

PandaDoc’s library offers a variety of industry-specific business plan templates that feature a modern design flair and concise instructions. 

These templates are designed for sharing. They include fillable fields and sections for non-disclosure agreements, which may be necessary when sending a plan to investors.  

But the real benefit is their compatibility with PandaDoc’s platform. Yes, they are free, but if you’re a PandaDoc subscriber, you’ll have far more customization options. 

Out of all their templates, the standard business plan template is the most in-depth. The rest, while still useful, go a bit lighter on guidance in favor of tailoring the plan to a specific industry.

Explore: PandaDoc’s business plan template library  

5. Canva — Pitch with your plan

Canva is a great option for building a visually stunning business plan that can be used as a pitch tool. It offers a diverse array of templates built by their in-house team and the larger creative community, meaning the number of options constantly grows.

You will need to verify that the information in the template you choose matches the standard structure of a traditional business plan. 

You should do this with any template, but it’s especially important with any tool that accepts community submissions. While they are likely reviewed and approved, there may still be errors.

Remember, you can only edit these templates within Canva. Luckily, you only need a free subscription, and you may just miss out on some of the visual assets being used. 

To get the most value, it may be best to create a more traditional planning document and transfer that information into Canva. 

Explore: Canva’s business plan gallery

6. ClickUp — The collaborative template

Out of all the project management tools that offer free business plan templates, ClickUp’s is the most approachable.

Rather than throwing you into all the features and expecting you to figure it out—ClickUp provides a thorough startup guide with resource links, images, and videos explaining how to write a plan using the tool. 

There’s also a completed sample plan (structured like an expanded one-page plan) for you to reference and see how the more traditional document can connect to the product management features. You can set goals, target dates, leave comments, and even assign tasks to someone else on your team. 

These features are limited to the ClickUp platform and will not be useful for everyone. They will likely get in the way of writing a plan you can easily share with lenders or investors. 

But this is a great option if you’re looking for a template that makes internal collaboration more fluid and keeps all your information in one place.

Sign Up: Get a free trial of ClickUp and explore their template library

7. Smartsheet — A wide variety of templates

I’m including Smartsheet’s library of templates on this list because of the sheer number of options they provide. 

They have a simple business plan template, a one-page plan, a fill-in-the-blank template, a plan outline, a plan grading rubric, and even an Excel-built project plan. All are perfectly usable and vary in visual style, depth of instructions, and the available format.

Honestly, the only drawback (which is also the core benefit) is that the amount of templates can be overwhelming. If you’re already uncertain which plan option is right for you, the lengthy list they provide may not provide much clarity.

At the same time, it can be a great resource if you want a one-stop shop to view multiple plan types.

8. ReferralRock affiliate marketing business plan

I’m adding ReferralRock’s template to this list due to its specificity. 

It’s not your standard business plan template. The plan is tailored with specific sections and guidance around launching an affiliate marketing business. 

Most of the template is dedicated to defining how to choose affiliates, set commissions, create legal agreements, and track performance.

So, if you plan on starting an affiliate marketing business or program, this template will provide more specific guidance. Just know that you will likely need to reference additional resources when writing the non-industry sections of your plan.

Download: ReferralRock affiliate marketing business plan template

Does it matter what business plan template you use?

The short answer is no. As long as the structure is correct, it saves you time, and it helps you write your business plan , then any template will work. 

What it ultimately comes down to, is what sort of value you hope to get from the template. 

• Do you need more guidance? 
• A simple way to structure your plan? 
• An option that works with a specific tool?
• A way to make your plan more visually interesting?

Hopefully, this list has helped you hone in on an option that meets one (or several) of these needs. Still, it may be worth downloading a few of these templates to determine the right fit. 

And really, what matters most is that you spend time writing a business plan . It will help you avoid early mistakes, determine if you have a viable business, and fully consider what it will take to get up and running. 

If you need additional guidance, check out our library of planning resources . We cover everything from plan formats , to how to write a business plan, and even how to use it as a management tool . 

If you don’t want to waste time researching other templates, you can download our one-page or traditional business plan template and jump right into the planning process.

Kody Wirth is a content writer and SEO specialist for Palo Alto Software—the creator's of Bplans and LivePlan. He has 3+ years experience covering small business topics and runs a part-time content writing service in his spare time.

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Free Business Plan Template

One of the reasons that so many small businesses fail is that they don't do the necessary up front work to create an accurate and realistic business plan. Creating a business plan doesn't guarantee success, but the process of writing a plan is critical for any successful new business. It isn't our goal to try to tell you everything you need to know about creating a business plan. Instead, our goal is to make the process easier by providing a professionally designed business plan template that you can edit easily using Word and Excel .

Business Plan Template

License : Private Use (not for distribution or resale)

Authors : Jon Wittwer and Jim Wittwer

Update (7/22/2016) : We've added a basic break-even analysis worksheet to the companion Excel workbook.

Description

This template provides a business plan outline with sample questions, tables, and a working table of contents. It was created for newer versions of Word and Excel (Office 2007 or later) so that you can easily change the fonts and color scheme and the file will be compatible with the mobile and web-based Word & Excel apps.

It is best to use Excel for financial statements, data tables and charts. So, we have provided a companion Excel workbook with these sample financial statements and other tables and graphs that you can copy and paste into your Word document.

The companion workbook combines many of the different spreadsheets you can find on Vertex42.com, but customized specifically for inclusion in a business plan.

Using the Business Plan Template

Editing headings and table of contents.

Word allows you to assign format Styles to text and paragraphs, and we've designed the template to use these Styles for defining headings, sub-headings, and figure captions.

If you want to add a new section so that the Table of Contents updates correctly, just add a new heading in the body of the document and assign it the Heading 1 or Heading 2 style.

To update the Table of Contents, go to the References tab and within the Table of Contents group of buttons, click on Update Table and then "Update entire table."

Copy/Paste From Excel to Word

For simple tables, you can use Copy/Paste (Ctrl+c / Ctrl+v) to copy a table from Excel to Word. This will typically paste the data as a formatted and editable table in Word, though none of the formulas will be functional within Word (and the table will not be linked to Excel). If you don't want the table to be editable in Word, you can "Paste as a Picture" using Paste Special or by choosing the "Picture" option when you right-click in Word to paste the table.

Important : When you paste a chart object into your business plan, make sure to "Paste as a Picture" because pasting the chart as an embedded object means that the entire spreadsheet becomes embedded in your Word document (even though what you see is only the chart).

If you want to insert a table into Word as a "Linked Object" so that when you edit Excel, the table in Word will update automatically, you may have a more difficult time preserving the formatting of the original. However, at the least the entire spreadsheet won't be embedded within your business plan Word document.

More Related Templates

Resources for Writing a Business Plan

• Write Your Business Plan at SBA.gov - Anybody starting a business should become familiar with the SBA (small business association). SBA.gov also has an online tool for creating a business plan .
• YouTube: How to Write a Business Plan - Business Wales (3 minutes) - This video offers a quick overview and tips for the essential parts of a business plan.
• YouTube: How to Write a Business Plan - Berkeley-Haas (71 minutes) - This presentation offers both the venture capitalist and entrepreneur perspective on how to write a business plan that can successfully attract funding.
• Write Your Business Plan at Entrepreneur.com - A book written by the staff of a company that should know what they are talking about.
• Sample Business Plans at bplans.com - Finding a business plan for similar businesses in your industry is a great way to get ideas for what to include in your plan. This site is a great resource for not only finding sample plans, but also for creating a business plan online using their step-by-step approach.

Other Free Business Plan Templates

• Business Planning Template Gallery at SCORE.org - This nonprofit organization (supported by the SBA) has provided expertise and free mentorship for millions of small business owners. They also have a useful collection of templates.
• Develop Your Business Plan at business.gov.au - This Australian Government site provides a really good business plan template for Word, including a detailed guide, questions to answer, and sample financial statements.

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Download Business Plan Template In Excel

• Budget , Business management , Excel Templates

Kickstart Your Business Success with Our Free Excel Business Plan Template

Charting a path to success for your business can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to organizing and managing the myriad elements that constitute a business plan. That’s why we’re thrilled to introduce our free, comprehensive Business Plan Excel template. With multiple, integrated sheets for every facet of your planning needs, this template streamlines your strategic process, saving you time and effort.

What Is Included in Our Sample Business Plan Template in Excel?

Our Excel business plan template is meticulously designed and includes the following components:

• Sales Planning / Forecasting Template : This template enables you to plan product-wise and year-wise sales. By analyzing trends over the previous two years, you can forecast sales for the coming year and make informed business decisions.
• Profit and Loss Template : This sheet will help you track your revenues, costs, and expenses to determine your business’s profitability over a period of time.
• Balance Sheet Template : It provides a snapshot of your company’s financial position at a particular moment, illustrating what the company owns (assets) and owes (liabilities), and the amount invested by shareholders (equity).
• Cash Flow Template : With this, you can manage your cash position by tracking the inflow and outflow of cash in your business. This template helps in monitoring your liquidity and understanding if you have enough cash to cover your expenses.
• Budget Template : This facilitates the allocation and tracking of financial resources, ensuring you don’t overspend and stay on the right financial track.
• Break-Even Analysis Template : This crucial template calculates the point where your total cost equals your total revenue. Understanding your break-even point can help guide pricing strategy, monitor efficiency, and make profitable business decisions.

How to Use the Excel Business Plan Template?

Using our comprehensive Excel business plan template is simple:

• Download the Template : Start by downloading our free Business Plan Excel template.
• Input Your Data : Enter your business data into each sheet. Each section comes with clear instructions on what information is needed.
• Analyze and Plan : Use the data you’ve entered to analyze your current business situation, make projections, and develop strategic plans.
• Update Regularly : As your business evolves, so should your business plan. Regularly update the data in the template to keep your plan relevant and responsive to your business’s changing circumstances.

Why Use the Excel Business Plan Template?

