From day-to-day tasks to complex activities like event planning, Excel has become an ultimate companion for millions of users. You can easily create powerful templates using built-in tools and functions.
A roadmap template is used to ensure timely project completion and delivery.
It is generally a graphical representation of the goals that have to be achieved.
Such templates can be used to launch products and software successfully, execute marketing campaigns, and host events. The main goal is to ensure clear and transparent communication between the internal teams to avoid chaos.
In this article, we have compiled a list of 11 best Excel Roadmap Templates. All of them are free to use and can be customized according to your preferences. Please read the article until the end to find the best template that will perfectly fit your requirements.
Why are Roadmap Templates created using Excel a must-try?
Excel is the best spreadsheet application for organizing huge datasets in tabular form. It allows you to easily prepare a visual representation of your plans and goals over a specific period of time.
Here are the benefits of using Roadmap templates created in Excel:
- Ease of Use: Excel has a very intuitive and easy-to-use interface. You can access all the tools right from the program’s main menu. Additionally, it is compatible with all types of devices, from smartphones to modern desktops.
- Extensive Customization: Templates created in Excel can be customized as per your requirements without any limitations. There are a variety of tools to edit and modify text strings and cell styles. You can also leverage powerful Excel features such as Pivot Tables and Conditional Formatting to organize and customize datasets like a pro.
- Robust Reporting: You can create professional-looking reports within a couple of hours using Excel. It boasts a range of charts and graphs to ensure the best visual appearance.
Benefits are limitless when it comes to using Excel for organizing data and delivering projects. From simple quarterly task trackers to kanban boards, everything is possible in Excel.
11 Best FREE Excel Roadmap Template
Let us discuss top FREE roadmap spreadsheets for individuals and SMBs.
There are plenty of Excel roadmap templates available on the internet. But we understand that you cannot go through and try each one of them to find the best. So, we have done the heavy lifting for you.
Here are the best templates for managing projects, strategic planning, launching products, and much more.
1. Project Roadmap Template by SoftwareAccountant
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This is a simple Roadmap template designed by SoftwareAccountant experts. It is ideal for project managers who want to track project phases, milestones, and deadlines in one place.
The above professional-looking template is free to download and can be customized as per your unique requirements. It is divided into three main parts as follows:
- Header: At the top, you can add your company’s name and address along with the project details such as the name, start and end dates, etc. Also, make sure to add the manager’s or project lead’s name before sharing the template with others.
- Table: This is the main section where you can list down all the phases. You can add details such as the start and end dates, budget, required resources, potential risks, and any associated issues.
- Timeline Chart: The timeline chart at the bottom of the template gives you a visual representation of your project lifecycle. Each phase is assigned a different color, and the width of the bar represents its duration.
Please note that the template uses a simple formula in column F to calculate the duration of each phase. You should not edit any cell from this column until and unless necessary.
After entering the details in the table, the timeline will be automatically updated based on the data entered in the main table.
2. Product Roadmap Template by Office Timeline
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If you are looking for a roadmap template that gives you a quick overview of your product launch strategy, then this template is for you.
Your entire team will be aligned toward one goal during all stages of product development and marketing. The timeline shows the quarters and months since the project started.
The roadmap is divided into horizontal sections to categorize the different phases of the project. Each task is represented by a colored bar, showing its duration over months or quarters.
Note that the size of the bar determines the duration.
You can easily include additional milestones as per your requirements. Simply copy and paste an existing milestone and move it to the appropriate spot on the timeline. You can even change the color and shape using Excel’s powerful formatting tools.
3. Agile Kanban Board by Vertex42
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This comprehensive template, featuring a built-in Kanban board, is a great alternative to premium task managers that can break your bank over time.
Kanban boards provide great flexibility for managing tasks or projects. They are super useful tools for every project manager. The above template has a user-friendly design and uses dropdowns to simplify task priority selection.
This template consists of three sections:
- Kanban: It is the main sheet where you manage your tasks. Start by entering the task type and details, then assign the team, priority, points, and hours.
- Summary: This sheet tracks the progress of tasks by the team, showing both completed and pending points.
- RecordBook: Here, you can monitor how long it takes to complete individual tasks.
While the template is easy to use, you will need to put some extra effort into understanding the purpose of sheets and available columns. If you still have any doubts about how this template works, you can refer to the sheet named Help for more details.
