10 Best Practices for Project Management Spreadsheets!

About this video

Jeff Su gives 10 best practices for project management spreadsheets meant to be shared, using a Google Sheets template. Within tabs: always put a sentence or two in the top-left explaining what the tab contains or instructions for input, so even a new hire can understand it; make any action deadline large and obvious; hyperlink to specific tabs, since each tab has a unique URL and shared links otherwise land on the first tab; add an explanations row in light gray italics below headers, plus an example row, to show exactly how a table should be filled out; and use data validation with a fixed list of items and Reject Input enabled — for example Not Started, WIP, and Done — plus conditional formatting for status colors and a catch-all option. He also advises using formulas whenever possible but avoiding fixed numbers inside them, instead referencing percentage headers with locked references, and importing data with IMPORTRANGE rather than editing raw form responses directly. For overall structure: use empty separator tabs and color-coding to group sections, highlight key information up front with a readme-style first tab showing the project owner, instructions, definitions and links, keep raw data in a separate protected section only the core group can edit, and communicate the spreadsheet’s existence by presenting it in meetings and hyperlinking it in follow-up emails and notes.

Key takeaways

• Explain every tab at the top-left and make deadlines large and obvious
• Link directly to specific tabs using their unique URLs instead of the spreadsheet’s first tab
• Add an explanations row and an example row so collaborators fill tables correctly
• Use data validation with Reject Input plus conditional formatting to prevent typos that break formulas
• Protect raw data in separate tabs, import it elsewhere, and avoid hard-coding numbers inside formulas

Episode details: published March 22, 2022 · 8:17 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Jeff Su’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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