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Gantt charts are a timeline view of all ongoing projects and deadlines. They show task durations, connect task dependencies, note task assignees, and compare progress to the projects’ critical path. You can also view several projects on the same Gantt chart to see which ones overlap.

I always tell teams that if their work is scattered across different tools, it’s only a matter of time before they begin to lose track. Hootsuite’s marketing operations team used to deal with this exact issue, switching between emails and spreadsheets just to keep track of projects. But once they started using Wrike, everything changed.

“We’re very excited about Wrike calendars,” says Symon More, Resource Manager at Hootsuite. 

[Wrike calendars] allow us to align all of our tactics, not only throughout the regions but also within HQ, from marketing pushes to product releases, feature releases, and partner integrations. Allowing us to align everything makes our messaging a lot clearer for our customers.

Symon More, Resource Manager
Now, instead of chasing updates, the team can pull up any project within seconds.

Pros of using Wrike’s calendars

  • Designed to help teams manage projects effectively
  • Directly link calendars to project tasks
  • Easy to adjust schedules
  • Teams can work together without managing separate files
  • Scales well for large teams and multiphase projects
  • Prebuilt calendar templates 
  • Includes a free trial, meaning teams can test features before committing

Tip: Wrike’s calendars are best suited for team collaboration rather than individual use. Check out our paid plans to avail of our full feature set.

2.  Create a project calendar using Google Calendar

Create a project calendar using Google Calendar

Source: Google Calendar

An online calendar like Google Calendar is a good solution for teams who want to collaborate on project planning in real time.

Google Calendar is flexible, allowing you to create multiple calendars and view them simultaneously or one at a time. You can organize your calendars in one of two ways:

  1. By assignee: Create a separate calendar for each team member and put their task deadline on this personal calendar. Team managers can look at each team member’s workload (or multiple workloads) to see which deadlines are approaching.
  2. By project: Create a separate calendar for each major team project, and enter task due dates and project milestones. Compare project timelines to see if work should be moved around to accommodate high-priority tasks or heavy workloads.

Although Google Calendar can be an efficient method for collaboratively planning projects, it’s mostly used to schedule meetings.

Pros of using Google Calendar 

  • Updates sync instantly across devices
  • Team members can access calendars from anywhere
  • Works well for scheduling meetings  
  • Integrates with other tools  
  • Good for tracking project timelines  

Cons of using Google Calendar  

  • No direct way to track project tasks
  • Limited visibility outside the organization (e.g., guests cannot view calendar details)
  • Difficult to manage complex projects  
  • No built-in reporting  
  • Requires manual updates  

3. Create a project calendar in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets

Microsoft Excel can be a default project planning tool because it’s familiar to many people. Formatting calendars in Excel is simplified with its native table view.

Source: Microsoft Excel

Excel has a prebuilt project calendar template, so you can save time creating one from scratch and easily jump into planning. The good news is that, if your team already works with Microsoft programs, they’ll likely have access to Excel and can easily open and edit the project calendar.

However, while Microsoft Excel offers a web-based version with version control, using it as a project management calendar can still require manual updates. If multiple people are editing, teams may need to track changes carefully to avoid confusion and ensure everyone is working with the latest version. Upkeep can be time consuming and costly.

While adding a finalized calendar or creating a work schedule in Excel is easy, collaborating around a shared project manager calendar is difficult. Task management within Excel is also challenging. 

Pros of using Excel 

  • Most teams are already familiar with Excel
  • You can create custom schedules and calendar templates
  • If your company already uses Microsoft Office, no extra purchases are needed
  • Works well for simple project planning
  • Useful for offline planning

Cons of using Microsoft Excel  

  • Lacks real-time updates 
  • Difficult to assign tasks and monitor project changes
  • More prone to human error 
  • Not ideal for large teams  

Which project calendar is right for you?

Now that you’ve learned different ways to set up a project calendar, it’s time to figure out what works best for you. Some teams prefer the structure of a spreadsheet, while others need a more interactive project management tool that updates in real time. 

Wrike’s calendar features are more robust than Excel and Google calendars, making them the clear choice for your next project management plan. A Wrike subscription will also allow you to avail of a selection of prebuilt templates, including one for monthly planning that will help you set up a calendar and pair it with a variety of other features like Gantt charts and project dashboards that will supercharge your project planning.product screenshot of wrike dashboard on aqua backgroundReady to get started? Click here to start your free two-week trial today.

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