Our Excel business plan template offers a host of benefits:

• Comprehensive : It covers every aspect of your business plan, eliminating the need for multiple documents or programs.
• Easy to Use : The template is designed to be user-friendly, making it easy for anyone, regardless of their familiarity with Excel.
• Customizable : The template can be modified to suit the specific needs and nature of your business.
• Effective Visualization : The template includes graphs and charts, transforming your data into a visual format that’s easier to understand and present.
• Free : Our template is completely free, making it a cost-effective solution for business planning.

In conclusion, our Excel business plan template simplifies the planning process by consolidating all elements of a business plan into a single, comprehensive document. Whether you’re drafting your first business plan or refining an existing one, this template can be an invaluable tool. So, download our free Excel business plan template today and embark on a strategic journey to business success!

Users of This Free Business Plan Template

The Excel Business Plan Template is designed for a wide variety of users who need to develop a structured and strategic approach to their business planning. Here’s a list of individuals and entities who could greatly benefit from using this template:

• Entrepreneurs and Startups : If you’re in the initial stages of starting a business, this template can help you plan, analyze, and forecast various aspects of your business such as sales, finances, and cash flow.
• Small Business Owners : For existing small businesses, this template can help monitor performance, manage finances, and plan for future growth.
• Financial Analysts and Managers : These professionals can use this template to gain insights into the financial health of a business, plan budgets, and conduct break-even analysis.
• Freelancers and Solopreneurs : Even if you’re a one-person business, this template can help keep track of your finances, forecast your revenue, and manage your cash flow efficiently.
• Consultants and Business Advisors : These individuals can utilize the template to assist their clients in developing business plans, improving financial management, and setting strategic goals.
• Non-profit Organizations : Even though their goals might not be profit-oriented, non-profit organizations can also benefit from this template to manage their finances, plan budgets, and conduct break-even analysis for their fundraising events or projects.

Remember, the key to leveraging this tool effectively is to customize it to the unique needs and circumstances of your business or project. No matter your industry or the size of your business, our Excel Business Plan Template can be a valuable tool in your strategic planning toolkit.

Download this Business Plan template in Excel Format

Our easy to use editable Excel templates and save your significant amount of time and effort. Here’s how to download and use one of our templates:

Download this free Excel Template : Once you’ve browsed through our collection of templates and find the one that best fits your needs. Once you’ve found the template you want, click on the download button.

Replace sample data with your actual data: Once the template is downloaded, open it in Excel. You’ll see that it is already set up with sample data. To start analyzing your own data, simply replace the sample data with your actual data.

Customize the template: Our templates are completely editable, which means you can customize them to fit your specific needs. For example, you can change the formatting, add or remove columns, or create new charts and graphs.

Use the Excel template: Once you’ve fed in your data and customized the template, you’re ready to start using it for data analysis. Use the various tools and features of Excel to analyze and visualize your data, and make informed business decisions.

Save and share: Once you’ve finished working on the template, save it to your computer and share it with other members of your team or stakeholders as needed.

Click Download Button To Get Business Plan Excel Template

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Business Plan Template

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Simple Business Plan Template (2024)

Updated: May 4, 2024, 4:37pm

Table of Contents

Why business plans are vital, get your free simple business plan template, how to write an effective business plan in 6 steps, frequently asked questions.

While taking many forms and serving many purposes, they all have one thing in common: business plans help you establish your goals and define the means for achieving them. Our simple business plan template covers everything you need to consider when launching a side gig, solo operation or small business. By following this step-by-step process, you might even uncover a few alternate routes to success.

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Whether you’re a first-time solopreneur or a seasoned business owner, the planning process challenges you to examine the costs and tasks involved in bringing a product or service to market. The process can also help you spot new income opportunities and hone in on the most profitable business models.

Though vital, business planning doesn’t have to be a chore. Business plans for lean startups and solopreneurs can simply outline the business concept, sales proposition, target customers and sketch out a plan of action to bring the product or service to market. However, if you’re seeking startup funding or partnership opportunities, you’ll need a write a business plan that details market research, operating costs and revenue forecasting. Whichever startup category you fall into, if you’re at square one, our simple business plan template will point you down the right path.

Copy our free simple business plan template so you can fill in the blanks as we explore each element of your business plan. Need help getting your ideas flowing? You’ll also find several startup scenario examples below.

Download free template as .docx

Whether you need a quick-launch overview or an in-depth plan for investors, any business plan should cover the six key elements outlined in our free template and explained below. The main difference in starting a small business versus an investor-funded business is the market research and operational and financial details needed to support the concept.

1. Your Mission or Vision

Start by declaring a “dream statement” for your business. You can call this your executive summary, vision statement or mission. Whatever the name, the first part of your business plan summarizes your idea by answering five questions. Keep it brief, such as an elevator pitch. You’ll expand these answers in the following sections of the simple business plan template.

• What does your business do? Are you selling products, services, information or a combination?
• Where does this happen? Will you conduct business online, in-store, via mobile means or in a specific location or environment?
• Who does your business benefit? Who is your target market and ideal customer for your concept?
• Why would potential customers care? What would make your ideal customers take notice of your business?
• How do your products and/or services outshine the competition? What would make your ideal customers choose you over a competitor?

These answers come easily if you have a solid concept for your business, but don’t worry if you get stuck. Use the rest of your plan template to brainstorm ideas and tactics. You’ll quickly find these answers and possibly new directions as you explore your ideas and options.

2. Offer and Value Proposition

This is where you detail your offer, such as selling products, providing services or both, and why anyone would care. That’s the value proposition. Specifically, you’ll expand on your answers to the first and fourth bullets from your mission/vision.

As you complete this section, you might find that exploring value propositions uncovers marketable business opportunities that you hadn’t yet considered. So spend some time brainstorming the possibilities in this section.

For example, a cottage baker startup specializing in gluten-free or keto-friendly products might be a value proposition that certain audiences care deeply about. Plus, you could expand on that value proposition by offering wedding and other special-occasion cakes that incorporate gluten-free, keto-friendly and traditional cake elements that all guests can enjoy.

3. Audience and Ideal Customer

Here is where you explore bullet point number three, who your business will benefit. Identifying your ideal customer and exploring a broader audience for your goods or services is essential in defining your sales and marketing strategies, plus it helps fine-tune what you offer.

There are many ways to research potential audiences, but a shortcut is to simply identify a problem that people have that your product or service can solve. If you start from the position of being a problem solver, it’s easy to define your audience and describe the wants and needs of your ideal customer for marketing efforts.

Using the cottage baker startup example, a problem people might have is finding fresh-baked gluten-free or keto-friendly sweets. Examining the wants and needs of these people might reveal a target audience that is health-conscious or possibly dealing with health issues and willing to spend more for hard-to-find items.

However, it’s essential to have a customer base that can support your business. You can be too specialized. For example, our baker startup can attract a broader audience and boost revenue by offering a wider selection of traditional baked goods alongside its gluten-free and keto-focused specialties.

4. Revenue Streams, Sales Channels and Marketing

Thanks to our internet-driven economy, startups have many revenue opportunities and can connect with target audiences through various channels. Revenue streams and sales channels also serve as marketing vehicles, so you can cover all three in this section.

Revenue Streams

Revenue streams are the many ways you can make money in your business. In your plan template, list how you’ll make money upon launch, plus include ideas for future expansion. The income possibilities just might surprise you.

For example, our cottage baker startup might consider these revenue streams:

• Product sales : Online, pop-up shops , wholesale and (future) in-store sales
• Affiliate income : Monetize blog and social media posts with affiliate links
• Advertising income : Reserve website space for advertising
• E-book sales : (future) Publish recipe e-books targeting gluten-free and keto-friendly dessert niches
• Video income : (future) Monetize a YouTube channel featuring how-to videos for the gluten-free and keto-friendly dessert niches
• Webinars and online classes : (future) Monetize coaching-style webinars and online classes covering specialty baking tips and techniques
• Members-only content : (future) Monetize a members-only section of the website for specialty content to complement webinars and online classes
• Franchise : (future) Monetize a specialty cottage bakery concept and sell to franchise entrepreneurs

Sales Channels

Sales channels put your revenue streams into action. This section also answers the “where will this happen” question in the second bullet of your vision.

The product sales channels for our cottage bakery example can include:

• Mobile point-of-sale (POS) : A mobile platform such as Shopify or Square POS for managing in-person sales at local farmers’ markets, fairs and festivals
• E-commerce platform : An online store such as Shopify, Square or WooCommerce for online retail sales and wholesale sales orders
• Social media channels : Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest shoppable posts and pins for online sales via social media channels
• Brick-and-mortar location : For in-store sales , once the business has grown to a point that it can support a physical location

Channels that support other income streams might include:

• Affiliate income : Blog section on the e-commerce website and affiliate partner accounts
• Advertising income : Reserved advertising spaces on the e-commerce website
• E-book sales : Amazon e-book sales via Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing
• Video income : YouTube channel with ad monetization
• Webinars and online classes : Online class and webinar platforms that support member accounts, recordings and playback
• Members-only content : Password-protected website content using membership apps such as MemberPress

Nowadays, the line between marketing and sales channels is blurred. Social media outlets, e-books, websites, blogs and videos serve as both marketing tools and income opportunities. Since most are free and those with advertising options are extremely economical, these are ideal marketing outlets for lean startups.

However, many businesses still find value in traditional advertising such as local radio, television, direct mail, newspapers and magazines. You can include these advertising costs in your simple business plan template to help build a marketing plan and budget.

5. Structure, Suppliers and Operations

This section of your simple business plan template explores how to structure and operate your business. Details include the type of business organization your startup will take, roles and responsibilities, supplier logistics and day-to-day operations. Also, include any certifications or permits needed to launch your enterprise in this section.

Our cottage baker example might use a structure and startup plan such as this:

• Business structure : Sole proprietorship with a “doing business as” (DBA) .
• Permits and certifications : County-issued food handling permit and state cottage food certification for home-based food production. Option, check into certified commercial kitchen rentals.
• Roles and responsibilities : Solopreneur, all roles and responsibilities with the owner.
• Supply chain : Bulk ingredients and food packaging via Sam’s Club, Costco, Amazon Prime with annual membership costs. Uline for shipping supplies; no membership needed.
• Day-to-day operations : Source ingredients and bake three days per week to fulfill local and online orders. Reserve time for specialty sales, wholesale partner orders and market events as needed. Ship online orders on alternating days. Update website and create marketing and affiliate blog posts on non-shipping days.

