Best Multiple Project Tracking Template Excel 2023

In project management, it is crucial to track and monitor the progress of the project to make sure every task gets completed on time for the timely delivery of the project.

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When it comes to managing more than one project at a time, it becomes really hard to effectively manage and track. The process of managing and tracking tasks, resources, and time for executing and completing more than one project at a time is known as MPT.

There is some software available to manage multiple projects, but a Project management Dashboard spreadsheet can easily build to effectively manage multiple projects.

What is a Multiple Project Tracking Template?

Before we proceed, it is important to understand what is project tracking, and how it works. This term refers to evaluating total progress or total work done on a specific project.

As we know, a project consists of small pieces of tasks that lead towards a project this technique is called work breakdown structure; so, when we talk about project progress it means we are considering all tasks that have been completed. On standard practices, it is highly recommended to conduct a project audit for evaluation of overall performance.

There are different tools and techniques which are being used for this tracking, here we will discuss project management tracking templates. Below is its format which is important to understand how it works.

The Format of Multiple Project Tracking Template in Excel

This tracking spreadsheet consists of three sheets, first, one is used to inputting the data(staff members, task, time limitations, etc), second is used to display the project plan, and the third one illustrates overall progress and status in numerical diagrams and graphs.

As an employee complete his task, he reports on this spreadsheet, the sheet will automatically calculate its performance on the basis of the data that he entered on the sheet and display the task status on the sheet.

Basically, these task reports and statuses lead toward project progress, and when the last task is completed and its data is entered in the sheet, it will calculate the whole database and shows whether a project is completed or not.

Project progress tracking answers the following questions about the project;

What activities have been completed?
Which activities of the project are currently in progress?
What activities are coming next?
What problems the project has faced to date?
How the overall project is going?

Core Elements of Multiple Project Tracking Dashboard

The following core elements must be included in the multiple projects tracking template dashboard to efficiently manage and track the tasks of multiple projects.

Here’s an overview of how a multiple project tracking template works:

Project list

The template begins with a list of all projects being tracked. Each project should have a unique identifier, project name, project manager, start date, end date, and current status (e.g., not started, in progress, completed, or on hold).

Project status overview

This section provides a high-level view of the progress of each project. It typically includes a visual representation, such as a progress bar or pie chart, to show the completion percentage for each project.

Task list

For each project, there should be a detailed list of tasks, including task name, description, assigned team member, start date, end date, and status. This helps break down the project into manageable pieces and ensures all tasks are accounted for.

Multi project tasks status

It shows the progress of each task of a project. How many tasks have been completed are categorized in different ranges such as 1 – 25%, 25 – 50%, 50 – 75%, and 75 – 100%.

Task dependencies

If tasks within a project depend on one another, it’s crucial to identify and document these dependencies. This helps ensure tasks are completed in the correct order and prevents potential bottlenecks or delays.

Project summary

It provides the status of multiple projects at a glance, adding new projects and managing their labels can also be handled here.

Resource allocation

This section tracks resources assigned to each project, such as team members, equipment, or budget. It helps ensure resources are allocated efficiently and that no project is over- or under-resourced.

Risk management

Identify and document potential risks for each project, along with their likelihood, impact, and mitigation strategies. This helps address potential issues proactively before they become critical problems.

Project timeline

A visual representation of each project’s timeline, such as a Gantt chart, can help track progress and ensure deadlines are met. This can be particularly useful when managing multiple projects with overlapping timelines.

Project notes & updates

A dedicated section for project notes and updates allows team members to communicate essential information, such as changes in scope, new requirements, or issues that need to be addressed.

How to Track Multiple Projects in Excel Template?

Multiple project tracking tools can be made using Excel spreadsheets. More than one spreadsheet is required, and each spreadsheet serves a different purpose. The following are the spreadsheets that are necessary for the effective monitoring and tracking of simple projects at once.

Details Spreadsheet

The purpose of this sheet is to provide a summary of multiple projects. There should be different navigation buttons in this sheet to view details such as Project Gantt Button, Data Sheet Button, and Project Plan Button.

Project Plan Spreadsheet

It will be the dashboard of this template that will show project plans and timelines of multiple projects on a Gantt chart. Dropdown menus for project tasks, task status, and project status will be added to this sheet.

Project Summary Spreadsheet

It will show the overall details of each project such as high-level KPI metric, number of tasks, start and end dates, number of days required, and progress of the project.

Project Data Spreadsheet

In this tab, details of each project will be written such as a list of all activities, activities dependencies, dates, duration, and progress. The filter can be used to visualize one project at a time for insight and understanding of any project.

Project Tracking Template Recommended Practices

Here are some highly recommended practices for Excel project tracking templates, that will help you to get error-free results:

Planning

A professional project plan is a guarantee of project success because without proper planning we can not evaluate whether our project getting progressing or not.

However, a project plan has SMART Goals, objectives, purpose, Tasks, budget, stakeholders, timeline, milestones, etc. And to evaluate the progress we use KPI Dashboard.

Realistic Approaches

Always using a realistic approach means we should set our goals, end result, and deliverables as achievable. If we set goals that are impossible to achieve in the proposed delivery schedule time and according to budget, this will be a disaster. Another example of poor planning is, setting timelines again and again

Evaluate Risks

It is important to evaluate risk factors and make a risk management plan to deal with them. Because if you do not have any risk plan then there you can not react to problems.

