Track sheets are more important than ever for professionals, teams, and businesses that need clarity, accountability, and efficiency in their workflows. A track sheet is essentially a structured way to monitor progress—whether it’s logging daily activities, tracking issues in projects, or following up on customer applications. From a simple daily log spreadsheet to a detailed issue tracker template Excel, these tools are widely used across industries.
Businesses use them to maintain project accountability, while individuals rely on them for personal organization, study schedules, or habit tracking. With the rise of remote work, digital platforms like Lark Base have taken tracking to the next level—offering smarter, collaborative templates that go far beyond static Excel or Word documents.
What is a track sheet?
A track sheet is a structured template used to log, monitor, and manage information over time, helping individuals and teams stay organized and accountable. Think of it as a simple process flow: you record data such as tasks, issues, or hours worked, update the sheet regularly with changes, analyze the progress, and then act based on the insights. Traditionally, track sheets come in various formats depending on user needs. An Excel tracking spreadsheet is one of the most common, as it allows for structured data entry, formulas, and quick calculations. A log sheet template Word is often preferred for narrative-style entries such as incident or activity logs.
For collaboration, many teams use Google Sheets as an online solution to co-edit and share updates instantly. Modern platforms like Lark Base go even further by offering dynamic, cloud-based trackers with automation and dashboards, eliminating the limitations of static templates.
Why use a tracking spreadsheet or log sheet template?
Using a track sheet makes work more structured and reliable by turning scattered information into an organized system. Whether you use an Excel tracking spreadsheet, a daily log template Word, or a modern tool like Lark Base, these templates ensure data is easy to capture, monitor, and act on.
Boosts clarity and productivity: A well-designed tracking spreadsheet allows teams to see tasks, priorities, and deadlines at a glance. For example, a job tracking spreadsheet Excel template can help a project manager quickly identify overdue assignments and redistribute workload. This clarity reduces wasted time and drives overall productivity.
Tracks progress across tasks, projects, or personnel: Templates such as a progress tracker template or personnel tracking spreadsheet make it simple to follow milestones, employee attendance, or team performance. A small business might use a daily tracking sheet to log hours worked, while larger enterprises rely on detailed action register templates to monitor complex projects.
Reduces human error in record-keeping: Manual notes or emails often lead to mistakes and missing information. A structured log sheet template or daily log spreadsheet ensures consistency by capturing all necessary details in a standardized format. This reduces errors in compliance, reporting, and HR processes.
Helps managers and teams maintain accountability: When paired with an issue tracker template or order tracking, accountability becomes transparent. Every task, order, or problem is logged with an owner, due date, and resolution status. This not only holds individuals responsible but also builds a culture of trust and reliability across the team.
Popular types of track sheet templates
There are many kinds of track sheets, each designed for a specific purpose—whether it’s logging daily activities, monitoring project progress, or managing personnel. Choosing the right tracking spreadsheet ensures tasks and records are organized in the most effective way.
Daily log template / activity log template: Used to record everyday activities, work hours, or habits. A daily log spreadsheet can help employees note start and end times, while an activity log template Word might be better for documenting narrative details like field reports or compliance notes.
Work log template / job tracking spreadsheet Excel: Designed for monitoring job assignments, deadlines, and completion status. A work log template provides managers with visibility over team workloads, while a job tracker Excel template free download can simplify project tracking for smaller teams.
Issue tracker template Excel: Essential for logging problems, assigning owners, and tracking resolution steps. IT teams often use an issue tracking template Excel or issue tracker xls file to manage bugs, while project managers rely on it to address risks systematically.
Progress tracker template: Helps teams measure progress against goals, milestones, or KPIs. A data tracker template or progress tracker template is especially useful in performance reviews or long-term projects where incremental progress must be monitored.
Order tracking Excel template: Used to follow customer applications, deliveries, or service requests. For example, a customer application process tracker Excel template free can help small businesses manage leads and orders without expensive CRM systems.
Personnel tracking spreadsheet: Focuses on HR needs like attendance, schedules, and training logs. A log sheet template Word may capture qualitative notes, while a personnel tracking spreadsheet in Excel ensures quantitative tracking of shifts and performance.