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6. Financial Forecasts

Your final task is to list forecasted business startup and ongoing costs and profit projections in your simple business plan template. Thanks to free business tools such as Square and free marketing on social media, lean startups can launch with few upfront costs. In many cases, cost of goods, shipping and packaging, business permits and printing for business cards are your only out-of-pocket expenses.

Cost Forecast

Our cottage baker’s forecasted lean startup costs might include:

Gross Profit Projections

This helps you determine the retail prices and sales volume required to keep your business running and, hopefully, earn income for yourself. Use product research to spot target retail prices for your goods, then subtract your cost of goods, such as hourly rate, raw goods and supplier costs. The total amount is your gross profit per item or service.

Here are some examples of projected gross profits for our cottage baker:

Bottom Line

Putting careful thought and detail in a business plan is always beneficial, but don’t get so bogged down in planning that you never hit the start button to launch your business . Also, remember that business plans aren’t set in stone. Markets, audiences and technologies change, and so will your goals and means of achieving them. Think of your business plan as a living document and regularly revisit, expand and restructure it as market opportunities and business growth demand.

Is there a template for a business plan?

You can copy our free business plan template and fill in the blanks or customize it in Google Docs, Microsoft Word or another word processing app. This free business plan template includes the six key elements that any entrepreneur needs to consider when launching a new business.

What does a simple business plan include?

A simple business plan is a one- to two-page overview covering six key elements that any budding entrepreneur needs to consider when launching a startup. These include your vision or mission, product or service offering, target audience, revenue streams and sales channels, structure and operations, and financial forecasts.

How can I create a free business plan template?

Start with our free business plan template that covers the six essential elements of a startup. Once downloaded, you can edit this document in Google Docs or another word processing app and add new sections or subsections to your plan template to meet your specific business plan needs.

What basic items should be included in a business plan?

When writing out a business plan, you want to make sure that you cover everything related to your concept for the business,  an analysis of the industry―including potential customers and an overview of the market for your goods or services―how you plan to execute your vision for the business, how you plan to grow the business if it becomes successful and all financial data around the business, including current cash on hand, potential investors and budget plans for the next few years.

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Krista Fabregas is a seasoned eCommerce and online content pro sharing more than 20 years of hands-on know-how with those looking to launch and grow tech-forward businesses. Her expertise includes eCommerce startups and growth, SMB operations and logistics, website platforms, payment systems, side-gig and affiliate income, and multichannel marketing. Krista holds a bachelor's degree in English from The University of Texas at Austin and held senior positions at NASA, a Fortune 100 company, and several online startups.

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Writing your business plan. Ughhhh.

It's definitely not the most exciting part of starting a business. In fact, if you're like a lot of entrepreneurs, you're probably going to find yourself pulling a few all-nighters to get one done before heading into your first pitch for funding . Because that's the thing--your business plan is a pretty important.

Any funder worth his or her salt wants to see it right off the bat. Moreover though, a solid business plan is a living document that will continue to guide your efforts as your business grows. Recently, I shared 18 Mistakes That Kill Startups , an infographic created by Mark Vital over at Funders and Founders.

A lot of those mistakes (most of them, in fact) are the result of poor planning. Bad location, a marginal niche, having no specific user in mind, raising too much or too little money--all of these issues can be prevented or at least mitigated with good planning.

Creating your business plan is more than just getting your ideas down on paper for potential funders to see. It's an exploratory process in which you can evaluate your options, test your assumptions about your idea, and even discover new opportunities. It might even lead you to kill off aspects of your business before investing too much time or money in them.

That doesn't mean you have to bust out Word and start the plan from scratch. A template is great--you probably aren't doing anything that hasn't been done before, so it provides a proven structure for your plan. Pretty much everything on it can be customized. Check out these comprehensive business plan templates you can download for free to get you started:

1. Score's Business Plan Template for Startups

Score is an American nonprofit dedicated to helping entrepreneurs get their companies off the ground. Its template, available as a PDF or Word download, asks a whopping 150 questions and is generic enough to customize for most types of businesses. The Refining the Plan resource that comes with it is helpful, especially if this is your first crack at writing a business plan.

2. U.S. Small Business Administration Business Plan Engine

The SBA's template is available to fill out online and then download as a PDF. You can go back in and edit it as needed, so don't worry about having everything ready the first time you sit down to tackle it. Even broken into sections, it's a long document and a bit of a slog to get through, but it produces a professional-looking and useful business plan. This is particularly helpful if your idea isn't fully fleshed out and you know you have homework to do--it prompts you for information.

3. The $100 Startup's One-Page Business Plan

Who said a business plan has to be a long, complicated document? Some funders are going to want to see a lot of detail, but you can provide that in appendices. The $100 Startup, the website for the best-selling book of the same name, has a ton of stripped-down resources for entrepreneurs, including this super simplified business plan template.

4. LawDepot's WYSIWYG Business Plan Template

This one says you just have to answer a few simple questions and will be "done before you know it!" Don't believe it. A business plan should take time and a lot of homework, but if you've already done that, LawDepot's template is a decent choice. It walks you through getting started, marketing, product, competitive analysis, SWOT, and more, with a window below the input fields to show you the plan as you work away at it. You can download it free with a trial subscription, but you'll have to remember to cancel it within the week if you don't plan to continue using it.

Editor's Note: Looking for Business Loans for your company? If you would like information to help you choose the one that's right for you, use the questionnaire below to have our partner, BuyerZone, provide you with information for free:

5. sme toolkit business plan samples.

The SME Toolkit, jointly offered by IFC and IBM, offers a simple two-page outline of what should be included in your business plan to meet the minimum requirements of funders and tax authorities (in the U.S.). It contains 10 broad sections, including market analysis, management and organization, etc., with a one-paragraph explanation of each. A second download on the same page is an Excel file to help with your financial projections.

6. Office Online Templates Galore

Of course, Microsoft offers a ton of business plan templates for Office users (you can get birthday invitations while you're at it). If you'd rather do a business plan presentation than a Word doc, you can download one of Microsoft Office's half a dozen or so PowerPoint templates for just that purpose. You'll want to customize it with your company branding (you have your branding down, right?), but it's easier than starting from a blank PPT.

7. vFinance Inc. Business Plan Template and Guide

Global financial services firm vFinance offers a basic, 30-page business plan template to download from its website--one the company says has been downloaded more than a quarter of a million times. No, it won't be completely unique, but vFinance knows what it's doing and the template is pretty comprehensive. VFinance is the creator of the massive Venture Capital Directory and has tailored the plan to appeal to funders. If that's your goal, definitely check this one out.

8. Invoiceberry Templates for Word, Open Office, Excel, or PPT

U.K. online invoicing software brand Invoiceberry offers free business plan templates in .docx, .odt, .xlsx, and .pptx formats. Each one also contains a marketing plan and executive summary template. There's a catch, though--the company asks you to take one of the following three actions before you can download the template: like it on Facebook, give it a +1 on Google+, or give it your email address. If you don't mind doing that, it's a good deal. Kudos to Invoiceberry for figuring out this effective lead-gen tactic too!

9. Santa Clara University's My Own Business Institute Plans

Santa Clara U's MOBI is an initiative of its Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Leavey School of Business. On the site, you can download each of the 15 business plan sections individually as Word documents, or grab all 15 together in one doc. There's a ton of other helpful resources as well, including guidelines for evaluating your potential sites, a list of key people to review your plan, and sample financial sheets.

10. RocketLawyer's Business Plan Templates by State

Like some of the others, you fill out RocketLawyer's form and download the business plan when you're done--but its template allows you to choose your state before getting started. These plans are tailored to meet your financing requirements in your state, which is a huge bonus for those seeking funding through banks. It's also heavily geared toward financing, making it a good choice if that's a priority for you.

Editorial Disclosure: Inc. writes about products and services in this and other articles. These articles are editorially independent - that means editors and reporters research and write on these products free of any influence of any marketing or sales departments. In other words, no one is telling our reporters or editors what to write or to include any particular positive or negative information about these products or services in the article. The article's content is entirely at the discretion of the reporter and editor. You will notice, however, that sometimes we include links to these products and services in the articles. When readers click on these links, and buy these products or services, Inc may be compensated. This e-commerce based advertising model - like every other ad on our article pages - has no impact on our editorial coverage. Reporters and editors don't add those links, nor will they manage them. This advertising model, like others you see on Inc, supports the independent journalism you find on this site.

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Create a business plan with templates in Word:

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Download these templates from the Office Templates site to create your plan:

Fill in your Business plan .

Analyze your market with the Business market analysis template .

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Divide up the work and track deliverables with this Business plan checklist .

Wrap up with this Business startup checklist .

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14 Excel Templates Perfect for Small Businesses

Jun 30 2023

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Whether you need to balance your budget, keep track of expenses and profits, or organize your operations, Excel is one of the best office tools for analyzing data and organizing information.

Don’t have time to set up and figure out how to structure your spreadsheet? No worries! We’ve got 14 Excel templates you can use instantly.

Budget and Finance Templates

As a business owner or entrepreneur, it is important to be able to track and budget your company’s finances. The first step is to simply start by converting your financial data in PDF to Excel with Xodo, and then use the templates below to track and calculate your budget accurately.

1. Business budget template 

One template you’ll need is a business budget template that’ll give you a basic, yet effective overview of your company’s financials. Enter your amounts by income, personnel expenses, and operating expenses to get an accurate real-time summary that will help you budget.

2. Small business cashflow forecast template 

Microsoft's small business cash flow forecast template helps you anticipate if your company’s cashflow will be enough to meet your financial obligations. You can enter in your cashflow numbers for instant calculations and even generate a chart to summarize your monthly balances. 

