FREE Interior Design Project Management Template

Master interior design project management timelines with our intuitive interior design project management Gantt chart template.

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Gantt chart template

Why use our Interior Design Project Management Template instead of Excel or Google Sheets?

Get started with our Interior Design Project Management Template in seconds while skipping the hassle involved with Excel or Google Sheets.

Build Gantt charts in minutes, not hours.

Build Gantt charts in minutes, not hours.

No project management experience? No problem. Tom's Planner offers a user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface that's intuitive and easy to learn. Creating Gantt charts is a breeze, saving you time and effort. Compare that to the time-consuming, frustrating, manual formatting-intensive process of building a Gantt chart in Excel or Google Sheets.

Create a Gantt chart in minutes, not hours

Move at the pace of modern business with no learning curve or Googling formulas.

Good luck figuring out how to make a Gantt chart work in Excel or Google Sheets. Excel’s user manual weighs in at a hefty 500+ pages. It takes just five minutes with Tom’s Planner to start planning your first real project plan.

Create a Gantt chart in minutes, not hours

Headache-free collaboration and sharing.

Tom's Planner offers powerful options for sharing and collaborating on Gantt charts, including public links, PDF exports, and team access with customizable permission levels. It’s never been easier to communicate or ensure everyone’s on the same page. Compare that to Excel, where sharing and collaboration mean jumping through hoop after hoop and dealing with confusion and chaos.

How to use Tom’s Planner’s interior design project management template to build and share your interior design project.

Getting your project off the ground is as easy as 1-2-3.

Step #1

Click the 'start with template’ button to open the Interior Design Project Management Template.

Step #2

Register for a free account and watch a short video on using Tom’s Planner. The account is free forever, with no strings attached.

Step #3

You’re all set to use the Gantt chart template. Need additional help? Our AI assistant can create a custom Gantt chart Interior Design Project Management Template based on your project description.

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What is an interior design project management template?

Interior design is a complex process no matter who your client might be. Whether you’re working with a homeowner to transform their current house or creating a tranquil getaway with a local B&B owner, you must juggle a lot of moving parts. Just a few of those include owner expectations, budgets, materials availability, inspiration, and time.

The importance of using a Gantt chart

An interior design project management Gantt chart template can be a powerful aid that helps you streamline each project through accurate planning, deliver better results to your clients, and improve both your efficiency and your profitability.

We’re talking about more than an interior design timeline. A Gantt chart brings together every element of the design, helps you break them down into individual tasks, clarifies deliverables and timelines, helps ensure clarity in communication between you and your client, and acts as a guide to keep your project moving steadily forward.

Don’t bother trying to create an interior design project plan template in Excel. Spreadsheets like this are designed for data processing, and you need something more robust and easier to use.

An interior design project management template may include a wide range of fields, including:

  • Tasks and related subtasks
  • Percentage complete
  • Hours planned per task
  • Payment schedules
  • Project milestones

However, using a flexible Gantt chart like Tom’s Planner allows you to customize those fields to fit your unique requirements, such as:

  • Defined dependencies between tasks and sequential activities
  • Inventory counts and allocation of required materials/supplies
  • Contact information and assigned tasks of contractors and subcontractors
  • Expenses tracked against a schedule of values

As you can see, a Gantt chart offers flexibility, accuracy, and ease of use, helping to ensure the success of your project.

When to use an interior design project management template

You should use an interior design project management template with all interior design projects, regardless of size or scope. There’s no project too large or too small, and they will all benefit from the structure and transparency provided.

Planning Phase:

During the planning phase, you should use a Gantt chart like Tom’s Planner to outline the entire project from beginning to end. That allows you to clarify tasks, dependencies, timeframes, resources, and more.

Bidding Process:

Looking to win a new contract with a client? A Gantt chart is an ideal way to submit your bid. It provides visual timelines, budgeting information, materials and resources, and more so potential clients can compare your bid to others.

During the Project:

You’ll need to update your project management documents during the job. A flexible Gantt chart allows you to update information in real-time, ensuring you can actively manage any potential issues while communicating changes.

Who should use an interior design project management template?

Anyone can benefit from using an interior design project management Gantt chart template. Professional interior designers should always use a template, but even contractors, handymen, and even homeowners handling their own interior design projects can find a lot of value here.

Interior Designers:

Interior designers can use this type of document to oversee the entire project, track task completion, and ensure resources are correctly allocated.

General Contractors:

Gantt charts allow general contractors to coordinate between different teams, handle deadlines, and communicate with clients and others.

Clients:

Clients also benefit from the clarity and accessibility of information within an interior design project Gantt chart.

Top three pitfalls to avoid when planning an interior design project

Want to keep your interior design project on budget and schedule? Make sure to avoid these three pitfalls.