First, you have to know that there are 2 types of risk factors 1st is known on this risk factor we make our mitigation plan and the other is unknown. So to deal with this 2nd factor we make a contingency plan.

Consistency

Make sure to check project reports on a daily basis that will aware you of your project’s progress. Project monitoring involves checking each activity or task’s progress. This will help you to keep an eye on the overall project.

Accuracy In Monitoring

If the task execution process takes so long than expected make an analysis and conduct a meeting with RACI to understand their problems. This practice will boost productivity. However, accuracy in monitoring is everything. Check all statistical data before a decision.

Types of Project Tracking Template Excel

There are different types of tracking dashboards that are highly recommended for tracking. Below we will discuss the;

Project Tracker Dashboard

This Project Tracker Template Excel is based on an Excel dashboard that helps you to manage your different projects on a single Excel sheet. Basically, different charts like the Gantt chart and project status report are directly connected to this dashboard. Download.

Agile Project Plan

An agile project plan helps you to determine project delivery times by working on project details and features.

Gantt Chart

Gantt chart is Popular tracking software in the project management process. The basic function of this tool is to provide a platform for project managers and team members where they can put their daily task progress reports and stats. After that, this software produces an analytical report in the form of graphs and charts.

Project Budget Tracker Excel

Budget is the core of a project, so tracking a project budget helps you to keep your project under the budget. As well as this tracking spreadsheet also helps you to track different project budgets on a single spreadsheet.

Project Time Tracking Spreadsheet

A project timeline plays a vital role to evaluate project progress that shows project progress and its real-time stats. This statistical data help project managers and top management in the decision-making process. This time tracking spreadsheet determines whether a project making progress and developing according to the plan or not.

To-Do List Excel Tracking

Another project management software that is easy to set up and use for project tracking. This to-do list tracker helps you to track those items or actions that have been done or are overdue. Also, you can customize this tool according to your project requirements.

5 Tips to Manage Multiple Projects At Once

Have you ever had several projects on your plate at the same time, and it just felt like there was never enough time to do everything you had to do?

If so, you’re not alone. Juggling multiple projects can be tough, and there are 5 tips & advice about getting the best performance out of yourself in task management.

Identify the Project Or Task That Needs To Do First

Knowing which projects to start with can take time and effort if you have many projects at once. But it’s essential to identify which project or task is most important and should be given priority over other tasks. Line up your tasks centered on urgency and significance.

Once you’ve identified the project or task that needs to be done first, ensure you’re prepared before starting work on it. You should have everything ready so that when you begin the project, everything goes smoothly and there are no unexpected interruptions.

Breakdown Work Tasks Into Smaller Pieces To Do Faster

People usually take on too much at once, and the result is that they get overwhelmed and don’t get anything done. Instead of trying to do everything at once, break down your tasks into smaller steps that you can accomplish quickly.

This will help you stay focused on what you’re doing at any given moment and ensure you aren’t distracted by all the other things on your list—which is important because we tend to get distracted by easy tasks!

Use Several Techniques to Focus Attention And Speed Up The Process

The following techniques can help you manage multiple projects at once:

The Eisenhower Matrix: Use this technique to prioritize your tasks by their importance and urgency.

The Pomodoro Technique: Focus attention on one task for 25 minutes, then take a break.

A checklist: Have a roadway of what you must do to finish the project.

Use A Template To Organize Your Work

When you use templates, it’s easy to see how much progress you’ve made at a glance, and you can get a better sense of the big picture. It becomes stress-free to list your work and ensure you’re working on the most important tasks first.

Stay Focused On What You Need To Do, And Avoid Distractions

If you’re like most people, you’ve got a lot going on. It can be hard to stay on top of everything when you have multiple projects going on at the same time.

The key is staying motivated on doing necessary tasks and avoiding distractions. Here are some tips for staying organized:

Have a calendar that’s easy for you to use—whether an app or a physical calendar. Whatever works best for you, use it!
Schedule time every day for checking email and social media accounts so that your attention isn’t divided throughout the day
Try not to multitask—it takes longer than doing one thing at a time, so try focusing on one task until it’s finished before moving on to another one

Conclusion

Project management is systematic, planned, and process-oriented to meet project goals within time, cost, and quality constraints. There are some effective tips and tricks to manage multiple projects at once, which will help you prioritize tasks, stay productive, and prevent low productivity or burnout.

FAQs

How do I track multiple projects at once?

Below there are 5 steps to follow:

Make a comprehensive plan to manage a project.

Conduct meetings with your team members and ask for suggestions, and discuss problems.

In 3rd step, set priorities among Tasks, or make a task management plan.

Review your plan according to the project’s progress.

Divide tasks among team members according to their skills.

How Do TO Track Multiple Small Projects?

Very simple. Follow the below steps:

Draft project basic outlines for all small projects.
Now, put project goals, objectives/deliverables, and milestones in the datasheet of Project Tracker Template Excel.
Now deploy the project tracker template Excel which starts tracking the task’s progress, evaluates costs, and finalizes timelines.