3. Budget summary report template 

This budget summary report template helps you evaluate and track your overall financial budget in relation to your competitors, regional sales, shareholder equity, and more. Everything is kept on track in a simple summary report to give you a bird’s eye view of your business. 

4. Balance sheet template

This balance sheet template is a simple, yet effective template. You can use it to track your net worth, equity, assets, and liabilities as a small business owner. Get a year-by-year comparison on any fluctuations by simply filling in your numbers. 

5. Startup expenses template 

If your business is just getting off the ground, this startup expenses template can help guide you on what you need to keep track of. It includes sections for expenses, investors and loans, inventory, promotional expenses, along with brief advice for budding entrepreneurs.

Operational and General Templates

These templates focus on the operational aspects of your business in greater detail. This template will oversee the day-to-day expenses, tasks and projects that are needed to run the company smoothly.

6. Expense budget template 

This expense budget template focuses on a detailed breakdown of your company’s expenses. You can track things like office, employee, traveling, and training costs. The template is programmed to calculate the differences between actual and planned expenses.

7. Project performance reports

For tracking projects, you can use this project performance report template . It lets you record high-level status on multiple projects that are tied directly with estimated and actual budget costs. It uses conditional formatting for estimating costs at granular levels.

8. Sales invoice tracking template

We’ve picked out this sales invoice tracking template to help you quickly set up a tracking system for customers and invoices. Store and maintain a record of your customers, invoices, and purchase details so you can stay on top of all your sales records.

9. Event budget template

If you’re planning a company event, this event budget template helps you drill down the costs of the event in detail – from catering and event speakers to advertising and venue fees. Compare the estimated cost versus the actual costs and income in several categories.

Employee Templates

No business becomes successful on its own. Assembling and managing a team of employees is also key to its success. Below you’ll find a few HR-related and project management templates that can help you track and organize anything related to your workers, ensuring everyone has what they need.

10. Employee timesheet (weekly, monthly, yearly) 

An essential template you shouldn’t be without is an employee timesheet . The template we picked out for this section will help you track hours daily, weekly, monthly and annually. Simply duplicate the worksheet timecard for each employee.

11. Employee absence schedule template

This employee absence schedule easily complements the time sheet card above. Keep track of employee vacation days, sick days, and personal days. The template is simple to use with colour-coded blocks to denote the type of absence tracked by days and months, so you can easily update your payroll in detail.

12. Business trip budget template 

Planning a work-related trip? This business trip budget template helps you plan out and record all the costs of any business trip including travel fares, hotels, dining, transportation and anything else that goes into making a business trip for your employees successful

13. Project timeline with milestones template

If you and your team are working on a project, keep everyone on track with this four week project timeline template . This template is a more simplified project tracker than the previous project performance template, letting you assign tasks visually by deadline and in coordination with other tasks.

14. Adjustable meeting agenda

For team meetings, nothing is more important than staying within your time budget. An adjustable meeting agenda can help when trying to schedule in different speakers, points of discussion, and any last-minute changes.

Manage, plan, and work with business documents online using Xodo 

These Microsoft Excel tips and templates are just the start of planning out and managing your business more efficiently.

With Xodo’s online tools and multi-platform experience, you can planning your day-to-day more effectively and focus on the more important aspects of your business.

The best part is that once your spreadsheet is set up, you can save it on Xodo Drive and view it on the go, in meetings, or while working. Reference and update it from anywhere using our Xodo mobile apps on Android, iOS, or Windows (UWP).

Check out what other tools Xodo has to offer and enhance your workflow online.

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34 Excel Business Templates for Workplace Productivity (2024 Update)

Krystal Tolani Motwani

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There’s a reason Excel is so ubiquitous in the workplace. Its versatility allows you to do a plethora of different things, like track KPIs, create sales receipts, and record time cards.

To make your life a little easier, we compiled some of our favorite Excel templates for business.

Get your free Excel templates

These handy Excel templates will save you precious time when creating business documents.

1. Timeline template

Time is a resource that can’t be gained back, which is why it’s essential to track it. This  timeline template  by Vertex42 gives you an overview of the milestones and events that team members should be aware of.

2. Gantt chart template

3. To-do list template

A big part of the solution-creating process is simply knowing what needs to get done. This to-do list template by Vertex42 is perfect for keeping you and your team in the loop.

With this template, you can add project tasks, the priority level, a due date, who’s in charge, and status updates.

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4. Issue-tracking template

This template allows you to keep a log of what went wrong, the priority of the issue, and the team assigned to tackle it, as well as a comment section to note any findings. Having a birdseye view of what went wrong will help you track recurring issues and nip them in the bud before they affect the rest of the current project.

5. Weekly time-card template

6. KPI tracker template

This handy KPI tracker will help you measure the things that matter for business success. The template allows you to consolidate metrics between teams and switch between a table and a graphical layout.  

7. Party planning template

8. Payment invoice template

9. Portfolio management template

Use this portfolio management template to track how much you earn from your investments. Created by a Singaporean investor and adapted to fit the US stock market, this template also has a summary section for a broad view of your portfolio.

10. Service invoice template

11. Shipping invoice template

Save money on invoicing software with this template . With this Excel sheet, you can include shipping information, alternate addresses, product codes, and notes.

12. Account statement template

13. Packing slip template

If you’re shipping goods to customers, use this packing slip template to show your customers a breakdown of their orders.

14. Price quote template

15. Purchase order template

Once your customer decides to accept your price quote, you can then create a purchase order thanks to this template .

16. Sales receipt template

17. Rent receipt template

This rent receipt template is handy If you rent out your office space or home. The simple template allows you to keep a record of payments made on your property.

18. Home office expense tracker template

19. Time card template

20. Weekly time card template

21. Weekly timesheet

If you're looking for a daily schedule template , check out this resource.

22. Payroll calculator template

This payroll calculator template helps you account for deductions when determining gross pay.

23. Startup business plan template

24. Existing business plan template

25. 12-month marketing plan template

26. Editorial content calendar template

Content and social media have only grown in importance over the past few years. This editorial content calendar template is a handy way to track when and where you post over a few months.

27. On-page SEO template

28. SWOT analysis template

Use this SWOT analysis to ensure you and your team are systematically identifying and adapting to opportunities and potential threats

29. Event planning template

In the event planning a business, or simply want to celebrate a milestone with your team? Check out this event planning template so yours runs without a hiccup.

30. Job application template

31. World meeting planner

If you work as part of a global remote team, you are probably aware of the inconvenience that comes with coordinating a mutually optimal time for meetings. This world meeting planner and time zone converter will save you multiple e-visits to timeanddate.com when coordinating with your coworkers.

32. Business financial plan template

33. Business budget expense template

34. To do list template

Become an Excel pro

Want to learn how to use Excel like a pro (and maybe create a couple of templates of your own)? Check out our range of Excel courses , complete with video lessons with accompanying cheat sheets, exercises, and quizzes to bolster your learning.

For more Excel templates, check out this handy article .

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Krystal is a Growth Product Manager at GoSkills with a background in digital marketing. She has spent the better part of the last decade working in the EdTech industry. When she's not at work, you can find her listening to podcasts or watching comedy specials on Netflix.

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Excel Business Plan Template

Excel Business Plan Template (Table of Contents)

Introduction to Business Plan Template

How to create a business plan template in excel.

A Business plan is a blueprint resource that helps improve revenue and cover all their goals. Every business needs planning before it steps forward. Else, it may lead to expensive measures later on. They help in business jumps as well as raising high capital. Office applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint contain these templates. Pre-installed Business plan templates are available, while others can be imported from third-party sources to Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. It will make the report more professional and interactive for the business. For example, if a company needs a sales plan for their business, the Business plan template will be designed accordingly.

We can see the estimated costs of different items and the total costs in the above template. It is the investment or the start-up budget. This will help in analyzing the revenue of the company.

Explanation:

The business plan template not only consists of an estimated budget. It may also consist of estimated sales and profit as well. Profits and sales may vary afterward, but it will blueprint how the business will perform. Every business has its own business plan before the launch of a product or a new business. The Board of Directors or any organization’s top management typically uses business plansThe organization’s hierarchy often spreads down these plans, but how does the organization make these plans? Some templates make these plans clearer and visually ready. While creating the template may take some time, the Office suite pre-installs some common use templates, and users can import third-party templates from various sources. Below are the steps on how to use a business plan template.

• MS Excel has some inbuilt Business plan templates in it. We can use the same or modify it as per our needs. We can import templates from an outside source if those are not useful. If those templates are not useful, we can import them from an outside source, such as AI business plan generators . After opening Excel, we have to select a workbook. We can select more templates, as shown below.

• A window opens with some templates below and a search bar on the top.

• Now, if we don’t use the template below, we can search the template from the search bar. We’ll type “Business plan” and then can see the result.

You can see some templates above. We can select the template as per our needs.

• To open a third-party template, click Open > Browse and select the template we downloaded from a source.

• Let us suppose we have selected a business template from the inbuilt templates.

• We’ll click on “create” to make the template ready.
• Now, the template is ready for use. We can see that there are two types of templates, i.e., “Cost plans” and “Profit & Loss” templates, as shown below.

• We can add some formatting and modify it per our business or needs. Let us try this in the “Cost plan” template first.

We have changed the backgrounds and the estimated costs of items/services of an organization. We can add or delete columns and rows as per our needs. There are months, costs per month, one-time costs, and total costs as columns.

• The total cost per item is calculated as “Cost per month * Months + One-time cost”. Finally, we can apply the sum function in the “Total cost” column to find the estimated budget of the company.
• Since we have our estimated costs, we will also have the profit and loss as per our investment rate as well which can be calculated in the 2 nd 

First of all, let us work on the “Revenue” section. We include the revenue details for 12 months and calculate the net sales, cost of goods sold, and profit. To calculate net sales, you need to total the sum of all the revenues. Similarly, YTD or Year to End sales is calculated by totaling all the month’s revenue.

• When we place the cursor on “Net sales”, we see a drop-down list showing many parameters like sum, avg, count, etc.