  1. Being too rigid:

    Remember that your project plan is just that – a plan. It’s not set in stone.

    Solution:

    You’ll inevitably encounter things that change the completion date or affect other areas of the plan, so make sure you’re flexible here.

  2. Failing to plan:

    Most projects fail because of a lack of planning in the beginning.

    Solution:

    Plan your interior design project effectively, using the right tools, like Tom’s Planner, to communicate vital information and stay on track.

  3. Forgetting to share your timeline with vendors:

    Chances are good you’ll work with vendors and if they’re not in the loop, your project will suffer.

    Solution:

    Vendors need to know your timeline and key milestones, so communicate that information effectively.

What does an interior design project management template include?

Just as no two interior design projects are the same, no two interior design management templates are identical. That’s the beauty of using a template – you can easily customize it to fit your needs. Here are a few things to consider including in yours.

  1. Mood boards:

    Mood boards are critical tools for helping to convey important information and spark inspiration in your client. They can share colors, textures, patterns, light/dark, and so much more. Shareable mood boards help you find what inspires your client most and then use that to inform the rest of the project.

  2. Project plan:

    The project plan is a high-level overview of what you’re trying to achieve. It includes basic information, like the type of project, the name of the client, and where the project is happening. It also includes an outline of the project’s goals, the resources you have available, the client’s budget, the timeline for completion, and any notes that you need to follow.

  3. Design brief:

    Include a design brief in your interior design project management template so that you can spell out the client’s vision and the requirements to achieve it. This helps make sure that you and the client are on the same page about what’s to be done.

  4. Timeline:

    A timeline offers at-a-glance information about where the project is in terms of development, how long it will take, major milestones along the way, and more.

  5. Scope of work:

    An interior design schedule of work template is a detailed breakdown of the entire project. While a timeline offers a high-level overview, a scope of work digs into the details. It specifies everything involved, from the expected number of days or weeks to the types of finishes used, and everything in between.

  6. Costs:

    A detailed breakdown of costs helps clients understand what factors set the overall price tag for the project. It also helps provide some degree of control, as it’s possible to bump some costs down if necessary.

  7. Sketches and designs:

    While a mood board offers inspiration and guidance, sketches and designs start to flesh things out. Pair these with the design brief and base them on the mood board(s).

  8. Key dates:

    As an interior designer, you’ll need to meet with your client multiple times. This includes the initial consultation, finalizing the design, beginning the work, and more. Make sure to list out all the key dates involved, including the wrap-up and any follow-up meetings you might have so that both you and the client can put them on your calendars.

Note that none of these included using an interior finish schedule Excel template. That’s because Excel is just too clunky. Instead, use a purpose-built tool that offers ease of customization, plenty of visibility, and more flexibility.

Four tips on how to make sure you reach your deadlines

Whether you’re building a reputation as an interior designer, are already an established expert, or are going the DIY route, the following tips will help ensure your project finishes on time and within budget.

1. Have a clear goal from the beginning

Too many interior design projects get lost in the weeds because there wasn’t a strong vision from the beginning. Set goals and objectives early on and have a clear vision of what you’re going for when the project winds to a finish. How will you know when you’ve accomplished your goals? How do your objectives fit into the final delivery? What exactly does the client want to see?

2. Plan ahead

Don’t limit your planning to setting goals. You need to define the project’s parameters, including budget, timeline, contractors involved, task dependencies, and more. Use a Gantt chart like Tom’s Planner to ensure flexibility and that you can update your plan in real-time, as things change.

3. Create a budget and stick to it

In addition to using a finish schedule for interior design, you should create an accurate budget in the initial planning stages and then stick to it. A good budget will have some flexibility to account for cost increases for materials and other factors that will help you avoid overshooting it.

4. Use the right tools

Get to know the tools available to you early on. You’ll certainly find professional tools like an interior design finish schedule template and Gantt charts like Tom’s Planner. However, don’t neglect others, like Pinterest, which is great for mood boards and inspiration. Magazines, Instagram, TikTok, and many other information sources can inform your project and help you create a stunning space that fits the client’s wants and needs.

Gantt charts in Tom's Planner vs in Excel

Excel Tom's Planner
Cost License required Free version available
Learning curve Hours Minutes
Create your first Gantt chart Hours Minutes
Making an update in your chart Several minutes Seconds (drag & drop)
Sharing charts with others At some point you will save and email a file titled: version_4_def_usethisversion_reallyfinal.xlsx Online, one source of truth, always up to date, with no confusion
Look & Feel Messy Clean, polished and professional
Dependencies
Filtering
Zoom in/out
Automatic Legend
AI-assist Let our AI assist do the work for you
Export to image or pdf Requires workarounds to export One mouse click

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