10 Free Task Management Templates

Managing tasks efficiently is essential to staying organized, meeting deadlines and driving project success—whether you’re working solo or as part of a team. Task management templates provide a ready-to-use structure to help plan, prioritize, assign and track tasks across any workflow or project.

In this roundup, we’ll explore a variety of task management templates designed to support different needs and industries, from daily to-do lists to complex project task trackers. Each template is built to streamline productivity, ensure accountability and keep the team aligned every step of the way.

1. Project Task Tracker Excel Template

Download this free project task tracker template for Excel to monitor, organize and manage the tasks that make up a project. It provides a centralized system for teams to break down large projects into smaller, manageable pieces, assign responsibilities, set deadlines and track progress. This task management template ensures that every team member knows what they need to do, when they need to do it and how their work contributes to the larger project goals.

A project task tracker improves team transparency and accountability, helping prevent tasks from slipping through the cracks. This task management template enables project managers to quickly identify bottlenecks or delays and adjust to keep things on schedule. Whether managing a marketing campaign, software development sprint or event planning timeline, a task tracker keeps all stakeholders aligned and informed.

Improve Task Management With ProjectManager

Project management software improves task management by combining it with reporting features and dashboards. ProjectManager helps to make more insightful decisions about team performance, project health and more in real time.

• One-click customizable reports on status, tasks and more
• Track projects, tasks and team comments in one place
• Guest licenses and tailored dashboards keep stakeholders informed. Try it free

2. Task Tracker Dashboard

Use this free task tracker dashboard for Excel to get an overview of task progress, status and priority across a project. It consolidates key task data into an easy-to-read format, including charts, progress bars and color-coded indicators that reflect task completion, assignment and more. This task management template allows teams and project managers to quickly assess the current state of work, spot any overdue tasks or bottlenecks and make informed decisions without digging through detailed task lists.

A task tracker dashboard template enhances team visibility and communication. By keeping the task management template updated and its visual summaries, it aligns the team on goals and responsibilities. This template is especially useful for large or multi-phase projects, as it can highlight trends, track milestones and support status reporting for stakeholders. A well-designed dashboard helps ensure nothing falls through the cracks and the project remains on track.

3. To-Do List Template

A to-do list template is a simple yet powerful tool used to organize, prioritize and track tasks in a clear and structured manner. This free to-do list template for Excel includes columns for task names, due dates, priority levels and completion status. This task management template helps individuals and teams break down larger goals into manageable actions, making it easier to stay focused and productive throughout the day or a project.

This task management template is highly versatile and can be customized for personal, academic or professional use. From daily task management to long-term project planning, a to-do list template serves as a visual roadmap that keeps responsibilities front and center. Naturally, project management software magnifies the advantages by adding functionality like notifications, progress tracking and collaboration features, making them ideal for managing individual work and team efforts.

4. Punch List Template

Our free punch list is a unique task management template. That’s because it can be opened in ProjectManager, which gives it multiple advantages over the static template version. Our software improves upon a traditional template-based punch list by offering real-time tracking, automation and enhanced collaboration. Tasks on a punch list can be assigned to team members, prioritized and updated in real time. This means stakeholders no longer have to manage static documents—everyone can see the status of each punch list item, add comments, attach photos or documents and track progress from anywhere.

Additionally, ProjectManager integrates punch lists directly with the overall project plan, timeline and resources. Users can link punch list tasks to our robust Gantt chart, which links and monitors all four types of task dependencies and automatically updates schedules as items are completed. This level of integration ensures that the final phases of the project are tightly controlled and that all tasks are completed on track for successful delivery.

5. Gantt Chart Template

For those not ready to upgrade, we offer a free Gantt chart template for Excel. This pre-structured visual planning tool helps project managers and teams organize tasks along a timeline. As a task management template, it also outlines project activities, start and end dates and durations of tasks, all displayed in a horizontal bar chart format. Using a template saves time during project setup, offering a framework where teams can quickly plug in their information and adjust as needed.

Our Gantt chart template automatically populates the horizontal bar chart once the spreadsheet on the left is filled out. This can help with progress tracking and stakeholder communication. Teams can color-code tasks to help make the Gantt chart easier to read at a glance. For stakeholders, it provides a clear, high-level view of what’s happening and when, making it easier to understand timelines and deliverables. While limited compared to project management software, this time management template is better than managing a project without a Gantt chart.

6. Kanban Board Template

Download this free kanban board template for Excel to streamline workflow and increase task visibility across teams. Typically organized into columns such as to-do, in progress and done, the task management template allows users to move tasks (represented by cards) through each stage. This approach makes it easy to see where work is piling up, identify bottlenecks and keep teams aligned on progress.

Kanban board templates are especially effective in agile environments or teams that rely on continuous delivery, like software development, marketing or operations. They provide clarity for team members and stakeholders alike, offering insight into the status of every task without requiring formal meetings or updates. By customizing labels, priorities and due dates on the cards, users can tailor the board to fit their workflow needs.

