When you're building a startup, staying organised can feel like herding cats. Ideas, deadlines, and tasks pile up quickly, and without a clear system, it's easy to lose track. The result? Missed opportunities, wasted time, and unnecessary stress.
But here's the secret: you don't need fancy software to stay on top of things. The simplest tools—Excel and Google Sheets—often do the job better than anything else.
Why Spreadsheets Are Still the Best Starting Point
Both Excel and Google Sheets give you structure without the learning curve of more complex project management platforms. The templates we've built for startups are designed around this principle:
Team To-Do List
Every task logged, assigned, and tracked in one place. Whether you're in Excel or Sheets, this ensures accountability and visibility across the team.
Simplified View
A clean summary for quick progress checks—great for founders who want clarity in a glance.
Weekly & Monthly Gantt Charts
Visual timelines that map out tasks, deadlines, and overlaps. Seeing work laid out like this makes resource planning easier.
Legend & Lookups / Instructions
Built-in categories and guides mean the system is intuitive for anyone to pick up and run with.
These templates are light, cost-free, and easy to share. They scale with you, whether you're just two people in a garage or managing your first ten-person team.
Excel vs Google Sheets: The Balanced View
Both Excel and Google Sheets offer unique strengths:
Excel
Richer data handling, pivot tables, and advanced formulas.
Works brilliantly offline.
A strong choice if your team already lives inside Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Planner, OneNote).
Google Sheets
Built for real-time collaboration in the cloud.
Easy sharing and simultaneous editing.
Integrates seamlessly with Google Workspace (Calendar, Docs, Drive).
The truth? You don't have to pick one forever. Many startups use Excel for heavy-lift analysis and Google Sheets for collaboration. The underlying system stays the same—the template simply adapts to the platform your team prefers.
Tools That Enhance the System
To get the most from your template, pair it with a few simple add-ons from each ecosystem:
Google Workspace: Use Calendar to set task deadlines as reminders, Docs for shared notes, and Drive to store everything in one place.
Microsoft 365: Use Planner for a Kanban view of your task list, OneNote for brainstorming, and Outlook to tie tasks directly to emails.
Together with your spreadsheet, these create a simple, scalable workflow—without overwhelming your team with too many apps.
The Startup Advantage: Keep It Simple
Organisation doesn't need to be complicated. By starting with these Excel and Google Sheets templates, you create a clear framework of tasks, deadlines, and accountability. As your business grows, you can layer on new tools—but the habits you build now around clarity and consistency will stay with you.
Bottom line: Both Excel and Google Sheets are the simple, flexible anchors of startup organisation. Start with the template, keep it consistent, and grow your systems only as your team grows.