Common track sheet templates for 2025
Explore this handpicked list of high-quality track sheet templates—perfect for daily logs, issue tracking, job management, and more—sourced from trusted providers:
Daily work log template (Excel/Google Sheets): Smartsheet
A versatile daily log spreadsheet template that tracks date, task details, start/end times, hours worked, and notes. Highly customizable for personal or team use.
Simple time tracking template: WPS
WPS offers a simple time tracking template that helps individuals and teams log daily work hours with ease. This daily log template is perfect for employees, freelancers, or managers who need a clear record of time spent on tasks and projects. The template includes fields for dates, start and end times, task descriptions, and total hours, making it a flexible work log template for both professional and personal use.
Because it’s available in Excel and Word formats, it can be quickly customized and shared across teams. For example, HR managers can adapt it into a personnel tracking spreadsheet for attendance, while project managers can use it as a daily tracking sheet to monitor resource allocation.
👉Try simple time tracking template
Issue tracking templates: Smartsheet
This Smartsheet collection provides multiple issue tracking templates Excel, including project issue logs, product bug trackers, and IT support sheets. Each template assigns owners, priorities, and resolution statuses, making it simple for teams to track issues from reporting through to closure. It’s particularly effective for project managers and IT teams that need a structured issue tracker XLS.
Excel issue tracking template: ProjectManager
ProjectManager’s Excel issue tracker is designed for logging and prioritizing issues with clear status updates. It provides fields for issue IDs, ownership, severity levels, and timelines, ensuring accountability. Managers can use it as an issue tracker template Excel to quickly assign tasks, monitor resolutions, and update project status in real time.
Issue Log Template (Excel): Stakeholdermap
The issue log template from Stakeholdermap is perfect for formal project documentation. It captures critical fields like issue ID, description, priority, owner, and resolution dates, making it suitable for compliance-heavy industries. Project managers can rely on this structured issue tracking template Excel to maintain records that stand up in audits or stakeholder reports.
👉Try issue Log Template
Free task list / Task tracker template: TeamGantt
TeamGantt’s task tracker template Excel simplifies project management by providing status dropdowns, due dates, and owner assignments. It helps teams visualize responsibilities and prioritize work, acting as a lightweight task manager Excel tool. Its clean design reduces clutter, making it especially useful for smaller teams managing ongoing to-dos.
👉Try free task list
Timesheet Templates (Daily, Weekly, Monthly): My Hours
My Hours offers a range of work log templates for daily, weekly, or monthly use. Available in Excel, Word, PDF, and Google Sheets formats, these templates automatically calculate hours worked, overtime, and totals. They’re ideal for HR teams handling payroll or freelancers who need a daily tracking sheet for billing clients.
👉Try timesheet templates
Microsoft Tracker Templates (Excel)
Microsoft provides a wide library of official tracking spreadsheets, including planners, checklists, budgets, and habit trackers. These log sheet templates are professionally designed and customizable, giving users a polished way to manage projects or personal goals directly in Excel. They’re great for those who prefer familiar office software programs.
👉Try Microsoft tracker templates
Coefficient spreadsheet templates
Coefficient offers a broad library of data tracker templates for Excel and Google Sheets. These include inventory trackers, progress tracker templates, and reporting tools designed for team collaboration. Unlike static files, Coefficient templates often come with added data connections, making them suitable for businesses managing large amounts of information.
👉Try Coefficient spreadsheet templates
Afterthought
While Excel or Word templates are widely used, they can be limiting—manual updates, version conflicts, and lack of automation often slow teams down. Lark Base solves these challenges by offering dynamic, cloud-based tracking spreadsheets designed for modern teams. With real-time collaboration, automation, and dashboards, Lark makes tracking faster, smarter, and more efficient than static files.
Lark templates: Smarter alternative to static Excel sheets
Lark offers ready-to-use track sheet templates built for real business scenarios like sales, issue tracking, and performance management. Each template is designed to reduce manual work and keep data actionable through automation. With flexible views and AI-powered insights, teams can manage everything from daily tracking sheets to complex workflows in one place.
Key Lark templates for tracking:
Sales management system
The sales management track sheet template in Lark Base centralizes the entire sales pipeline, from initial contact to deal closure. Sales reps can update deal stages in real time, attach supporting documents, and tag teammates directly in the tracker. Instead of managing multiple job tracking spreadsheets Excel across departments, everything lives in one shared space. Automated reminders notify reps when follow-ups are due, reducing missed opportunities. Managers can also switch to dashboard view to compare team performance, forecast revenue, and identify bottlenecks in the pipeline.