This template has in-built functions in the drop-down list. When we click on the respective function, it will show the result accordingly. But how it works? If not present, we can add it manually.

• The Cost of goods sold is shown, calculated with the formula “Estimated sales * 0.4”. For October, the cost of goods sold is 1000*0.4, i.e., 400$.

• Gross profit is calculated with the formula as shown below.

The formula says, “Net sales-Cost of goods sold=Gross profit”. Similarly, we can calculate the gross profit every month. And the total gross profit can calculate by totaling the profits for all the months.

• In the “Expense” section, salaries, marketing costs, commission, rent, and other costs are to be mentioned.

Total expenses can calculate by totaling all the expenses.

• Calculate your income before taxes: deduct taxes from your total income, Tariffs imposed by the government will reduce your net income.

•  You can calculate the net income for Year-to-Date (YTD) either by considering the YTD period or by summing the incomes of all three months.

Things to Remember

• Estimated costs and actual costs may differ.
• Similarly, estimated revenue and actual revenue may be different also.
• The business plan model is a blueprint of actual revenue and profits.
• Users can utilize templates from inbuilt sources or import them from external sources.
• We should know all the formulas before creating a Business plan sheet.
• Normally, top management authorities and board members use these sheets.

Recommended Articles

This is a guide to Excel Business Plan Template. Here we discuss How to create Excel Business Plan Template, practical examples, and a downloadable Excel template. You can also go through our other suggested articles –

• Accounting Templates in Excel
• Free Excel Template
• Estimate Template in Excel
• Timecard Template in Excel

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Plan Templates

18+ free business plan templates.

A business plan acts as a blueprint of your company and covers all the important aspects of your business, thereby also hinting how your business can successfully grow. If the business planning isn’t done properly, it can lead to quite expensive corrective measures later on. Not only internally, but business plan templates are also used externally. They are indispensable during fundraising. They help to jump-start your business and maximize your chances of raising capital.

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Updated on February 11, 2024

50+ Best Free Excel Templates for Small Businesses (2024)

At Finimpact, we understand the importance of organization and automation in terms of ensuring success. Having worked extensively with SMBs, it is obvious that failing to manage expenditure in an efficient way is one of the major reasons for failure.

We have compiled the list of templates below in order to streamline business processes . Basic sheets such as the startup business plan template or the loan analysis comparison could prove invaluable.

While not all of them may not be appropriate for your business, two or three well designed sheets could save a lot of resources and help to put things in the right perspective. They can replace automation or payroll software which can be quite expensive for businesses that are just getting started. Excel is the most well-known and useful tool in the world of finance and many other disciplines. It can be used to do almost anything data-related, and is perfectly suited to both corporations and small businesses. It is a premier tracking and automation tool for data analysis – one that you need to make extensive use of.

If you are looking to streamline the speed and utility of your business, consider the 50+ templates below. We created is based on some of the most recurring issues that result in failure or lost revenue. You should be using these templates or their variations in your business, as they cover critical items. Enjoy & Share

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Let us know how these templates work out for you and tell us if we missed anything [our email- [email protected] ]. At Finimpact, we are always looking for innovative ways to optimize business processes. We strive to give small businesses everything that they need to limit their risk and maximize their return on investment. Excel templates can be a powerful tool to manage and track all manner of items, from expenses to inventory to general expenditure .

About the Author

Daniel Lewis

Daniel Lewis is an MBA accredited investment professional who wants to assist small business owners to gain access to finance.

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The 5 Best Excel Project Management Templates

• Last updated March 21, 2024

Fact Checked By Cindy Wong

Looking for Excel project management templates? You’ve come to the right place! I like using pre-designed templates because they save time and help me manage my project more effectively.

If you’re looking for project management templates in Excel, click “ Home ” > “ More Templates .” Then, you can search for an appropriate template that fits your needs.

Table of Contents

Benefits of Using Excel for Project Management

An Excel project management template is handy for several reasons, including:

• Efficiency and Saving Time: Excel templates save you time because you don’t need to create your own from scratch. They’re also dynamic, changing depending on the input, making them very efficient.
• Clear Task Assignment and Management:  Excel project management templates help break down project tasks into manageable components. They assign responsibilities to team members, set deadlines, and track task progress, all aided by helpful features like checkboxes, drop-down lists, and progress bars.
• Communication and Collaboration:  The templates help to establish effective communication between you and your team. Comments, notes, or discussion sections within the template allow team members to communicate and provide feedback on tasks or project components.
• Resource Management: They help you plan for and manage project resources, including human resources, inventory , materials, equipment, and finances. And there are many more for businesses. Check out my expense report templates .
• Quality Management:  They define quality standards and requirements for project deliverables, establish quality assurance processes, and implement quality control measures to ensure that project outcomes meet you and your team’s expectations.
• Change Management: Excel project Templates help you manage changes to project scope, schedule, and budgets, especially when working with a large team. Additionally, you can track document change requests and obtain necessary approvals before implementing changes.
• Progress Tracking and Reporting : Project management templates help you monitor project progress against established milestones and timelines and track key performance indicators (KPIs). They also make it easy to generate progress reports to keep you and your team informed about project status and performance.
• Document Management:  The templates help centralize project documentation, including project plans, schedules, inventories, meeting minutes, and other relevant documents, to ensure easy access and retrieval by your team members.

The most efficient Excel project management templates include the following features:

• Project plans
• Budget sheets
• Risk assessment forms
• Communication plans

How To Find Excel Project Management Templates in the Excel Template Gallery

As mentioned earlier, Excel has a wealth of free Excel project management tracking templates that you can easily access.

If you have never used the Excel gallery before, follow these simple instructions and enter a new world of efficiency.

Here’s how to find a project management template in Excel’s template gallery :

• Open Excel and go to “ Home” > “More Templates .”

• Type “ Project ” in the search bar and hit “ Enter .”

• Scroll and find a template you like.
• This will open a new workbook with your template, and you can start customizing it.

Depending on your version of Excel, you can also go to the “ Home ” menu, click “ New, ” and search for free project management Excel templates from there.

Now, let’s look at some of my favorite project management Excel templates.

Some of my favorite project management templates in Excel are free in the online template gallery. Below is a mix of templates available in Excel’s gallery or my pre-made templates.

If you want to use any of these templates, you download and customize the template rather than making one from scratch.

Just make sure you click on “ Edit a copy ” in the top right corner or “ File ” > “ Save as ” > “ Download a copy .”

1. Project Planner Template

Access the Template

The Project Planner Gantt template is a free Excel project management template that you can find in the template gallery.

This template has a simple table for inputting your activities and periods and a Gantt chart dashboard for visualizing the timelines for each activity.

I particularly like this template because it is excellent for tracking the timelines of tasks in a project. However, the downside is that it uses periods for intervals instead of dates, which might not suit your project (that’s why I’ve included a custom Gantt chart in this list, too).

The template has the following features:

• Columns for activity names, statuses, planned start, start duration, and end duration.
• A Gantt chart to visualize the timeline for each activity in the project
• Visual indicators, such as color-coded cells or icons, indicate the progress of the project statuses  (e.g., plan duration, actual start, completed).
• Filters and sorting options to organize projects by status, priority, or deadlines.

2. Custom Project Management Spreadsheet Template

Access Template

If you’re looking for an all-rounder Excel Gantt chart template for project management, this template is for you.

Our Project Management spreadsheet template is versatile and suitable for various project management components.

It’s similar to the standard Microsoft Excel library, but I’ve made it easier to track calendar dates. I have also included more room for project details.

The best features of this template include:

• Detailed task list with columns for task names, descriptions, assigned resources, start dates, end dates, durations, and statuses.
• Drop-down function to highlight overdue tasks, upcoming deadlines, and completed tasks.
• Filters and sorting options to organize tasks based on various criteria.
• A Gantt chart to visualize the timelines for each task.
• Automatic calculation of task durations and end dates based on start and end dates.
• Task tracking for complex projects.

3. Project Tracker Template

This project plan template is simple and easily customizable, with features that let you track multiple projects.

It is a straightforward solution for maintaining a centralized list of projects. This project-tracking Excel template is designed to help project managers monitor and oversee the progress of multiple projects simultaneously and divide labor throughout the projects’ workload.

The key features include:

• A comprehensive table view to track multiple projects simultaneously.
• Columns for project names, descriptions, statuses, start dates, end dates, and assigned employees and project managers.
• A color-coded progress bar to track the progress of each task.
• Work breakdown structure for several projects as part of
• Interactive features, such as drop-down menus, for user-friendly navigation and data entry.

4. Project List Excel Template

This template is also part of Excel’s online template gallery. It is a simple table with columns for different aspects of the project you want to track.

This Project List Excel template is the best for beginners since it’s easy to understand and edit.

One thing to note is that there is no Gantt chart or other visualization, making it more appropriate for smaller projects with fewer stakeholders or employees.

It offers a structured approach to task management, enabling users to create task lists, prioritize activities, assign responsibilities, and track progress seamlessly.

It includes the following features:

• Customizable spreadsheet with columns for different project management components (e.g., task name, assigned to, duration, and work hours).
• Standardized formats for documenting project information.
• Built-in formulas for automatic calculations, data analysis, and reporting.
• Conditional formatting to flag work hours under specific values.
• A “setup” tab will allow you to alter drop-down lists.

5. Project Timeline Excel Template

The Project Timeline template is another Excel template available in the online template gallery.

Using timelines as project management tools makes it easy to visualize the business plan throughout the entire project.

It provides a clear and concise overview of project milestones, deadlines, and critical events, enabling you to understand project progress and milestones at a glance. This task management Excel template is an excellent asset for time-sensitive projects.

• A simple list format to track basic project information such as activities, start dates, end dates, and notes.
• An editable timeline to highlight critical project milestones or deadlines.
• Various sorting options to arrange projects alphabetically, by start date, or by status.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can excel be used for project management.

Excel has many useful features for project management. These include:

• Drop-down menus
• Progress bars

These features create an excellent project management template, depending on your needs. I like to incorporate task list tables with a Gantt chart in my templates to keep track of project components, but there are plenty of options in the template library.

