10 Best Project Plan Templates (Excel, Word) Free Download!

Wish to take your project planning to the next level? Are you looking for ready-to-go templates to have a swift start to your project planning? We have got you covered! Whether you’re just getting started or a seasoned project manager, having the right tools is the key.

That is why we have gathered various types of templates for you to utilize, provided a guideline to follow if you wish to design one on your own, and even tools, tips & tricks, and more for you to make sure that nothing is overlooked in your project planning journey!

Without further ado, let’s dive into it by first taking a look at our free downloadable project planning templates.

10 Free Project Plan Templates

1. Minimalist Project Planning Template

Every project manager has their own way of going about project planning. Some may need all the details, and others might require some space.

So, if you’re in need of some space and want a minimal template, this one is for you. A simpler and more minimalistic approach for a team that does not wish to be micromanaged!

2. Project Plan Kickoff Template

Kicking off a project the right way will set the tone for how you finish! That is why you must set a kick-off plan in motion to start off your project and this template will help you do just that.

Designed in an open-ended manner, filling out this detailed project plan template will make you think carefully about the scope and background of your project!

3. Gantt Chart Project Planning Template

Naturally, a lot of work goes into projects regardless of their context. To illustrate the amount of work that goes into it is essential not only to recognize what’s been done but also to keep records to gain insight from later down the road.

All the fancy project management lingo aside, this absolutely stunning pastel Gantt chart template will not only boost your team’s productivity but also be one of the prettiest things in your shared folders!

4. PDF Project Plan Template

You don’t always need elaborate designs and vibrant colors to have an effective project plan template. Despite its lack of visual flair, this PDF project overview template is exceptionally efficient.

Featuring a completely open-ended design and key features such as Milestones, Resources, and Timeline, this is one project planning template PDF you shouldn’t mind printing out and passing around!

Bonus time! Grab your very own project plan template in Excel!

5. A User-Friendly Excel Project Plan Template

This user-friendly Excel project plan template has everything you might need from a basic project planning form.

With interactive formulas, it does exactly what it is supposed to do. While the design is a bit crowded, the Excel project plan template here never feels overwhelming.

6. Agile Project Overview Template

This agile project overview template embodies the agile goal-setting methodology perfectly. It is a great project planning tool for organizations practicing agile.

What sets it apart from other project management templates is its emphasis on “sprints”. This reflects the iterative approach that comes with Agile. Another benefit of dividing the template into sprints is that it instantly makes it less complicated and easier on the eyes.

With interactive formulas and a GANTT chart off to the side, it does exactly what it is supposed to do.

7. Blank Project Planning Template

Sometimes less is objectively more. This simple project management work plan template is a testament to that. While lacking the flare of the previous templates on this list, it provides project managers with an Excel project plan template that is simply a blank canvas.

It has columns that divide each task inside the project into achievable chunks. And sometimes, that’s exactly what you need. The simplicity of this template allows project managers to assign and track tasks.

8. Project Plan Timeline Template for Word

This project plan template Word is perfect for creating detailed and effective project plans without the need for Excel.

The template covers essential project management elements like responsibilities, deliverables, schedules, and much more, ensuring nothing is overlooked!

Feel free to customize the project management Word template to fit your project scope and needs!

9. Simple Excel Weekly Project Planning Template

Continuing to draw inspiration from our own toolkit, here’s another simple yet effective project planning template, and this one is tailored for weekly schedules specifically.

This basic Excel project plan template is ideal for mapping the project’s progression over several weeks. While long-term project action plans are always welcome, it’s refreshing to have a weekly project overview template that prioritizes short-term goals.

10. Game Design Project Overview Template

We put together this template for beginner game designers out there! While it’s straightforward, outlining your game project will only enhance your skills.  

This approach applies to any industry. If you feel lost, jot down key points and do your research to expand on them, for whatever sector you work for.

Wish To Design Your Own Project Plan Template?

That’s all we have only for now, If you’d like to design your own template, this guide might help you with outlining:

Project Overview

• Project Name: [Insert project name]

• Project Duration: [Specify the start and end dates]

• Project Objectives: [List the main goals and objectives of the project]

Scope Definition

• Game Concept: [Provide a brief description of the game concept and genre]

• Target Audience: [Identify the intended audience for the game]

• Key Features: [List the main features and mechanics of the game]

• Platforms: [Specify the platforms on which the game will be developed and released]

• Design Pillars: [Clarify the central design pillars of the game]

Milestone Plan

• Milestones: [Break down the project into major milestones]

• Deliverables: [Specify the key deliverables for each milestone]

• Timeline: [Provide estimated start and end dates for each milestone]

Resource Planning

• Team Members: [List the members of the game design team]

• Roles and Responsibilities: [Define the roles and responsibilities of each team member]

Task Breakdown

• Task List: [Break down the project into smaller tasks]

• Dependencies: [Identify task dependencies and relationships]

• Duration: [Estimate the duration for each task]

• Assignments: [Assign tasks to team members]

Quality Assurance

• Testing Strategy: [Define the testing approach and methods]

• Test Plan: [Create a plan for conducting various testing phases]

• Bug Tracking: [Establish a system for tracking and managing bugs]

• Feedback Mechanism: [Set up a process for gathering and incorporating feedback]

Project Closure

• Documentation: [Ensure all project documentation is complete and up-to-date]

• Final Delivery: [Prepare the final deliverables and handoff process]

What Is A Project Plan Template?

At its core, a project plan template is a pre-designed document formatted to serve as a starting point for your detailed projects. A well-rounded project plan template will have a variety of sections and guidelines regarding the scope, goals, timelines, and resources for your project.

This starting point will allow project managers to have a good overview of the general trajectory of their projects and what they wish to achieve with them.

