Project Management Templates

I've built dashboards for 100+ companies. These are the 10 that actually get used. Not the ones that look pretty in a presentation. The ones leadership opens every month without being asked. Big difference. Let me walk you through them. → Summarized P&L, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flows The big three. Custom mappings across any time period. If your leadership can't see these in one view, you're making them work too hard. And trust me, they'll let you know. → Budget vs Actuals This is where the real conversations happen. Variances, trends, what's off and why. I've never worked with a company that didn't need this one. Not once. → KPI Dashboard The 8 metrics that actually matter. Compared against prior period and prior year. No fluff, no vanity numbers. Just the stuff people make decisions with. → Comparison Financials P&L with custom mappings against prior period and prior year. One glance tells you if things are getting better or worse. Your board will love you for this one. → Profit Margins Gross, operating, net. All in one place. If you're not tracking margin trends, you're flying blind. I learned this the hard way early in my career. → Executive Summary Dashboard P&L and cash flows with custom commentary. This is the one the board actually reads. Everything else? They skim. This one they study. → Cash Out Dashboard Projected cash out date, current cash, monthly burn, runway remaining. If you're a startup, this one isn't optional. It's survival. → SaaS Metrics MRR, ARR, churn, retention. If you're running a subscription business, these numbers run your life. You probably check them more than your text messages. Here's the thing most finance teams get wrong. They build way more dashboards than anyone needs. Dozens of tabs, fancy charts, color everywhere. Then wonder why nobody looks at them. Start with these 10. Add more only when someone actually asks. You'll be surprised how rarely that happens. Now here's the thing. Even if I gave you all 10 templates right now, you'd still spend hours importing data, fixing formulas, and making sure everything ties. I've been there. It's painful. That's why I built Model Wiz. It's a free Excel add-in that connects to your QuickBooks, pulls your data automatically, and generates all 10 dashboards with one click. No manual imports. No broken formulas. Just your numbers, ready to go. Which dashboard does your team rely on most?

Your team isn't lazy. They're confused. You need a culture of accountability that's automatic: When accountability breaks down, it's not because people don't care. It's because your system is upside down. Most leaders think accountability means "holding people responsible." Wrong. Real accountability? Creating conditions where people hold themselves responsible. Here's your playbook: 📌 Build the Base Start with a formal meeting to identify the real issues. Don't sugarcoat. Document everything. Set a clear date when things will change. 📌 Connect to Their Pain Help your team understand the cost of weak accountability: • Stalled career growth • Broken trust between teammates • Mediocre results that hurt everyone 📌 Clarify the Mission Create a mission statement so clear that everyone can recite it. If your team can't connect their role to it in one sentence, They can't make good decisions. 📌 Set Clear Rules Establish 3-5 non-negotiable behaviors. Examples:  • We deliver what we commit to  • We surface problems early  • We help teammates succeed 📌 Point to Exits Give underperformers a no-fault, 2-week exit window. This isn't cruelty. It's clarity. 📌 Guard the Entrance Build ownership expectations into every job description. Hire people who already act like owners. 📌 Make Accountability Visible Create expectations contracts for each role. Define what excellence looks like. Get signed commitments. 📌 Make It Public Use weekly scorecards with clear metric ownership. When everyone can see who owns what. Accountability becomes peer-driven. 📌 Design Intervention Create escalation triggers: Level 1: Self-correction Level 2: Peer feedback Level 3: Manager coaching Level 4: Formal improvement plan 📌 Reward the Right Behaviors Reward people who identify problems early. (not those who create heroic rescues) 📌 Establish Rituals Conduct regular reviews, retrospectives, and quarterly deep dives. 📌 Live It Yourself Share your commitments publicly. Acknowledge your mistakes quickly. Your team watches what you do, not what you say. Remember: The goal isn't to catch people failing. It's to create conditions where:  • Failure becomes obvious  • And improvement becomes inevitable. New managers struggle most with accountability:  • Some hide and let performance drop  • Some overcompensate and micromanage We can help you build the playbook for your team. Join our last MGMT Fundamentals program for 2025 next week. Enroll today: https://lnkd.in/ewTRApB5 In an hour a day over two weeks, you'll get:  • Skills to beat the 60% failure rate  • Systems to make management sustainable  • Live coaching from leaders with 30+ years experience If this playbook was helpful... Please ♻️ repost and follow 🔔 Dave Kline for more.

𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻… 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 I was reading Frog and Toad to my daughter last week and this page made me smile. I’m always interested in how people manage their tasks & to-dos. Partly because mine often end up in an unproductive mess! It was one of my ‘even better ifs’ from our Year in Review Squiggly Careers podcast episode. So, I’m trying a new approach and so far I’m feeling much more in control 🤞 I think designing your own system might be the unlocker to making lists work better (vs just buying a new notebook / downloading a new tool). 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗜’𝗺 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹: 🟡 I create a daily action dump on a notes page in my phone to capture things as they come into my brain / come up in conversation. This stops actions getting lost and forgotten. 🟡 At least once a day I transfer actions from my phone to a physical diary (helps me scan and see what needs to be done each day and I quite like the retro approach of writing things down vs to do apps) 🟡 Where anything is a +5 minute job, I schedule the time to do it in my digital calendar (otherwise I tend to create unrealistic lists without having time to do the work) 🟡 Review at the end of the day (all actions captured in my phone should now be in diary, all actions completed today ticked-off, anything not completing is transferred to another day). I still struggle a bit with the parallel lists that other people create for me, but at least I feel 50% more in control than I was!. Insights into what systems work for you are welcomed….

Financial dashboards tell you what happened. They rarely tell you what is likely to happen next. That’s the gap this CEO KPI framework is meant to address. What it surfaces is simple but often missed: the conditions that shape future revenue and margins change well before the numbers themselves do. Issues in execution discipline, leadership alignment, customer experience, or innovation momentum don’t hit the P&L immediately — but they materially influence where it goes next. That’s why these KPIs matter as a system, not as isolated metrics. Some reflect outcomes — like financial performance. Others act as early signals — like strategic execution, customer success, leadership effectiveness, or innovation momentum. ↘️ Together, they show whether the organisation is: • strengthening beneath the surface • quietly accumulating strain • or becoming dependent on short-term effort and individual heroics ↘️ When leadership attention is skewed toward only a few metrics, familiar patterns appear: • Strong numbers with growing internal friction • Busy teams but slowing execution • “Sudden” surprises that were forming quietly • Decisions that turn reactive instead of deliberate ↘️ Organisations that track this full system consistently tend to behave differently: • Execution issues surface earlier • Decision quality improves at the leadership level • Dependency on individual heroics reduces • Confidence with boards and investors builds over time This is why CEO KPIs are not just performance measures. They are attention-allocation mechanisms. What leaders choose to track — and discuss regularly — shapes how the organisation thinks, prioritises, and ultimately grows. If you’re involved in leadership reviews, strategy discussions, or board conversations, this framework offers a clearer way to look beyond quarterly numbers and understand organisational trajectory. ♻️ If this helps you see performance differently, save it. ♻️ If it helps reframe a leadership or boardroom conversation, share it. #CEO #Leadership #KPIs #BusinessStrategy #OrganisationalHealth #ValueCreation #Boardroom #FounderLed #PromoterLed #GauravMalik

Most billing dashboards show numbers. This one shows structure. Instead of forcing users to read through tables or guess proportions, the design answers two questions instantly: What’s the total billing? Where is it coming from? Here are the intentional design decisions that make this work: 1. Total anchored at the center: The total sits in the middle- exactly where the eye goes first. Users don’t need to calculate anything. The main KPI is established before the breakdown even begins. 2. Visual hierarchy shows contribution instantly Example: Surgery has the largest arc, followed by Consultation, then Diagnostics. Even without numbers, the ranking is obvious. That’s good hierarchy doing its job. 3. Color builds association, not decoration: Each category has one clear color repeated across icon and segment. No gradients. No unnecessary accents. Color helps recognition, not distraction. 4. Legend acts like a precision layer: The right panel doesn’t just name categories- it shows exact dollar values. Executives get a quick scan. Finance teams get accurate numbers. One layout serves both. This KPI focuses on distribution- not trends, not comparisons, not growth. Because the scope is clear, the message stays strong. Love this? Follow #TheVisualBreakdown and hit the bell so you don’t miss the next one