Example: A SaaS startup uses this template to track subscriptions. Deals are moved across pipeline stages (Demo Scheduled → Proposal Sent → Negotiation → Closed), while automated pings remind the team to follow up after trials end.
👉Try Sales management system template
Sales leads management
With Lark’s sales leads tracker, teams can go beyond simple lead logging. Each lead entry can capture fields like source, campaign, contact details, priority, and expected conversion date. Unlike a static customer application process tracker Excel template free, this system updates dynamically as new interactions occur. Marketing teams can instantly see which campaigns are producing the most qualified leads, while sales reps receive automated pings for overdue follow-ups. This ensures the handoff between marketing and sales is seamless, improving conversion rates and speeding up deal closures.
Example: A digital marketing agency uses this to track inbound leads from different ad campaigns. Leads tagged with “Google Ads” vs. “LinkedIn Ads” can be compared, helping the team allocate budgets to the most effective channel.
👉Try sales leads management template
Issue log template
Lark’s issue log template is purpose-built for IT, product, and project teams who need to manage problems systematically. Each issue can include detailed descriptions, screenshots, or attachments, making it richer than a barebones issue tracker template Excel. Teams can assign ownership, set severity levels, and add due dates while automation ensures no issue slips through the cracks. For example, an IT team can automatically notify stakeholders when an issue is escalated, while project managers can visualize open issues in kanban view to prioritize what needs immediate attention. This eliminates version conflicts common in issue tracker XLS files.
Example: An IT support team at a mid-sized company logs all employee issues here. A laptop connectivity issue is assigned to IT staff, marked as “High Priority,” and set with a 48-hour resolution deadline. Automatic notifications keep both the employee and manager updated on progress.
👉Try issue log template
Customer review analysis
This advanced tracker uses AI to analyze large volumes of customer reviews or survey feedback, linking sentiment directly to performance outcomes. Unlike a static tracking log, Lark Base can automatically categorize reviews as positive, neutral, or negative, and even detect themes like “delivery delay” or “excellent service.” Retail teams can quickly identify recurring pain points in customer feedback, while product managers can tie sentiment to specific feature launches. Instead of manually scanning through spreadsheets or a data tracker template, insights are surfaced instantly, helping teams act faster and more strategically.
Example: A retail chain imports thousands of online reviews into Lark. AI flags “late delivery” as a frequent complaint, linked directly to a logistics team dashboard. As a result, management adjusts their shipping partner strategy within weeks—saving time and protecting their reputation.
Scorecard template
Lark’s scorecard template is a modern tool for tracking KPIs across individuals and teams. Each row can represent goals, targets, and actual performance metrics, while dashboards automatically visualize progress. Unlike a manual progress tracker template in Excel, this template updates in real time as data is entered, eliminating the need to recalculate or build pivot tables. HR teams can use it to monitor employee performance reviews, while sales managers can track quarterly targets. For leadership, the ability to see progress instantly across departments helps guide strategic decisions without waiting for static reports.
Example: A sales manager uses it to monitor quarterly targets. Each rep’s progress toward quotas is logged, and the dashboard highlights top performers while flagging underperforming reps. HR also uses it to link employee goals with performance reviews, making evaluations more transparent.
👉Try scorecard template
Why Lark stands out:
Multiple views: Traditional tracking spreadsheets lock users into one static grid. With Lark Base, teams can instantly switch between grid, kanban, and calendar views. For example, a sales team can use kanban view to visualize deals by pipeline stage, while HR managers can switch to calendar view to oversee attendance or onboarding schedules. This flexibility makes the same track sheet usable across different roles without duplicating data.
Real-time collaboration: Unlike static log sheet templates Word or Excel files that need emailing back and forth, Lark allows multiple users to edit entries simultaneously. Team members can assign tasks, tag colleagues, and add comments directly into the tracker. For instance, in an issue tracker template Excel alternative, an IT engineer can update the fix status while the project manager adds notes—everyone sees updates instantly, with no version conflicts.
Automation: Manual data entry slows teams down. Lark Base eliminates this with customizable automated workflows—like setting reminders, triggering follow-ups, or reassigning overdue tasks. Imagine a daily tracking sheet for customer orders: if an order stays unresolved for more than 48 hours, Lark can automatically notify the manager or escalate it. This reduces repetitive work and ensures timely responses.
