Free 3-Week Look-Ahead Schedule Template (Excel)
A short-interval schedule for the next 15 workdays. List each activity by trade and area, enter its start and finish, and track the constraints that could stop it — the template shades the bars automatically. No signup required.
Excel (.xlsx) · works in Google Sheets · free, no email required
What's included
- 15 workday columns (three Monday-to-Friday weeks) driven by one start date
- Activity, trade, area, and crew size columns
- Enter start and finish dates and the bar shades itself
- Constraints column for RFIs, submittals, inspections, and deliveries
- Status dropdown (on track, at risk, late, complete)
- Landscape print layout for the weekly foreman meeting
How to use the 3-week look-ahead template
1. Set the start date
Enter the Monday of the first week. The 15 date columns fill in automatically and skip weekends.
2. Pull activities from the master schedule
List what should happen in the next three weeks, broken down to the level a foreman can manage: activity, trade, and area. Add start and finish dates and the bar fills in.
3. Clear the constraints
For each activity, note anything that could stop it — an open RFI, a submittal not yet approved, an inspection, a delivery, or a predecessor trade. The point of a look-ahead is to clear those before the crew shows up.
4. Roll it forward every week
At the weekly meeting, update status, change the start date to the next Monday, and add the new third week. Compare what was planned with what happened so the next plan is more reliable.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a 3-week look-ahead schedule?
How is a look-ahead different from the master schedule?
Why three weeks?
Is this look-ahead schedule template free?
Outgrowing the spreadsheet?
A look-ahead spreadsheet works until you are retyping it from the master schedule every Monday. See how AECify's construction scheduling software keeps the log, attachments, and deadlines in one project record.