This means that a new project phase begins after the previous phase has been completed.
The Waterfall project management template is often used in fields like software development, construction, and manufacturing and for projects where requirements and processes are well-defined and unlikely to change during the project lifecycle.
This systematic approach of the Waterfall project management methodology leaves little room for error, so staying organized and maintaining thorough documentation is crucial. Unlike Agile’s adaptable and fast-paced sprints, the Waterfall model demands a steady, well-planned process from start to finish.
That’s where Waterfall project management templates come into play. If you’re a project manager, team lead, or analyst, these templates can help you save time, pay more attention to details, and strictly adhere to the project plan.
At ClickUp, we’ve created ready-to-use, customizable Waterfall templates to help you. Check out our top picks and be in control of your project from initiation to execution.
- What Are Waterfall Project Management Templates?
- What Makes a Good Waterfall Project Management Template?
- 11 Free Waterfall Project Management Templates
- 1. ClickUp Waterfall Management Template
- 2. ClickUp Waterfall Project Management Template
- 3. ClickUp Software Project Management Simplified Template
- 4. ClickUp Development Schedule Template
- 5. ClickUp App Development Plan Template
- 6. ClickUp Product Development Roadmap Whiteboard Template
- 7. ClickUp Gantt Timeline Template
- 8. ClickUp Kanban View Roadmap Template
- 9. ClickUp Project Timeline Template
- 10. ClickUp Project Management Template
- 11. ClickUp Planning a Project Template
- Simplify Project Management with ClickUp Templates
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Are Waterfall Project Management Templates?
Waterfall templates are pre-made frameworks for planning, executing, and monitoring projects that follow the Waterfall project management methodology. They guide teams through different project phases—requirements, design, implementation, testing, and deployment—by offering standardized formats for tracking progress at every stage.
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Makes a Good Waterfall Project Management Template?
When looking for a great Waterfall project management template, keep an eye out for these key features:
- Detail-oriented: The best templates are thorough and precise, capturing every necessary detail for each project phase. From task breakdowns to deadlines and dependencies, a detailed template ensures that nothing slips through the cracks with Waterfall project management
- Seamless Tracking: Your template should make it easy to monitor project progress, keep an eye on milestones, and spot any issues early on. Tracking and visualization help you stay on top of your timelines and ensure everything is moving according to the project plan
- Customizable: The template should be flexible enough to adapt to your project’s unique needs. Whether you need to tweak categories or add specific fields, customization helps the template fit into your project requirements
- Easy to use: A good template is straightforward and user-friendly. It should have a clean, intuitive layout so you and your team can jump right in without getting overwhelmed by complicated instructions or clunky interfaces
- Scalable: An ideal template should quickly adapt to small and large teams. It should be able to handle projects of any size, expanding to accommodate additional tasks and team members as needed while still providing an organized structure
Now, let’s explore the templates.
Summarize this article for me please11 Free Waterfall Project Management Templates
ClickUp’s Project Management tool streamlines how you plan, manage, visualize projects, and collaborate with stakeholders. But readymade frameworks come in handy if you’re not yet well-versed in managing complex projects or don’t have the time to start from scratch.
We’ve handpicked 11 Waterfall project management templates from the ClickUp library to improve your workflow.
1. ClickUp Waterfall Management Template
In the Waterfall approach, you cannot turn back or juggle multiple phases simultaneously once you move past a phase. You must stay laser-focused and closely watch each step to avoid missing out on essential details.
You need ClickUp’s Waterfall Management Template to manage your workflow. It’s designed to give you a clear view of task progress, help you spot potential delays early, and let you take action before issues escalate based on continuous feedback.
With 27 custom statuses, such as In Progress, Open, and Closed, you can easily track where each task stands. You can also use Custom Fields like Impact Cost, Response Type, and Probability to categorize project tasks and keep information organized.
Thanks to its native Gantt, List, and Timeline views, this template allows you to visualize your project in the way that best suits you. It helps you avoid missing milestones or deadlines during different project phases and informs everyone about the project’s direction.
2. ClickUp Waterfall Project Management Template
Managing a large development project with multiple stages? You’ll need an advanced Waterfall template that breaks your project into granular phases and keeps you aligned with your timeline.
ClickUp’s Waterfall Project Management Template is designed for just that. It lets you divide your project into key phases like Ideation, Research, Design, and Development and organize tasks within each phase. The Project Waterfall tab provides a timeline of phases and tasks, giving you a quick, bird’s-eye view of your project’s progress.
With options for Gantt, Calendar, List, and Doc views, this template helps you and your team stay on top of task statuses and deadlines, ensuring your project stays on track and you meet your project goals.
3. ClickUp Software Project Management Simplified Template
If you’re looking for a more detailed Waterfall template than the previous one, ClickUp’s Software Project Management Simplified Template might interest you. Whether you’re new to Waterfall project management or a pro, this framework caters to all levels of expertise.
You can categorize your tasks into multiple phases: Business Case, Analysis, Design, Development, Testing, Implementation, Training, and Documentation. Custom Fields like Time tracked, Stage, and Team effort help you track your task list and identify potential bottlenecks. The Development Timeline tab keeps you on track with deadlines, while the Backlog Board empowers you to manage tasks seamlessly using Kanban boards.
This template allows you to check the workload and capacity of project team members and make informed choices regarding resource allocation and task assignment.