Dashboards: Instead of building charts manually in Excel, Lark generates visual dashboards directly from the tracking log. A marketing team can transform campaign performance data into bar charts, or an HR department can create attendance overviews from a personnel tracking spreadsheet. Dashboards give managers instant, at-a-glance insights without needing separate reporting tools.
All-in-one workspace: Where Excel or Word templates stop at being static files, Lark combines office applications into one workspace. A project team can log tasks in a tracker, discuss updates in chat, attach supporting documents in Lark Docs, and schedule follow-up meetings in the calendar—all without leaving the platform. This makes Lark more than a tracking spreadsheet—it becomes a complete productivity hub.
Tips for choosing the right tracking list or template
Selecting the right track sheet can make the difference between smooth workflows and messy data. Here are key tips to guide your choice:
Match the template to your purpose: Not all trackers are created equal. A daily log template or activity log template Word is great for recording routine work hours, while an issue tracker template Excel is better for managing project risks or IT problems. Clarifying your purpose first ensures you don’t end up with the wrong tool.
Pick the right format: If your needs are simple, an Excel tracking spreadsheet or log sheet template Word might be sufficient. But for collaborative teams, a cloud-based solution like Lark Base is far more effective—it allows real-time updates, task assignments, and automated workflows that static files can’t match.
Ensure it can scale with growing projects: A job tracker Excel template free may work for a small team, but as projects expand, you’ll need something that can handle more data, more users, and multiple views. Scalable solutions like Lark adapt to growing teams and complex workflows.
Look for automation and reporting features: Manual updates often lead to errors and wasted time. Tools with automation—like reminders, escalations, and reporting dashboards—transform a simple tracking log into a smarter system. For example, a progress tracker template in Lark can automatically generate performance dashboards, saving hours of manual work.
Prioritize accessibility: A good tracking spreadsheet should be easy to access from anywhere—whether you’re in the office, working remotely, or on the go. Static templates often require emailing files around, while cloud-based options like Lark allow instant access and updates across devices, ensuring no one is left out of the loop.
Conclusion
Track sheets remain one of the most effective ways to organize work—whether you’re monitoring daily activities, managing issues, or tracking project milestones. They improve clarity, accountability, and efficiency by ensuring tasks, timelines, and responsibilities are documented and visible.
While Excel tracking spreadsheets and log sheet templates Word are still useful for simple record-keeping, they can quickly become limiting when projects grow or teams need to collaborate. This is where Lark Base redefines tracking. With real-time collaboration, automation, multiple views, and dashboards, Lark transforms a simple daily tracking sheet into a powerful system that evolves with your business. For businesses that want smarter, faster, and more reliable tracking will find Lark to be the modern choice—combining the simplicity of templates with the intelligence of an all-in-one workspace.
FAQs
What is the difference between a track sheet and a tracking spreadsheet?
A track sheet is the general concept of recording and monitoring information, while a tracking spreadsheet is a specific format, often created in Excel or Google Sheets. Both are useful, but they require manual updates. Lark Base takes this further by offering dynamic, cloud-based trackers that update in real time and include automation.
Can I create a daily log template in Excel or Google Sheets?
Yes, you can build a daily log template in Excel or Google Sheets to track activities, hours, or tasks. However, these often involve repetitive data entry. Lark provides ready-to-use daily tracking sheets that automatically update, notify team members, and generate dashboards—making them more efficient for teams.
What’s the best free issue tracker template?
Platforms like Smartsheet and ProjectManager offer free issue tracker templates Excel for logging and resolving problems. These work well for simple needs, but for larger teams, Lark’s issue log template is more powerful, with automation, reminders, and multiple views to manage issues end-to-end.
How does a collaborative tool like Lark improve over static Excel sheets?
Static Excel or Word trackers are prone to version conflicts and require constant emailing. With Lark, teams co-edit the same tracking log in real time, assign owners, and leave comments directly in the tracker. Automation and dashboards further streamline workflows, making collaboration effortless.
Which templates work best for small businesses vs. enterprises?
Small businesses often rely on free options like a job tracker Excel template free or simple log sheet templates Word. Enterprises, however, need scalable systems that handle larger data and teams. Lark Base fits both needs, offering a free plan for small teams and advanced features for growing organizations.
Table of Contents
