Project Management with Google Sheets, Docs, Chat & Calendar: A Complete Guide for Planning and Control (vs Microsoft Planner)

Managing projects doesn’t always require expensive software. In fact, many project teams today are successfully planning and controlling their projects using free and accessible tools like Gmail, Calendar, Google Sheets, Docs, Chat, and Drive. Whether you’re managing a small project, a startup initiative, or coordinating a remote team, the Google Workspace ecosystem offers powerful features that rival tools like Microsoft Planner—and sometimes even surpass them in flexibility and collaboration.

In this article, we’ll explore how to plan and control projects using Google’s tools and compare the experience with Microsoft Planner, so you can choose what best suits your team.

✅ Why Use Google Workspace for Project Planning and Control?

Google Workspace is:

• ✅ Cloud-based and perfect for remote or hybrid teams
• ✅ Free or affordable, ideal for startups and SMBs
• ✅ Highly collaborative, with real-time editing
• ✅ Integrated across tools, from Docs to Calendar

Let’s break it down by tool and then compare it to Microsoft Planner.

🧩 Google Sheets: Plan, Track, and Control

Use Sheets to:

• Create a Gantt chart with dates, durations, and dependencies
• Track tasks with status, assignee, progress %, and comments
• Set up earned value tracking or baseline vs actual comparisons
• Visualize progress with graphs and dashboards

You can also embed Sheets in Docs or link directly from Calendar invites.

✅ Template Tip: Build a simple Gantt chart with color-coded bars and use data validation for dropdowns like “Not Started”, “In Progress”, “Done”.

📄 Google Docs: Collaborate on Project Deliverables

Use Google Docs to:

• Write your Project Charter, SOW, and RACI Matrix
• Log meeting minutes with real-time collaboration
• Track decisions and lessons learned
• Create reports and share links in Chat or Calendar
• Add tasks and have the, directly synchronized in Google Tasks and Calendar (📝 This only works if you’re using a Google Workspace account (not standard Gmail) and collaborating with others.)

Docs makes documentation dynamic, with comments and version history.

💬 Google Chat & Spaces: Streamlined Project Communication

Google Chat and Spaces support:

• Dedicated channels per project or workstream
• Threaded conversations
• Integration with Docs, Sheets, and Drive
• Quick @mentions and notifications

Spaces acts like a lightweight project hub—no need to chase emails.

📁 Google Drive: Centralize Project Files

Drive becomes your project file system:

• Organize by project phase, deliverables, or teams
• Share with view, comment, or edit rights
• Track versions and recover old changes
• Link directly to Docs, Sheets, Slides, and PDFs

Set up templates to reuse folder structures across projects.

📆 Google Calendar: Plan, Schedule & Coordinate

Google Calendar is a powerful (and underused) PM tool:

• Schedule milestones, workshops, and deadlines
• Invite stakeholders with embedded Docs or Sheets
• Add meeting agendas and notes in the calendar description
• Use color coding for different project categories
• See tasks assigned to you in celandar tasks

📌 Pro Tip: Use the “Find a Time” feature to quickly align stakeholders’ availability.

📬 Gmail + Tasks + Calendar Integration: Personal Productivity for PMs

The power trio:

• ⭐ Gmail becomes your action center: turn emails into tasks
• ✅ Google Tasks lets you create to-do lists linked to Calendar
• 📅 Tasks appear in Calendar view to help organize your day

This is perfect for:

• Following up on action items from emails
• Tracking to-dos per project or phase
• Managing personal workload without switching tools

🔄 Add-ons like “TasksBoard” or “Kanban for Gmail” help visualize tasks better.

📊 Use Case: Lightweight PM for a Distributed Team

Imagine you’re managing a remote marketing campaign. Here’s how you’d use Google Workspace:

• 🧩 Plan the timeline and deliverables in Sheets
• 🗂️ Store all content briefs and designs in Drive
• 📄 Collaborate on content and copy in Docs
• 💬 Communicate daily in Chat
• 📆 Schedule review calls and due dates in Calendar
• 📬 Turn emails from stakeholders into Tasks and track them daily

All tools are integrated, and everything stays in sync—without extra cost.

🆚 Google Workspace vs Microsoft Planner

🎯 Best for Agile Collaboration: Google Workspace
🧱 Best for Structured Task Boards: Microsoft Planner

🎁 Free Templates (Download or Make a Copy)

• ✅ Action Tracker Template (Google Sheets)

Final Thoughts

Google Workspace gives you a complete ecosystem for planning and managing projects—flexible, collaborative, and easy to scale. While Microsoft Planner is a great tool within the Office 365 environment, Google’s approach is better suited for:

• Agile teams
• Remote collaboration
• Cost-conscious organizations
• Projects requiring flexibility

If you’re looking for practical, real-world planning without heavy software, Google Workspace has everything you need.

🎓 Ready to Go Further? Join Our Hands-On Training

If you found this guide useful and want to implement a real project workflow using Google Sheets, Docs, Chat, Calendar, and more—we’ve got something for you.

✅ Training: “Project Management & Planning with Google Workspace”

Master lightweight project control without expensive tools.

In this practical, step-by-step course, you will learn how to:

🔹 Set up a complete project plan in Google Sheets
🔹 Track progress and collaborate using Docs, Chat, and Drive
🔹 Schedule meetings, reviews, and milestones in Calendar
🔹 Organize your day with Tasks & Gmail productivity hacks
🔹 Compare and adapt your workflow vs Microsoft Planner

Whether you’re a project manager, coordinator, team lead, or consultant, this training is built to make your team faster, more organized, and more collaborative—without needing MS Project or Jira.

🎁 Includes ready-to-use templates, real-life examples, and lifetime access.