As the calendar turns to #2025, setting bold #objectives is a top #priority for #leaders. However, turning ambitious goals into reality requires more than just good intentions—it demands focus, alignment, and capacity. One powerful way to prepare your team for the year ahead is the "Stop, Start, Continue" exercise. Check out below and learn more at notdoinglist.com   The first step is understanding where you’ve been. The "Stop, Start, Continue" exercise invites teams to #reflect on the past year with a structured lens:   Stop: Identify tasks, processes, or behaviors that are no longer effective or aligned with 2025 goals.   Start: Explore new #opportunities or approaches that align with key priorities for the year ahead.   Continue: Recognize what’s working well and should be sustained. This #reflection sets the stage for clarity and shared understanding of what matters most for the coming year.   Freeing Up Time, Energy, and Resources 2025 objectives often come with high expectations—and limited #capacity. That’s why identifying what to stop is the key to achieving big goals.   Many teams carry forward tasks or initiatives simply because they’ve always been done. These legacy commitments consume valuable resources that could be redirected to higher-impact activities. Stopping isn’t about failure; it’s a strategic decision to eliminate distractions and focus your team’s time, energy, and resources on what will truly move the needle.   Building Team Ownership of Priorities Instead of imposing a list of objectives, the "Stop, Start, Continue" exercise engages your team in shaping 2025 priorities. When team members actively participate in identifying what to stop, start, and continue, they’re more likely to take ownership of the resulting plan. This sense of shared accountability fosters alignment and motivation to deliver on the year’s objectives.   Strengthening Engagement and Trust Inviting your team into a transparent discussion about what to stop, start, and continue shows that you value their input and are committed to building a better way forward together. This openness fosters trust, surfaces hidden frustrations, and encourages innovation—all of which are critical to achieving your 2025 objectives.   Creating a Roadmap for the Year Ahead By the end of the exercise, your team will have a clear, actionable roadmap for 2025. What to stop, start, and continue becomes more than just a discussion—it’s a shared plan for allocating resources, time, and energy toward achieving the year’s goals.   As you set your objectives for 2025, take the time to conduct a "Stop, Start, Continue" session with your team. By focusing on what to discontinue, you’ll reclaim the capacity to chase big opportunities and make meaningful progress. With this intentional approach, your team will enter 2025 aligned, energized, and ready to deliver on your most ambitious goals.

𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 is a crucial aspect of a 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦. Effective team management is essential for guiding a team of employees, especially in achieving organizational objectives and maintaining quality. "𝑻𝒉𝒆 5 𝑫𝒚𝒔𝒇𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒎" by 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢 explores common issues that hinder team success and provides strategies to overcome them. The book presents a 5-level model that explains the potential problems a team might face and how these issues impact one another. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒚𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒚𝒔𝒇𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆.  To build a high-performing team, there must be a culture of trust, healthy conflict, commitment, accountability, and attention to results. Leaders need to understand how to turn these dysfunctions into functions systematically: 𝟏. 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 Create an environment where team members feel safe to be vulnerable. Encourage open communication and sharing of thoughts, feelings, and concerns without fear of judgment. As a leader, demonstrate transparency and vulnerability yourself to set the example. 𝟐. 𝐄𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭 Foster an atmosphere where team members feel comfortable engaging in constructive debates. Set clear guidelines for conflict resolution and create a culture that values differing viewpoints. Remember that healthy conflict leads to better decision-making and innovation. 𝟑. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 Ensure clarity in priorities, expectations, and goals. Explain the reasoning behind major decisions and be consistent in messaging. Develop shared goals to align the team and facilitate enthusiasm around projects. Encourage learning from mistakes rather than shaming people for them. 𝟒. 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 Create a culture where team members feel comfortable speaking up when they see something that isn't right. Set clear expectations, provide regular feedback, and take corrective action when necessary. Consider using a team charter to outline each individual's role clearly. 𝟓. 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 Keep the team's collective goals top of mind. Set clear objectives and track progress regularly. Celebrate milestones and successes to reinforce the importance of team results. Consider using employee incentives that reward team performance, not just individual achievements. By addressing these dysfunctions, you can create a team environment conducive to trust, healthy conflict, commitment, accountability, and results-oriented behavior. Remember that overcoming these dysfunctions is an ongoing process that requires consistent effort and leadership. #TeamManagement  #Leadership #Teamwork #PeopleFirst  #Communication  #EmployeeEngagement  #LeadershipDevelopment  #ManagementTips  #booksummary

Applying Cummings & Worley Group Diagnostic Model #OrganizationalDevelopment #TeamDynamics #PharmaIndustry #Leadership #ChangeManagement Scenario Background: A mid-sized pharmaceutical company has been experiencing declining productivity and increasing conflict within its research and development (R&D) teams. The leadership suspects that ineffective team dynamics and poor alignment of goals might be contributing factors. To address these issues, How L & D professional can utilize the Group Level Diagnostic Model, which focuses on diagnosing and improving group effectiveness within an organization. Step 1: Entry and Contracting: Objective: Establish a clear understanding of the project scope, objectives, and mutual expectations with the R&D teams. Actions: Conduct initial meetings with team leaders to discuss the perceived issues and desired outcomes. Step 2: Data Collection Objective: Gather information to understand current team dynamics, processes, and challenges. Actions: Distribute surveys and conduct interviews to collect data on team communication, collaboration, role clarity, and decision-making processes. Observe team meetings and workflows to identify misalignments and potential areas of conflict. Use assessment tools to measure team cohesion, trust levels, and satisfaction among team members. Step 3: Data Analysis Objective: Analyze the collected data to identify patterns, root causes of dysfunction, and areas for intervention. Actions: Compile and analyze survey results and interview transcripts to identify common themes and discrepancies. Map out communication flows and decision-making processes that highlight bottlenecks or conflict points. Assess the alignment between team goals and organizational objectives. Step 4: Feedback and Planning Objective: Share findings with the teams and plan interventions to address the identified issues. Actions: Conduct feedback sessions with each team to discuss the findings and implications. Facilitate workshops where teams can engage in problem-solving and planning to improve their processes and interactions. Develop action plans that include specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives to enhance team performance. Step 5: Intervention Objective: Implement interventions aimed at improving team dynamics and effectiveness. Actions: Initiate team-building activities that focus on trust-building and role clarification. Provide training sessions on conflict resolution, effective communication, and collaborative problem-solving. Realign team goals with organizational objectives through strategic planning sessions. Step 6: Evaluation and Sustaining Change Objective: Assess the effectiveness of interventions and ensure sustainable improvements. Actions:Conduct follow-up assessments to measure changes in team performance and dynamics. Hold regular meetings to discuss progress and any ongoing issues. Adjust interventions as necessary based on feedback and new data.

