Google’s spreadsheets could soon be taking over even more of your working life
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Keeping track of the progress of your major workplace projects may soon be a lot easier thanks to a new Google Sheets (opens in new tab) update.
The spreadsheet software (opens in new tab) introduces a new timeline view that it says will provide a clearer and more intuitive perspective on how your work is progressing, and will provide project management tools within the platform for the first time.
Described by Google Workspace as a “visual layer,” the new view displays project information stored in Sheets, such as task start and finish dates, description, and owner. Users can also view more information about the project in the sidebar by clicking on a card in the timeline, as well as track its progress over time by different time intervals (day, week, month, quarters, year, and multi-year).
Google Sheets Timeline
“The timeline view allows you to easily interact with project information and can help you manage things like marketing campaigns, project milestones, schedules, team collaboration, and more,” an update from Google Workspace blog post (opens in new tab) noted the announcement of the news.
To create a timeline, users must go to: Insert > Timeline > select a data range > configure the attributes in the timeline settings sidebar. Once created, users have access to a number of options, including the ability to view the timeline at different time intervals, jump to the current date, and change the visual appearance of the timeline by adjusting the spacing or using colors .
The feature is now rolling out to most Google Workspace users, including Google Workspace Essentials, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Plus, Education Standard, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and non- profit organizations . However, older G Suite Basic and Business customers and users with personal Google accounts will not have access.
The announcement is the latest addition to Google Sheets as the company strives to keep the tool usable and intuitive for users everywhere.
This includes the recently improved drag-and-drop experience, which means that Slides users can insert content such as text and images into a presentation directly from another app. The company says it hopes the update “increases flexibility by giving you more ways to interact with, display, and organize your content.”
Another major upgrade added Google’s “people chips” to Sheets, which means that by typing “@” into a spreadsheet, users can quickly see more information about their colleagues or contacts, including their location, job title, and contact information. Human chips can also be used to perform actions such as booking a meeting in Google Meet, starting a chat, sending an email, and more.