Including milestones, deliverables, and roles and responsibilities, project plan templates are supposed to help stay thorough so that you can focus on the actual work and not on logistics.

In that regard, depending on the type of project you’re working on or what you’re striving for with that particular project, project plan templates may have a variety of formats to fit your needs and cater to your circumstances better. Remember, the entire point, is to make your projects more efficient and effective, making your life easier.

What Are The Different Types Of Project Plan Templates?

The way we create templates certainly evolved in the past years. Just as we discussed in our article on goal-setting templates, there are many different types of project-planning templates that you can utilize.

The factors at play for variety in project planning come mainly from the approach embodied and the objectives you have for your project. In that sense, the different templates will help cater to your needs better. Here are a few to consider.

Traditional Project Plan Templates

As you can imagine, first we have the traditional approach. The name is self-explanatory but these project planning templates embody the traditional methodology and go about project management with the classic sequence.

They are suitable for projects with well-defined requirements and a linear sequence of tasks. Traditional templates are typically made up of sections for project goals, milestones, timelines, resources, and risk management.

Agile Project Plan Templates

These templates are designed specifically for projects that require a little more flexibility and an iterative approach. To learn more about Agile goal setting as a methodology, you might want to read our article on OKRs and Agile.

Agile project and goal-setting templates are often used in software development and related industries that benefit from adaptive planning, but they’re becoming more common in other sectors as time goes on.

These types of project planning templates offer shorter planning cycles, collaborative teamwork, and continuous feedback. They often include sections for sprints, user stories, backlog management, and team collaboration tools.

Industry-Specific Project Plan Templates

Within the various types of project planning templates, industry-specific ones have a broader definition. Simply because, depending on the sector you’re managing your projects, these templates will reflect the needs of that industry accordingly.

The term project isn’t equal in every single industry. For that reason, you will probably find that project plan templates used by construction companies are quite different than project planning templates used for game design for example.

Using Project Management Software

Project plan templates are not the sole tool that you can utilize to make project management a breeze. There are some incredible tools out there to help but one in particular, especially for those of you who are using Microsoft Teams, takes the cake in our humble opinion.

Teamflect!

Teamflect is the best Microsoft Teams project management software available today. With complete Microsoft Teams integration, Teamflect takes the existing project management capabilities that Microsoft Teams has and dials them up to eleven! As an all-in-one performance management system, Teamflect lets users exchange feedback through custom feedback templates, assign tasks, set goals, and create incredibly detailed meeting agendas!

What Are The 5 Phases of Project Management?

One of the best ways to structure a project management plan template is to follow the 5 phases of project management as an overall guideline. While we have an entirely separate article on this very topic, let’s go over the phases of project management that you can include in your project management plan right here:

Project Phase 1: Initiation

Initiation is the first step where you measure the project’s value and feasibility are measured. Going over data regarding market research, the project’s purpose, goals, and overall scope, this phase is where you decide if you should undertake this venture or not.

Key activities include defining the project at a high level, identifying who actually has a stake in this project, and of course, the necessary research in the form of market research, feasibility studies, etc.

Project Phase 2: Planning

Often considered the most critical phase, the planning phase of a project plan involves setting goals, defining roles and responsibilities, developing schedules, and planning resources and budgets.

The planning stage of a project is about creating a roadmap for the team to follow, detailing what needs to be done, by whom, and by when. There are plenty of tools available to assist in the planning phase such as task management platforms.

Project Phase 3: Execution

The execution phase of a project plan is where the planned activities are carried out. The project team has to coordinate people and resources, as well as integrate and perform the activities of the project in accordance with the project management plan.

The project plan templates on this page can help teams commit fully to the project management plan made during the second phase of project management.

Project Phase 4: Monitoring

Monitoring takes place at the same time as execution. As the project plan is being executed it should also be monitored carefully to make sure the execution is aligned with the project management template being followed.

The monitoring phase can also help ensure that the project doesn’t overreach when it comes to the use of resources.

Project Phase 5: Closing

The final phase of a project plan is where the project team wraps the entire operation up. A project evaluation review is conducted to make sure the team has learned from the challenges they faced throughout the completion of the project.

This review also helps ensure that the project plans made in the future reflect all the best practices and learnings gained from this particular project management experience.

Tips For Boosting Your Project Management Skills

Last but not least, before we let you get to it with your project management efforts, here are some tips and tricks that you can implement in order to boost your skills and get more effective results.

• Utilize Templates: If it’s not clear already from everything we discussed in this blog post, utilize different types of templates that will allow you to create the best project plan for your needs.

• Set Clear Goals: Make sure that your goals and objectives are clear and understood well by everyone involved. Without this step, you will not be able to ensure alignment within the efforts towards the outcome you like with your project.

• Use The Right Tool: Utilize software that is available to manage your project so that you can simply focus on the contents of your work rather than worry about logistics. We recommend Teamflect!

• Be Adaptable: Your industry may not require an agile process necessarily but adopting that mindset will only prove helpful. Regardless of your sector, setbacks are bound to happen and it is better to be prepared promptly.

• Conflict Resolution: Speaking of agility, make sure to address any problems that arise promptly so that you keep from further unnecessary damage. Developing and maintaining skills to handle disputes effectively is bound to come in handy.

• Communication: Last but not least, always make sure to put clear and concise communication front. Schedule regular check-ins and keep updated on the latest items in your project plan journey.

Conclusion

Now that we’ve gone over everything and everything project planning, it’s clear that having the right template, the right tool, and the right approach to your projects will make all the difference. Whether your project planning processes are efficient and effective is in your hands!

With the right ammunition going into project planning, nothing will hold you back from having the smoothest projects that get you to reach your organizational goals, swiftly, analytically, and practically.