Also Read: 15 Best Software Development Tools for 2024
4. ClickUp Development Schedule Template
The secret to a successful project in development is creating an effective schedule and sticking to it. You can achieve this for long-term projects with ClickUp’s Development Schedule Template.
Custom statuses such as Done, In Progress, Needs Input, Stuck, and To Do help you monitor product development progress. Use five custom attributes—Stage, Attachment, Estimated Duration (Days), Remarks, and Actual Duration (Days)—to track key information about product development.
With a planned schedule for every task, it’s easier to understand how long a task might take and allocate resources accordingly to keep the project on track. The built-in Gantt view allows you to visualize how long it takes to complete a task compared to the proposed timeline. Timeline, List, and Board views are also part of the native features; use them to organize your tasks and meet your development deadlines effortlessly.
5. ClickUp App Development Plan Template
Developing a new app requires meticulous planning. There are many moving parts, from initial research, core development, and testing to market launch. The ClickUp App Development Plan Template helps you plan every stage of your software development life cycle in a unified space so you don’t need to switch between apps to track the status of tasks.
With this template in your corner, you can:
- List down your project’s objectives and expectations
- Build a development process and visualize each step
- Stay up-to-date with progress percentage
- Keep internal and external stakeholders informed
You’ll have access to multiple views: the Form view captures essential input from team members and clients, the Gantt view provides a visual timeline of your project, and the Board view organizes information in a manageable format.
6. ClickUp Product Development Roadmap Whiteboard Template
A product roadmap outlines a clear plan for your product’s short-term goals and long-term vision. It helps you define your goals, milestones, and timelines so everyone knows what’s coming next and can work toward the same objectives.
However, creating a detailed roadmap is both time-consuming and labor-intensive. Consider using ClickUp’s Product Development Roadmap Whiteboard Template and get started quickly.
What does this framework have in store? Remote team members can use it to collaborate and ideate under one roof. This template makes setting and tracking monthly and quarterly goals seamless. Team members can access the project’s whereabouts from a central location and understand how their efforts contribute to the bigger organizational goals.
7. ClickUp Gantt Timeline Template
When you have a strict deadline, you need to stay on schedule. ClickUp’s Gantt Timeline Template is perfect for managing time-sensitive Waterfall projects, helping you stick to deadlines, handle task dependencies, and streamline your planning process.
You can easily track progress with visual timelines that update automatically, whether you’re looking at weekly, monthly, or yearly tasks. Custom statuses—such as Blocked, Complete, In Progress, In Review, and To Do—offer a quick overview of your project’s status, and you can color-code them for quick identification.
This template empowers you to:
- Structure and plan projects systematically
- Determine and allocate the resources required for each project phase
- Monitor progress and measure it against your original plan
- Minimize the chances of delays and budget overruns
8. ClickUp Kanban View Roadmap Template
Maintaining the correct sequence of tasks is essential in Waterfall project management. However, with multiple sequences, assignees, and dependencies, it can be challenging for project managers to keep everything on track.
That’s where ClickUp’s Kanban View Roadmap Template comes in handy. It offers a built-in Kanban view, allowing you to drag and drop tasks between columns without third-party visualization tools. Stakeholders can see the progress of each task at a glance.
You can tailor the template with custom statuses like Backlog, In Progress, Testing, To Do, and Done, as well as Custom Fields such as Product Area, Duration, Team, and Feature Description, to ensure it fits seamlessly into your workflow.
9. ClickUp Project Timeline Template
ClickUp’s Project Plan Whiteboard Template offers a digitized version of good-old sticky notes. Track project timelines (Week 1, Week 2, and so on) horizontally and list down the project steps vertically. With every step and corresponding tasks organized, handling them one at a time is easier before moving on to the next step.
The framework allows you to visualize your entire project plan timeline at a glance. You can also color-code important tasks or milestones so team members can recognize them.
This template is ideal for visual learners or anyone who prefers a neat approach to project management.
10. ClickUp Project Management Template
You don’t want to miss important details while managing your projects as a project manager or program manager.
That’s why, for managing large projects, you need a comprehensive template that handles the important details on your behalf—project phase, department, time estimate, project description, and success metrics, to mention a few.
ClickUp’s Project Management Template is one such option. It’s highly customizable, thanks to 25 Custom Statuses (Update Required, In Progress, At Risk, etc.) and 11 Custom Fields (Key Stakeholders, Required Delivery Items, Company OKRs, etc.).
11. ClickUp Planning a Project Template
It’s good to have a versatile project planning template you can customize for any project, whether software development or a marketing strategy. And for that, ClickUp’s Planning a Project Template is a great pick.
It lets you categorize tasks based on Priority, Assignee, Start Date, Due Date, Task Progress, Task Effort, and more.
With this template, you can:
- Save time and effort by using a pre-built framework for project planning
- Ensure all critical steps are included in the project plan
- Provide a structured approach for effective communication with team members and external stakeholders
Summarize this article for me pleaseSimplify Project Management with ClickUp Templates
Whether you’re using Waterfall, Agile, or any other project management methodology, ClickUp has you covered. The platform lets you break down projects into manageable units and collaborate effortlessly with your team.
If you’re facing tight deadlines, handling several projects simultaneously, or simply need a uniform structure to keep things organized, ClickUp’s wide range of customizable project management templates is readily available to you. Pick the template that fits your needs, tweak it to suit your workflow, and manage projects efficiently.
Get started with ClickUp today!
