How to track simple projects in Google Docs

For smaller projects that do not require full-featured project management software, take a look at the project table templates in Google Docs. The table templates include customizable drop-down chips to indicate project status or milestones. They are a great way to enhance your collaborative documents to help move your project forward. 

The templates:

Product Roadmap

Review Tracker

Project Assets

Launch Content Tracker

How to use the templates

In a Google Doc, click Insert > Building Blocks and select which template you want to use.

If you know how to use tables in Google Docs, then you already know how to add/remove columns and rows, merge cells, pin header rows, sort, etc. TIP: move from cell to cell using your Tab key.

Customize the drop-down lists

You can customize the default drop-down text to fit your own project. Click on one of the drop-down list items and select Add/Edit Options.



In the Dropdown options window, you can edit an item, change a color, rearrange the items (drag and drop), add new options or delete an item.



When you click Save, you will see a pop-up message asking if you want to change that one individual item or if you want to change all of the drop-down items in the table to reflect your changes.



Need more project management features? If you like using Google tools and need something more robust for your project, you can use Google Sheets with drop-down lists, project trackers, notifications and new features such as an interactive Timeline View.