Does Excel have a Project Management Template?

Plenty of free project management Excel templates exist in Excel’s template gallery. Alternatively, you can visit Excel’s template gallery to see the full range. Go to “ Home ” > “ More Templates .”

Wrapping Up

In this guide, I’ve explored five of the best Excel project management templates, including some from Excel’s template gallery and some of our own.

These templates are designed to streamline project planning, execution, and monitoring. Each template offers unique features tailored to specific project management needs. Alternatively, look at our guide for the best Excel business templates . I also have a guide especially for project managers who use Google Sheets. You can find that guide here .

Which template did you find most useful? Are there any from the template library you think we should add to our list? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Looking for the Best AI Tools for Excel? Here Are My 6 Favorite Options

Published: August 05, 2024

Today, data wrangling is an essential skill in almost every role, making Excel an essential skill. But, the days of lying about your Excel proficiency are over; instead, you can use the best AI tools on the market for Excel.

While analysts and data scientists need serious expertise, I’m just someone who regularly has to export data from multiple tools and leverage Excel to report on marketing performance across different channels.

Since I use the program so much, I’ve become pretty adept at more complicated Excel features, but there’s no doubt it can still be time-consuming and tricky.

So, I wanted to see how all the recent advances in AI could make those hours spent in spreadsheets easier and how much time I could save.

I went and found some of the best AI tools for Excel, tested them, and compiled my findings below.

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How I Tested the Best AI Tools and Plugins for Excel

There’s a lot you can do in Excel . I use everything from simple formulas to more advanced macros. I tested the tools and plugins for:

• Accuracy : Often, I’m dealing with really big data sets, as I’m sure many of you are. These can make calculations and formulas complex, so an Excel tool needs to be capable of handling tasks with accuracy.
• Ease of Use: There’s nothing worse than a confusing tool. Excel itself can be confusing enough, so a clear interface and good UX should be a given here.
• Speed and Reliability: We turn to AI to be more efficient. A tool needs to be quick and reliable if I’m going to invest time and money in it.
• Range of Features: There’s a lot AI can do in Excel. The more features a single tool has, the better.

For testing purposes, I downloaded a sample spreadsheet containing office supplies sales data to be used in every tool, eliminating possible variables.

The Best AI Tools and Plugins for Excel

Pricing: Free plans are available. Standard plans cost $9 per month. Business plans cost $40 per month, and business plus plans cost $200 per month.

Even though I work in Excel and Google Sheets a lot, I’ve never been great at remembering complicated formulas and functions. With Ajelix , I don’t have to.

Within two minutes of jumping into Ajelix, I was able to type out what I was trying to do with my data, and the tool spat out multiple formula options for me to try.

When I first opened the tool, I got a really nice, user-friendly dashboard. Since I tend to struggle with formula mistakes, I clicked on the “Generate Formula” option.

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Travel Planner Templates

40 free travel planner templates [excel, word, pdf].

Detailed planning of a trip ensures you get a pleasurable experience. It prevents waste of money, time, or energy. Planning prevents setbacks or unexpected encounters. A trip planner template is intended to assist create the ideal schedule. It makes the planning of your upcoming travel a complete joy. 

Table of Contents

• 1 Travel Planner Templates
• 2 What is a vacation itinerary template?
• 3 Trip Planner Templates
• 4 What are the goals of a trip itinerary template?
• 5 Vacation Planner Templates
• 6 How do you write a travel planner?
• 7 Travel Itinerary Templates
• 8 Other important details to include in itinerary templates

Traveling requires balancing a lot of things. Whether you are going away for a weekend trip or going places across the globe.  It is great to have a travel itinerary template that makes things easier. It guarantees a seamless trip experience free from stress. The trip itinerary sheet makes it simple for you to organize your daily activities. It comes with pre-populated custom fields.

What is a vacation itinerary template?

A vacation planner template is a travel itinerary that has already been pre-populated for you. It acts as your personalized help for organizing your entire travel.  The personalized itinerary is a useful tool that helps people manage and arrange different components of their trip schedule. It is usually preformatted and acts as a framework for people to enter and keep track of important information related to their travel. 

The road trip itinerary may contain details such as airlines, attractions to visit, and hotels. Generally, the next trip planner is divided into parts. Each represents various aspects of the trip preparation. The vacation itinerary template may consist of details such as:

• Daily activities and attractions Travel itinerary templates contain a schedule of your planned outings. The trip itinerary features the daily activities you will engage in and the attractions you will visit. You can also add into the personalized itinerary the contacts of the hotel/s, tour operators, and reservations.
• The road trip itinerary The trip itinerary planner contains the road trip plan or places to visit. It includes the date when the trip will start and plans for each day. The main purpose of the vacation itinerary template is to ensure you don’t miss any crucial information about the trip. It helps you create expectations and imagine how your journey experiences will be.
• Trip itinerary budget Another important component in the travel itinerary template is the budgeted expenses for the entire trip. Budgeting is useful and helps keep track of your expenditure. It prevents you from spending all your money on one activity or attraction. Budgeting in the travel planner template may contain details such as: Expected expenditure for accommodation Spending limitations for meals The amount to spend on entertainment Money planned for transportation Budget for giving tips to hotel workers and other people Budget for buying gifts and other items to take home Miscellaneous spending
• Travel planner template provides contact details for emergencies The unexpected may happen and you may suddenly need help. It could be due to an accident, sickness, or something negative and unexpected. If such scenarios happen, it is important to know where you can get help fast. The travel planner template features important information to use in case of an emergency. It may include details such as: Ambulance contacts Local government contacts Nearest medical facilities Embassy contacts Evacuation and medical insurance numbers
• Travel itinerary templates offering transportation plan The free itinerary templates may also contain your transportation plan. The plan may include all types of transportation you intend to use. You might plan to use air travel at one time or rail travel at another time.  You might need public transport, cab services, and shuttles. You can add into the travel itinerary templates flight numbers including arrival and departures. The trip itinerary template may also include timings, time zones, and other useful travel information. What makes a vacation planner template easy to use is that it’s versatile and adaptable. You can make your own free itinerary templates or select a predesigned itinerary template from the long list of templates available online. What matters is their unique features and what you need included in your travel itinerary. You may choose to download an itinerary template for your next trip or fill it out online. No matter the option, the itinerary template serves as a centralized store of your business trip or road trip itinerary data. It makes it easier to manage your travel arrangements without the hassle of carrying disorganized notes. It ensures you engage in a well-planned and pleasurable trip. A travel itinerary template is a simple yet effective tool that makes your travel dreams come true.

Trip Planner Templates

What are the goals of a trip itinerary template?

You could be an experienced traveler locally or internationally. It could also be your first time to create a road trip itinerary. A trip planner template is essential and goes beyond keeping things organized. It is the secret to a flawless, memorable, and exciting trip. 

You may think of itinerary templates as a reliable trip companion regardless of the experience you have in traveling. The main goal of a trip itinerary template is to keep the complexities of trip planning organized. It serves multiple purposes and may include the following. 

• Ensuring you get unforgettable travel experiences Travel itinerary templates ensure every aspect of your trip is captured. It provides details of departures, arrivals, bookings, and everything in between. When you look at the filled business trip or trip itinerary template you begin to imagine your trip. You may imagine things such as. Your wake-up time Arrival at airport Destination arrival time The attractions The people/cultures The entertainment You can view every practical aspect of the journey in the travel planner template. It makes you concentrate entirely on the trip and ensure nothing important or minor is left out. The travel itinerary lets you get deeply connected with places you plan to visit.
• Acts as a one-stop place for information It is stressful to carry loads of papers each with different information concerning the same trip. Travel itinerary templates consolidate all the information you need in one place. It simplifies the planning process unlike having pieces of information dispersed in different sheets. You may have just two pages of a travel planner template that takes care of everything.
• A travel itinerary template allows personalization Travel itinerary templates are adaptable letting you tweak them to fit your needs. The trip itinerary is flexible and fits any type of traveler. It doesn’t matter how complicated or simple their business trip is. The template makes planning the next trip easy.
• A travel planner template makes time management simple Time management is important when on a business trip or adventure. The itinerary templates may break the travel into timed experiences such as: Attend a business meeting for round table discussions on Wednesday from 9 am to 11 am. Visit a cultural event for the local community starting 12 noon to 3 pm Visit a zoo located at Road X to watch rare and endangered species at 4 pm. Spend time at the beach from 6 pm to view the sun setting and tides rise. Enjoy meals in a beach restaurant. In essence, a travel planner template lets you plan all your activities. It helps you maximize your trip experiences. It allows you to make adjustments if the need arises due to unforeseen issues.
• Avails all the information you need for ease of access A travel itinerary template yet it features all the information you need. You don’t have to keep pursuing papers or apps on your phone to get information. You don’t have to keep searching for contacts or the next place to visit. With a well-organized travel itinerary template, you have all the information you need in one place.
• Eliminates stress that comes with traveling Traveling might stress you particularly when you have a complicated travel itinerary. You need to work on logistics and make lots of reservations. You need to keep track of your budget and a list of things to do. Managing all these issues could cause a lot of stress and anxiety in you. You can minimize the stress by creating a travel itinerary template.

Vacation Planner Templates

How do you write a travel planner?

Composing a trip itinerary template needs time and careful consideration. You need to come up with a travel planner template that captures all your itinerary’s main features. You need to include all minor highlights of the journey in the travel itinerary sheet. Here are the steps to follow when creating a detailed vacation planner template. 

