Why Teams Shouldn’t Use Excel For Project Planning

It is crucial for project managers to effectively manage cost, resources, time and quality for successful completion of projects.

Various processes associated with these factors can be critical for your success as well as the client’s success.

This is why spreadsheets, specifically Excel, are not a good tool for managing projects.

Regardless of your project management approach, to successfully complete a project requires managers to focus on various information strands simultaneously. Therefore, excel is simply not the right tool for project management.

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Reasons Why Teams Shouldn’t Use Excel For Project Planning

Excel is a useful tool for data visualisation, creating spreadsheets, and doing calculations. However, using it for project management or scheduling can harm the overall project.

Below are some of the reasons why Excel, known as the most dangerous software, is not the right tool for project planning.

#1]. Lack of Special Project Planning Features

Project management in Excel does not have many special features or tools. These tools help you manage daily project activities efficiently. For example, adding a new requirement in Excel means that you have to update the entire sheet from top to bottom.

Similarly, it’s not easy to find a substitute if a team member unexpectedly takes a day off. This means you will have to consult different files and tabs to find a substitute.

Many project managers think that specialised project planning software is hard to learn, but this is not true. Modern planning tools nowadays are highly intuitive and can be fully integrated with your project needs.

With special planning software like an online team planner, you won’t struggle to reassign tasks or create a plan by hand. They offer features such as drag and drop, which can be used to plan efficiently and prevent unnecessary mistakes.

#2]. No single Overview of Work

With spreadsheets, it is hard to get a complete overview of all the work. In Excel, there are different billing spreadsheets, plans and timesheets.

Even the option to link different spreadsheets can create unnecessary problems in project planning. Project planning software offers various features such as online planning boards that combat this common Excel problem.

The software provides a simple visual display of different project activities. It has easy drag-and-drop features for editing. You can get multiple views at the same time, which will save you from having to browse through various tabs or spreadsheets.

#3]. Lack of Automatic Communication

Team planning software, like online team planners, has features that let users quickly share the project plan. It also allows for easy updates through automated calendars and mobile apps.

A recent study by F1F9, a financial modelling company, found that project managers need to make several Excel spreadsheets. These spreadsheets are for different situations.

This can take a lot of time and may not be efficient. Online project planning software has features that let you centralise data. You can also share information and collaborate with other employees instantly.

If a team isn’t working together correctly, the project is unlikely to miss completion date. This is why collaboration is essential in business.

Teams do not need to talk all the time. However, they should see what everyone is doing and how tasks are progressing. This simply isn’t possible when using Excel.

#4]. Inefficient Project Updates

Excel spreadsheets are not effective for project updates. Updating spreadsheets by hand can take a lot of time and effort. It can also confuse team members. This confusion can lead to mistakes that could have been easily avoided.

Specialised project management software and online team planning tools provide automatic updates. They allow easy access and improve transparency for all members. This helps to reduce the chances of errors.

#5]. Increased Risk of Errors

Spreadsheets, while great for various calculations can also be riddled with errors. Mistakes in calculations can lead to various problems such as cost and time overruns, thereby endangering the entire project.

With online project management tools, you do not need to handle complicated calculations. You also do not have to track productivity or time by hand. Team planners are designed to do this for you. They automatically track time and team productivity, along with complex calculations.

#6]. Dependency on Incorrect Information

According to the European Spreadsheet Risks Interest Group (EUSPRIG), spreadsheets often contain incorrect data. If this data is used for decision-making, it can lead to wrong decisions which in turn can significantly impact the success of a project.

You also don’t want to report incorrect data to your clients. If you give them wrong information, it could cause issues for them. It will also hurt your reputation.

A business that makes mistakes like this will not be seen as professional and you could lose clients and prospects. Hence, professional team planning tools provide tried and tested solutions, which do not leave a lot of room for errors.

Excel has many excellent features such as Pivot tables for easy sorting and counting of data. However, it is important to note that spreadsheets were not built for resource management or scheduling, and