Need to create a straightforward project tracker that easily displays what items are on track, due today, or overdue? Simple! With Excel’s TODAY function and custom number formatting, we can accomplish this in two easy steps.
Check out the gif above for an example. First, we'll need to calculate the number of days left until our project is due (or by how many days it’s already overdue 😰). To do this, we’ll enter the TODAY function and then subtract the project due date by typing a minus sign and selecting our due date. We’ll fill this formula down the column - it looks crazy now, but trust the process!
Now, for Step 2, we’ll add a custom number format to these values as “days overdue,” "days remaining,” or “due today.” To do this, we’ll open the number format drop down and select “More Number Formats” at the bottom to open the Number Tab of the “Format Cells” dialogue box. Next, we’ll select the custom category, enter our custom format ‘[Red]# “Days Overdue”;[Blue]# “Days Remaining”;[Green] “Due Today” in the text box, and hit OK to apply the formatting.
Instantly, our projects are color coded! We can easily see projects approaching their deadline in blue, projects that are past due in red, and projects that are due today in green. No more excuses for missing deadlines!!