7. WBS Template

This free work breakdown structure (WBS) template helps teams break down a complex project into smaller, more manageable components. The task management template provides a structured format—in a hierarchical tree layout—that allows users to divide the overall scope of work into deliverables, tasks and subtasks. By using a WBS template, project managers can clearly define the project’s structure from top-level objectives down to the smallest work packages, making it easier to assign responsibilities, estimate costs and track progress.

One of the key benefits of a WBS template is that it promotes clarity and alignment across teams. It ensures that everyone understands what needs to be done, how each task contributes to the overall goal and who is accountable for each component. A well-organized WBS also lays the foundation for accurate scheduling, budgeting and resource allocation—critical elements for creating a realistic project timeline and Gantt chart.

8. Action Plan Template

Use this free action plan template for Excel to outline the steps required to achieve a goal or complete a project. It includes key components such as goals and objectives, tasks, deadlines, responsible parties and necessary resources. By organizing this information in one place, the task management template helps individuals and teams stay focused and accountable throughout the execution phase. Action plan templates can be used for anything from launching a new product to implementing organizational changes or offering a repeatable framework for strategic follow-through.

Using an action plan template enhances visibility and coordination across teams. It breaks down broader goals into actionable steps, making it easier to prioritize work and track progress. With deadlines and responsibilities clearly defined, this task management template reduces ambiguity and supports proactive problem-solving when tasks fall behind. Whether used in a business, nonprofit or academic setting, an action plan template is essential for turning plans into measurable results.

9. Work Order Template

This free work order template for Excel is a standardized document used to initiate, track and complete specific tasks or service requests. This task management template includes fields for task description, requester details, assigned personnel, deadlines and labor and material costs. By using a consistent template, teams can ensure that all relevant information is captured and communicated clearly, minimizing the risk of misunderstandings or missed steps. Work order templates are especially useful in industries like maintenance, facilities management and IT services, where structured task tracking is essential for efficiency.

A work order template serves as a bridge between planning and execution. It helps assign accountability, document progress and provide a paper trail for internal records or client communication. Teams can customize this task management template to suit their workflow, adding elements like cost estimates, materials needed or customer signatures. This organized approach not only enhances productivity but also supports better reporting and data-driven decision-making over time.

10. Scope of Work Template

A scope of work (SOW) template for Word clearly defines the objectives, deliverables, timelines and responsibilities associated with a specific task or project. It serves as a foundational agreement between stakeholders, ensuring everyone understands what work needs to be done, by whom and by when. This level of clarity helps prevent scope creep and aligns expectations across teams, clients and contractors. The task management template includes sections for background, scope description, milestones, timelines, deliverables and payment terms.

A scope of work template provides a roadmap for execution and evaluation. By outlining measurable outcomes and project boundaries, it guides the allocation of resources and scheduling of activities. This makes it easier to prioritize tasks, monitor progress and ensure accountability throughout the life of a project. A well-drafted SOW template can also streamline communication and reduce the risk of conflicts or delays, making it an essential task management template for both short-term tasks and complex, multi-phase projects.

ProjectManager Is Better Than Task Management Templates

A task management template is helpful, but as we’ve already discussed, there’s a limit to what it can do. That’s because templates for Excel and Word are for static documents. They must be manually updated, which isn’t efficient, and they’re not feasible as a collaborative platform. To better manage work, try project management software. There’s no need for a hard sell, its benefits are self-evident.

ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software with task management tools, such as multiple project views, including kanban boards, sheet, list and calendar views, but also tools that track progress and more in real time and resource management features.

Schedule Tasks, Resources and Costs on Robust Gantt Charts

We’ve mentioned our Gantt chart above, but it’s such a powerful tool that it deserves further attention. It schedules tasks, resources and costs, adds milestones and can assign team members to those tasks, which are tracked on the task bar, but most other Gantt charts do that.

What many don’t do is link all four types of task dependencies to avoid cost overruns, filter for the critical path to identify essential tasks and slack, as well as set a baseline to track the planned effort against the actual effort in real time.

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Keep Teams Productive With Resource Management Tools

Scheduling resources on the Gantt chart is the start of making sure that they’re efficiently allocated. That continues when onboarding teams. At this point, project managers can set the team’s availability, including PTO, vacation, global holidays, pay rate and skill set, which makes it easier to assign the right resource to the right task at the right time.

Resource allocation across one or multiple projects can be viewed on the color-coded workload chart to see who is overallocated or underutilized. Balance their workload from the chart to keep teams working at capacity without threatening burnout. There’s also a team page for a daily or weekly summary of their activities. It can be filtered by progress and priority, and tasks can be updated without leaving the page.

Related Task Management Content

A task management template is a good start to organizing work, but it’s just a tool. To learn how to use these templates more effectively, we’ve gathered recently posted articles on task management, project scheduling and other essential techniques to deliver successful projects.

• The Ultimate Guide to Task Management
• The Ultimate Guide to Managing Tasks with Lists
• 22 Project Management Tools & Techniques for Project Managers
• Project Management Basics: Definitions, Methods and Tools
• How to Make a Project Schedule: The Ultimate Guide

ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that works better than task management templates by connecting teams in real time, whether they’re in the office or out in the field. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app notifications. Join teams from Avis, Nestle and Siemens who use our software to deliver successful projects. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

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