Do you close every meeting with actions and deadlines? Does every deadline have accountability? How you close your meetings and conversations can make or break your project and the team's productivity and momentum. If you are closing with actions, great! If those actions are not assigned a deadline and accountability, well...that's not great. And, it happens more often than not, especially when a meeting goes really well. Nobody likes to break the momentum of the meeting's success by assigning deadlines and let alone, talk about accountability. But when we fail to assign actions with deadlines and accountability, we are leaving our success to chance and making it much more difficult to hold ourselves to account. As a general practice save the last 10 minutes of every meeting to assign actions, deadlines and accountability. Here are 3 questions you can begin to use consistently if you aren't already: 🎯 What actions do we need take on and by when? (action + deadline) 🎯 Who will take that action on and by when? 🎯 To the owner of the action...How do you want to be held accountable for that action? When you get in the pactice of closing every meeting with actions, owners, deadlines and accountability, you are setting you and your team up for success. Try this #Tuesdaystip and let me know how it goes! ** For more tips and tools to communication effectively on your team, join over 87,000 Learners in my Linkedin Learning course, "Communication Skills for Modern Management". Link in comments. #Tuesdaystip #accountability #actionitems #meetingmanagement #emotionalintelligence

🔹 From BOQ to Schedule: How to Map Scope into WBS & Activities Every project begins with a BOQ (Bill of Quantities) – a structured list of items, quantities, and costs. But for planners, this is not enough. To execute and control the work, we need to translate the BOQ into a detailed Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and activities inside Primavera P6. ✅ Step 1: Scope Mapping The BOQ describes what needs to be done. For example, under Construction of Watch Towers, the BOQ includes: Excavation & foundation work Concrete pouring & formwork Reinforcement steel fixing Masonry & plaster works Doors, windows, and finishing Each of these naturally maps into Level-3 or Level-4 WBS nodes in Primavera P6. ✅ Step 2: Tools & Techniques WBS Dictionary → Define each scope item with clear deliverables. Decomposition Technique → Break BOQ items into smaller manageable activities. Quantity-to-Duration Conversion → Use productivity norms to estimate durations (e.g., 386 sqm plaster @ 20 sqm/day = ~20 days). Logical Sequencing → Link excavation → foundation → reinforcement → concreting → superstructure → finishes. Resource Loading → Map manpower, equipment, and materials against each BOQ item. ✅ Step 3: Example Transformation From the BOQ “Watch Tower” (Excel shown above): Excavation (8 Cum) → Activity: Excavation in Foundation Concrete (8,000 Cum) → Activity: Concrete Works (PCC + RCC) Reinforcement (7,560 Kg) → Activity: Rebar Cutting, Bending, Fixing Plaster (386 sqm) → Activity: Internal & External Plaster Doors & Windows (Jobs & Sqm) → Activity: Doors & Windows Installation Finishing Works (Tiles, Paint, Weather Shield) → Activity: Finishing & Protection Works Mapped in Primavera P6 WBS Structure as: L1: Airport Project L2: Buildings L3: Watch Tower L4: Foundation Works L4: Structural Concrete L4: Reinforcement Works L4: Masonry & Plaster L4: Doors & Windows L4: Finishing & Protection ✅ Value for Planners This transformation allows: Better scope control Integration of cost (BOQ) with time (schedule) Effective progress measurement by discipline/activity Smooth reporting with Earned Value 📌 Want to see how this BOQ was transformed into a P6 Schedule with WBS + Activities? 💬 Write “Construction Project P6 file” & I’ll share the sample Primavera P6 XER file with you!