4. Product Roadmap by HubSpot
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This is a very simple product roadmap template designed by HubSpot. It features a yearly calendar divided into four quarters.
You can enter the product launch details after discussing them with your team. Before sharing the template with your colleagues, remember to add the company name and year at the top.
Feel free to enhance the functionalities of this template with the help of built-in tools and functions.
5. Technology Roadmap Template by SmartSheet
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This roadmap template by SmartSheet is focused on organizing quarterly tasks. Its intuitive design allows anyone to use it without any prior experience.
You can download the above template for free and customize it to your preference.
Note that you need to enter the tasks into the blue, gray, red, and yellow colored bars. Also, make sure to adjust the length of each bar depending on the deadline.
It is an excellent choice for all types of projects requiring quarterly tracking. You can easily track milestones, phases, and delivery dates.
6. Quarterly Roadmap Template by IdeaPlan
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Yet another roadmap template on this list that lets you create a visually appealing quarterly task tracker. It uses bars to show how long each task takes. You can adjust the length of the bars to fit the project.
This template is totally customizable. Feel free to add more rows and bars to accommodate additional tasks.
Note that you can easily change the color of the bars and format the table to make the template look more personal.
7. Timeline Template by Smartsheet
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Are you looking for a roadmap template to keep track of yearly milestones?
This template allows you to track a project that takes several years to complete. By default, it contains columns to accommodate projects that last up to three years.
Feel free to add more columns if your project will take more than 3 years.
Let us discuss the 3 sections of this template:
- Milestones: At the top, you can enter your project’s key milestones. You can define data and a descriptive title for each milestone.
- Milestone Map: Simply put, this is a quarterly timeline. It shows when each milestone occurs during the given quarters of the year. Arrows are used to indicate where the events fall within the quarters.
- Phases: This section allows you to track different project phases. Each phase is indicated by a bar, and the length of each bar represents the duration.
This is a wonderful template worth trying if you need a yearly task tracker.
8. Product Roadmap Template by Spreadsheetpoint
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It is one of the most detailed roadmap templates on this list, allowing users to plan product development, boost sales, achieve targets, and launch marketing campaigns.
Each section includes three tables designed to keep you organized throughout the product development lifecycle. You can use it to plan, execute, and track tasks like a pro.
Always remember to include the product name and lead developer, along with the start date, at the top for easy reference.
9. Multiple Product Roadmap by Smartsheet
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This template differs from others on the list in that it allows you to track the progress of multiple products simultaneously.
By default, the template allows you to manage 4 products.
It is a customizable template. You can use different colors to show progress or assign tasks to different teams.
To add more quarters to this template, simply copy and paste existing ones at the end.
10. Now-Next-Later Roadmap Template by Feature Upvote
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This might be the easiest and simplest roadmap template on this list. On the left side of the template, you need to list the projects.
Then, start entering the current, future, and low-priority tasks for each project.
It includes some example data; make sure to delete it before using the template.
Such a template is the best fit for individuals and small teams. It depends upon the type and size of project you have as well.
11. Kanban Template by Paul Done
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Our last pick focuses on simplifying SaaS product development. This user-friendly template can help you effectively plan and launch your software product.
It consists of two sheets:
- Queue: This sheet features a detailed table for tracking tasks, along with essential details like duration, start and end dates, responsible team members, and priority levels. It includes a dropdown in column B to assign the status of each task. Do not try to modify the content in column L, as it contains a formula that summarizes the tasks.
- KANBAN: This is an overview sheet that allows users to monitor tasks categorized into different columns easily. Note that the sheet is automated with built-in formulas. All information is updated automatically based on the data in the Queue sheet.
Anyone can use this template without any prior experience of managing projects in spreadsheet programs like Excel.
Make sure to refer to the sheet named “Instructions” to learn the steps to use this template.
To Summarize: Excel Roadmap Template
The Excel roadmap templates discussed above aim to help with product planning and development. They also help budding project managers and product leads successfully achieve their goals.
The good news is all of them are free to download.
They are designed to keep your team on track. You will precisely know the tasks in hand, pending, and completed.
Start with the simple Roadmap template by SoftwareAccountant if you are new to Excel.
It is easy to use and designed for both beginners and advanced users.
Refer to our blog section for more excellent templates. We also have hundreds of articles discussing tips and tricks for using Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets like a pro.