• Decide your trip itinerary design There are many types of designs available. Decide the type of trip you want to go to determine the itinerary template type to use. Decide if you want to use free itinerary templates or buy a customized one online. The design for business itinerary sheets is different from adventure travel itinerary templates.
• Customize your trip itinerary sheet Most of the free itinerary templates or the paid ones contain pre-populated data. The data might not fit all your needs. You are free to customize and make the travel itinerary template that is right for you. You may divide your travel planner template into different sections. You may name one section in the travel itinerary template things such as accommodation, attractions, and so on.
• Write the dates Dates are very important in the trip itinerary. They guide you into effective management of events and places to visit. You may indicate the starting date and the end date first. The two dates become the base for every other detail in the itinerary template.
• Add the places to visit Whether you are using free itinerary templates or creating your own, it is crucial to decide the places you want to visit. Let the itinerary template include every place you intend to visit. Also, include in the travel planner template the duration will stay at each destination.
• Add the places you will stay and the means of travel In each place you will visit, you need places to stay and a means to get there. Add several rows in the trip itinerary to include the place you will stay on days 1, 2, 3, and so on. Next to accommodations should be rows capturing the means of transport you will use to each destination.
• Add the activities to engage in Itinerary templates are different and are defined by the purpose of the travel. For instance, a business itinerary template details meetings with business people or shopping for products. A travel itinerary for adventures includes sightseeing and entertainment. Include activities in the trip planner template that resonate with your reasons for travel.
• Create a budget for the trip itinerary One of the purposes of itinerary templates is to create a budget for the trip. Budgeting helps you to keep track of how you spend money. The vacation planner template should include a budget for every activity or event. Have a budget for food, hotel, entertainment, and so on.

Travel Itinerary Templates

Other important details to include in itinerary templates

• Emergency contacts . Create a section in the itinerary template that contains important contacts. Add contacts for your embassy, hotel, relatives, health insurance, and so on. 
• Travel packaging checks . The trip itinerary should include a list of all travel items needed. You might need to include deodorants, umbrellas, flush lights, toothpaste, body oil, and many other items. 
• Important documents . Let the travel planner template have a list of all the documents you need for the entire trip. The crucial documents may include a travel visa, passport, health documents, and tourist card. 
• A summary of the itinerary . On the first page of the trip itinerary sheet, create a summarized detail of the trip. 
• Maps . Include a list of maps in the travel itinerary that could be useful for your trip. You may want to add names of roads and directions in the itinerary template. This is especially important when you are visiting a new place. 

Every travel planner template that you make should help make your travel flawless. You should always remember that staying organized is essential when planning a trip. People travel for different reasons which is why each type of travel requires a customized travel planner template. 

Trips may range from business to conference, and adventure to cultural. An itinerary template helps you to be thorough ensuring no detail is left out. A trip itinerary that offers every detail needed can be the best to choose.

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Free Excel A3 Templates: Process, Problem-Solving, and Strategy

By Lulu Richter | July 29, 2024

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Below, you’ll find the most effective A3 templates in Excel for structured problem-solving and continuous improvement.

Included in this article, you’ll find the following:

• A3 status report template
• A3 strategic planning template
• Lean A3 DMAIC template
• A3 action plan template

Excel A3 Problem-Solving Template

Download the A3 Problem-Solving Template for Excel

When to Use This Template: This template is akin to Toyota's Lean manufacturing-related A3 reports, which follow the Japanese business philosophy of Kaizen, or continuous improvement. Use this template to address a specific problem or to identify opportunities for continuous, incremental improvements.

Notable Template Features: This template provides sections for describing a problem, its current and target states, its planned countermeasures, and an implementation plan. The template combines preformatted tables with blank space for adding visual charts and other documentation. A  fillable fishbone diagram aids in  root cause analysis .

Excel A3 Proposal Template

Download the A3 Proposal Template for Excel

When to Use This Template: Choose this A3 template when proposing a new project, process change, or initiative.

Notable Template Features: This template covers the background, current situation, recommendations, implementation plan, and evaluation criteria to help you articulate the need for change and the expected outcomes. 

Excel A3 Status Report Template

Download the A3 Status Report Template for Excel

When to Use This Template: Use this A3 status report template for periodic updates on ongoing projects or initiatives in order to keep stakeholders informed and engaged.

Notable Template Features: This template allows you to add visuals and tables, so you can document issues and risks, required resources, and next steps. Create a summary report of the current status, metrics, accomplishments, challenges, and lessons learned.

Excel A3 Strategic Planning Template

Download the A3 Strategic Planning Template for Excel

When to Use This Template: Use this A3 strategic planning template to align your organizational strategy with actionable plans, focusing on long-term goals.

Notable Template Features: With a layout similar to a  business model canvas , this template supports higher-level planning, with sections for current state and gap analysis, strategic initiatives, action plans, and follow-up. Insert your own visuals to illustrate your analysis and create a comprehensive A3 report.

Excel A3 DMAIC Project Template

Download the A3 DMAIC Project Template for Excel

When to Use This Template: This A3 template is designed for  Six Sigma projects that utilize the DMAIC methodology to improve processes and solve problems.

Notable Template Features: This template is organized around the five DMAIC phases: define, measure, analyze, improve, and control. The template walks users through each stage of process improvement, from defining the problem statement and objectives to analyzing the root cause, proposing solutions, and pursuing follow-up measures.

Use one of these  templates to write a problem statement .

Excel Lean A3 DMAIC Template

Download the Lean A3 DMAIC Template for Excel

When to Use This Template: Use this Lean A3 DMAIC template for complex  process improvements , projects involving multiple departments or teams, long-term projects, and data-driven initiatives requiring meticulous documentation and tracking.

Notable Template Features: This template combines an A3 DMAIC report with a Gantt chart, so you can visualize the timeline, track progress, and manage dependencies and milestones across the DMAIC project phases. The A3 report includes planned start and end dates for each DMAIC phase, as well as space for visual elements such as process maps, data collection plans, root cause analysis, and other supporting charts and data. 

Excel A3 Action Plan Template

Download the A3 Action Plan Template for Excel

When to Use This Template: When implementing actions or projects to reach shorter-term goals, choose this tactical A3 action plan to outline and manage the necessary steps.

Notable Template Features: This template offers a simple layout for adding detailed steps, timelines, responsibilities, and resources, so you can achieve a particular objective. Sections include background information, measurable targets, an action plan, and an evaluation of outcomes. The action plan allows you to manage risk by providing strategies for mitigating potential obstacles.

Improve Process and Problem-Solving with A3 Templates from Smartsheet

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When teams have clarity into the work getting done, there’s no telling how much more they can accomplish in the same amount of time.  Try Smartsheet for free, today.

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Work in Progress (WIP) Report in Construction (Template Included)

General contractors strive to maintain each job’s profit margin, so it makes sense that the construction project will be monitored closely to ensure it’s progressing as planned. A work-in-progress (WIP) report is one of the tools used to track the budget.

To understand what a WIP report is, we’ll first look at what work in progress is in construction, define the WIP report and how to make one, and then list the components of a thorough WIP report. To show why the WIP report is so important, we’ll highlight the key benefits of using one. We’ll even add a free WIP report template to get started.

What Is Work in Progress in Construction?

Work in progress is an accounting technique that looks at the value of the work that has been completed, but has yet to be invoiced. WIP is important because it helps a general contractor understand the project’s profitability at that point in its life cycle. This is especially true for projects that are behind or even ahead of schedule or labor costs.

This is an essential part of managing a construction project as it helps the general contractor calculate the progress of all ongoing work, allowing them to see what’s done and what’s outstanding. This then informs how the budget is managed and will be used to generate reports to track the percentage complete of the construction project .

For example, if the WIP report shows that a project is half completed, but 75 percent of the budget has been spent, it’s clear that the whole project will come in over budget. This will eat into a general contractor’s profit margin. Having this knowledge while still executing the project means that actions can be taken to get the project back on track, either by adjusting the schedule or the project scope.

Project management software has features that help general contractors track costs to help them keep to their budgets. ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software that has secure timesheets to not only streamline payroll but provide a window into labor costs. General contractors can generate timesheet reports to track time spent on tasks in real time and control labor costs. Construction crews can log hours on the job site, which means that general contractors are always viewing the most current data. Then they can use our color-coded workload charts to view team allocation and balance the workload, keeping everyone working at capacity, without eroding morale and maintaining productivity. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

What Is a WIP Report?

A WIP report, an abbreviation of a work-in-progress report, is the tool general contractors use to monitor costs. It allows them to see what percentage of the project has been completed and how much of the budget has been spent. This provides valuable insight into whether the project is keeping to its budget .

This financial document can also help construction companies better understand their performance on contracts, identify problems and report to lenders and bankers. The WIP report allows general contractors to see if the project has been over- or underbilled to track the payment schedule . Overbilling is charging more than needed for the work completed. Underbilling is when general contractors bill for less than what was earned for the work completed to date. The former positively impacts cash flow, while the latter creates negative cash flow.

When to Make a WIP Report

A WIP report should be generated throughout the project. It typically starts at the beginning of the project and this first report gives the general contractor an idea of how much the project will need. However, once isn’t enough. Projects move swiftly and can quickly become off track. The WIP report should be updated regularly throughout the project’s life cycle so the general contractor has an eye on its schedule and budget to keep the project on track.

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Construction WIP Report Template

Use this free Construction WIP Report Template for Excel to manage your projects better.

What Should Be Included in a Construction WIP Report?

For a WIP report to be effective, it must capture various components that will give it the accounting foundation for financial transparency, which provides valuable insights into the construction project. Let’s review those key elements to produce a thorough WIP report.

• Contract Value: The amount of money that will be paid to a contractor, based on the bid that was submitted to get awarded a construction project contract.
• Estimated Project Cost: The total amount for all the costs that the contractor will cover as the construction project is built.
• Estimated Profit: The difference between the contract value and the estimated project costs, or in other words, the profit that the contractor will make.
• Cost to Date: The costs that have been paid to date for the completion of project tasks.
• Percentage of Completion: A WIP report calculates the percentage of completion of a project based on the total costs that have been incurred to date and compares those to the total estimated cost for the project.
• Profit to Date: The profit a contractor should have made at any point of a project. It’s calculated by multiplying the estimated profit value by the percentage of completion of the project.
• Amount Earned: The total amount of money that should have been given to the contractor based on the percentage completion of the project. It should include its profit to date and project costs. It can be calculated by multiplying the contract value by the percentage of completion.
• Amount Billed: The sum of money the project client has been billed for to date. This value helps contractors use the WIP report to determine whether the project is currently over or under-billed.
• Cost to Complete: The remaining costs to be paid for the completion of the project. It’s the difference between the estimated cost of the project and the cost to date.
• Over or Under Billing: The WIP report allows contractors to determine whether they haven’t billed the project client correctly for the tasks that have been completed, or if on the contrary, they have billed for work that hasn’t been completed.

