A Simple Implementation Plan can fulfill the planning needs of most projects, but some projects might need a little extra effort on the part of project planners. Let’s say, you are managing a complex project with a lot of task dependencies that might act as potential sources of delays; in this case, you need more than a simple to-do- list or a Kanban board to plan project activities and monitor their subsequent progress in a systematic way.
What you need is an implementation plan with a built-in Gantt Chart. Gantt charts are one of the most popular ways of visualizing a project’s timeline and operational flow. Because they give you quick access to information about deadlines, durations, and ongoing status in one single location, Gantt-based tools are often used by project managers to get a high-level view of how different units of work are connected and progressing once a project kickstarts.
With our template, you identify and number every task in each phase of the project before assigning it to a relevant team member. You then manually enter a start and end date for all tasks while using our color-coded system to prioritize and track them. It is based on this information that the horizontal bar chart in our spreadsheet is able to generate a visual roadmap for your entire project plan.
Now, let’s explore the features of our spreadsheet in a bit more detail:
Project Overview
In this preliminary section, you need to add the following:
- Identify the project by its name (Mention version if necessary, for example, Blue Horizon 4.0)
- Identify the person leading the project. This is usually the project manager who is responsible for overseeing the project’s initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure.
- Scope: Define the scope of your project using one single statement that clearly identifies key deliverables, budget, and deadline.
- Deliverables: Identify the key deliverables of your project. Say, for a software project, deliverables can be things like a new website or a new smartphone app.
- Duration: Once you enter a start and end date for the entire project, we can calculate the total project duration for you in number of days.
The Gantt Feature
The Gantt Chart is a great way to steer a project’s activities against a planned schedule. Based on the information you provide in the first few columns, our template is able to generate a horizontal bar chart for you the Gantt way. This chart will not only tell you when each task is going to start and end, but it also offers a dynamic visual guide into how individual tasks within (and across) different project phases are connected to each other, both chronologically and logically.
To make it easier for you to navigate your Gantt timeline – we added an arrow feature that allows you to click your way around the project calendar. Each click takes you exactly one week in either direction.
Drop-down Menus for Priority and Status
In addition to keeping tabs on who is responsible for completing each task, you can use our color-coded system to plan tasks according to how critical or urgent they are based on factors such as project needs or client demands. Our drop-down menu lets you choose from three options: ‘High’, ‘Medium’, and ‘Low’. We have also added a configuration sheet in case you want to use different categories to suit your own project context.
If you want to learn more about how to prioritize individual tasks within a project, feel free to check out our Prioritization Matrix template!
We have also used a similar color-coded system, which will help you track the status of your tasks (once your project gets off the ground) using one of seven options:
- Not Started
- In Progress
- Complete
- Need Review
- Approved
- Overdue
- On Hold
If you want to customize this list, you can use our configuration sheet to add, replace, or remove categories to suit your own project needs and context.
Task Duration Calculator
If you want your project to deliver on time, every task in each project phase must be planned ahead. By placing each task inside a set time frame of a start and end date – you are able to track the progress at task, phase and project levels. Based on the dates you provide, our spreadsheet quickly calculates task duration as the total number of days your team (or responsible personnel) will spend working on a specific task.
Feel free to use our detailed Project Timeline template to create viable and effective timelines for your project!
Who Is Our Template For?
- Project, program, and portfolio managers
- Monitoring and Evaluation specialists
- Stakeholders (donors & investors)
- HR professionals and resource managers
- Project planners and developers
Feel free to check out our complete guide to Project Planning and Management here to learn about the different project documents you need to bring a project plan to life!
Winding Up
And there you have it! A way to plan the implementation strategy of a project against all odds. Remember, since most modern projects are based on many moving parts and dependent relationships, a scheduling tool like a Gantt Chart is exactly what you need to stay on top of what’s happening down at the task level.
Our editable Implementation Plan with Gantt Chart template can be instantly accessed as an Excel file in .xlsx, .xltx, and .ods formats, as well as via Google Sheets.
Be aware that spreadsheets are somewhat prone to error. Even if the spreadsheet is completely free of errors at the time you download it, there is always a possibility that you might accidentally introduce errors as you edit it. That’s why we would recommend using this Resource Plan template only if you are comfortable using Excel and can identify and fix errors that may be introduced. With that said, download and enjoy!