Benefits of Using WIP Reports

Any report that helps general contractors ensure that they’re meeting the requirements of the project contract is important. However, a WIP is more than a tool to navigate construction contracts . It’s a tool that helps in construction management.

First and foremost, it ensures financial accuracy. It provides a systemic approach to tracking project-related revenues and costs. This leads to more accurate financial reporting. It also helps by being a more effective way to recognize revenue. By showing the percentage of completion and tracking earned revenue based on project progress, companies get a more accurate picture of their financial performance.

WIP reports can also help cost management and control. They provide insightful data into the actual project costs by monitoring the spending and identifying cost overruns that can be addressed before threatening the project’s profitability. Construction projects are notoriously unpredictable with cost fluctuations, which makes the WIP report so important.

This leads to greater billing accuracy and contractual compliance. The WIP report helps make sure that invoicing clients align with the actual work that has been done. This reduces the risk of billing disputes and ensures that contractual obligations are met. The WIP report can also identify overbilling and underbilling, which helps with managing cash flow efficiently.

Another benefit of WIP reports is that they act as another tool to monitor the project, identify issues and help with decision-making. They provide a snapshot of the project’s progress, which can help the general manager make decisions about resource allocation , project prioritization and strategic planning while keeping stakeholders informed.

The WIP report is also important for risk management as regular assessments of the project’s financial performance can identify risks, such as cost overruns, schedule delays or scope changes that can impact the profit margins of the project. They also provide transparency and accountability to the project by providing clear breakdowns of project finances, which benefits stakeholders.

WIP Report Template

To reap the benefits of a WIP report, download this free WIP report template for Excel. It will provide accounting for construction projects, tracking costs and revenues throughout the project.

The free template is built to capture all the vital information necessary to track costs compared to the project contract and budget, across multiple projects. It’s also fully customizable, allowing users to download and edit as needed to align with their accounting.

Free Related Construction Project Management Templates

The WIP report template is only one of over 100 free project management templates for Excel and Word that users can download from our site immediately to help manage every project phase across industries such as construction, manufacturing, professional services, IT and more. Below are three three construction management templates .

Project Budget Template

Before being able to monitor costs, a project must have a budget. Use this free project budget template for Excel to create an accurate project budget. The free template has columns to estimate labor, material and other costs, which can then be tracked by the budgeted and actual columns.

Scope of Work Template

The scope of work is a document that captures what a project covers and what it doesn’t cover. Use our free scope of work template for Word to collect all this information, from project deliverables, timelines and milestones to project exclusions and more.

Project Progress Report Template

The WIP report is not the only tool a general contractor has to monitor progress. Use this free project progress report template for Word to compare a project’s actual progress against its planned progress.

How to Manage Construction Projects With ProjectManager

Construction projects might be able to run on templates, but no one is going to recommend it. Templates serve a purpose, mainly to push a person to upgrade to project management software. That’s because templates can only do so much. They’re static documents that pull one away from their work to manually update them. ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software for construction that has resource management and secure timesheets to track labor costs and keep teams working productively. There are also features to plan and monitor projects in real time.

Make Construction Schedules With Online Gantt Charts

To set up a construction project to succeed, first, a realistic schedule has to be created. Using our robust Gantt charts , general contractors can organize tasks, resources and costs, but also link all four types of task dependencies to avoid costly delays. They can also filter for the critical path and identify the essential tasks that must be completed to deliver the project successfully.

Once the schedule is in place, set a baseline to capture the construction plan and compare it to actual progress and costs to ensure that the project stays on schedule and within its budget. Plans are shared across multiple project views and updated in real time to let general contractors monitor progress and costs.

Monitor Project Progress In Real Time

While a WIP report is a great tool to monitor project progress and costs, it is far from the only one. General contractors only need to toggle over to the real-time project or portfolio management dashboard to get a high-level overview of time, cost, workload and more. This live data is collected automatically and displayed on easy-to-read graphs and charts for an instant status report.

For more detailed information, use the customizable reports, such as status or portfolio reports, variance, timesheets or workload reports, to name a few. These reports can all be filtered to show the details general contractors need to see or the more general information that can be shared with stakeholders.

Related Construction Project Management Content

Looking for more information on construction project management. This is the right place. We’re an online hub for project management with weekly blogs, ebooks, guides and free templates that help manage every project phase across multiple industries. Below are a handful of recent construction project management posts.

• Construction Reporting: Types of Construction Reports
• 32 Construction Documents (Templates Included)
• The Construction Resource Management Process Explained
• Why Use a Gantt Chart in Construction Project Management
• Construction Site Management: A Guide to Site Inspection

ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects teams whether they’re in the office, out in the field or anywhere else in the world. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app notifications. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

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How Do You Keep Track of Inventory in Excel?

August 13, 2024 •  5 min read

In today’s fast-paced business environment, having a handle on your inventory is crucial for success. Manual methods of inventory tracking are error-prone and time-consuming, leaving you vulnerable to stockouts, overstocking, and lost profits.

This article explores the power of Excel spreadsheets for streamlined inventory tracking, guiding you through the creation of a user-friendly system to categorize, monitor, and manage your stock with ease. We’ll also touch on why inventory management software is an important evolution for your inventory management—even if you’re already tracking inventory on a spreadsheet. Plus, you can download our pre-filled Excel inventory template below to help you manage your inventory. Let’s get started!

How to Keep Track of Inventory in Excel

You can use an inventory tracking spreadsheet to track important information like each item in your inventory, such as SKU , barcode , description, location, quantity in stock, reorder point, value, and more. You can also include expiration dates, customized notes, and pictures. 

If you wish, you can include formulas and calculations on your spreadsheet. And you can create a workbook with interdependent spreadsheets, or tabs, each displaying data differently. But before you begin tracking data, ensure you’re capturing the right details.

Experience the simplest inventory management software.

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Make a List of Categories and Calculations Needed

Before you begin entering data in Excel, make a list of categories and calculations that you’ll need for inventory tracking.

Inventory Categories

Below are categories—some commonly used in inventory management software —that you might want to include in the columns of your Excel spreadsheet:

• Barcode or QR code numbers
• Description
• Reorder quantity
• Inventory value
• Reorder flag

Inventory Calculations

You can add formulas to your inventory spreadsheet. And you can use the Help feature in Excel or search online for tutorials on how to create formulas. Think about what calculations you’ll need. Some examples include:

• Quantity in stock
• Purchase costs
• Quantity in reorder

You’ll need additional spreadsheets, categories, and calculations to track sales, business performance, and other data. Learn more about inventory formulas commonly used in inventory tracking.

Download a Free Inventory Template

The team at Sortly has put together an easy, totally customizable inventory template for small businesses:

Free Download: Inventory Template

Download our free inventory template today! The template is pre-populated with common inventory examples and categories but is totally customizable–feel free to add your items along with custom details, rows, and columns specific to your business's inventory.  

This free, easy-to-use template is the best inventory excel sheet for performing basic inventory tracking. This template is a good fit for those just starting out with inventory tracking for their business. Feel free to make edits to the template so it works for your specific inventory.

Another free option for tracking your inventory is Sortly inventory management software , which is far easier than tracking manually in Excel. You can also upload the above inventory template directly into Sortly and populate your inventory in the app instantly. Read on to learn more about the pros and cons of tracking in Excel vs. inventory management software.

Create your own inventory tracking spreadsheet

You can also create your own template by opening a blank spreadsheet and entering the categories and formulas of your choice. To make an inventory spreadsheet in Excel, open a new spreadsheet and write every little thing you want to track in a different column of the top row. Most inventory managers use the first column to track item name, then add columns for information like UPC/serial number, location, description, quantity, par, vendor, item value, and more. 

Next, if you’d like, you can rename this tab (likely named Sheet1 by default) something like “Inventory Master List.” You can then make copies of the tabs in the same spreadsheet. You can use these copies to record inventory data each time you take inventory. Remember to rename the tab to the date you counted inventory. Over time, you’ll gather meaningful information about how your business uses inventory. 

What Are the Pros and Cons of an Excel Inventory Tracking Spreadsheet?

• Inexpensive – Download free or low-cost spreadsheets.
• Customizable – Add or remove columns and use formulas.
• Shareable – Upload the document to cloud storage like Dropbox or Google Docs and share it with your team.
• Complications – As your business grows, so do the columns and rows on your spreadsheet. “At-a-glance” is not a feature on a lengthy spreadsheet.
• Time investment – It takes time to create or adapt formulas and to increase spreadsheet function to match your business growth.
• Data protection – If you mistakenly delete or alter information on a spreadsheet, it may not be easy to restore it.
• Limitations – Unlike inventory management software that scans QR codes and barcodes and captures the data they provide, an Excel inventory spreadsheet requires manual entries. And you won’t have real-time data.

Why Sortly is Better Than Spreadsheets

Sortly is an  inventory management solution  that helps you track, manage, and organize your inventory from any device, in any location. We’re an easy-to-use inventory software that’s perfect for large or small businesses. Sortly builds inventory tracking seamlessly into your workday so you can save time and money, satisfy your customers, and help your business succeed.

With Sortly, you can track inventory, supplies, parts, tools, assets like equipment and machinery, and anything else that matters to your business. It comes equipped with smart features like  barcoding  &  QR coding ,  low stock alerts ,  customizable folders ,  data-rich reporting , and much more. Best of all, you can update inventory right from your smartphone, whether you’re on the job, in the warehouse, or on the go.

Whether you’re just getting started with inventory management or you’re an expert looking for a more efficient solution, we can transform how your company manages inventory—so you can focus on building your business. That’s why over 15,000 businesses globally trust us as their inventory management solution.

Start your two-week  free trial of Sortly  today.

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