When a user submitted a request for a "comprehensive dashboard in Excel to track tasks across multiple team members with automated filtering, deadline alerts, and visual progress charts," it presented an excellent opportunity to demonstrate how to decompose complex requirements into a structured, achievable Excel solution.

This case study walks through the complete process of building a professional task tracking dashboard, from understanding requirements to implementing VBA automation. Whether you're managing a small team or tracking dozens of projects, this guide will show you exactly how to create a powerful, reusable solution.

What You'll Learn

✓ How to analyse and break down complex Excel requests

✓ Dashboard design principles for task tracking

✓ Building interactive charts and visual indicators

✓ VBA automation for filtering and data management

✓ Creating a reusable template you can adapt to any project

Part 1: Understanding the Request

The Original Requirement

The user's request called for a dashboard that could:

Track tasks across multiple team members
Show visual progress with charts and graphs
Filter by time period (this week, this month, custom dates)
Highlight overdue tasks automatically
Provide deadline alerts and follow-up tracking
Generate reports for management review

This is a classic example of a request that sounds straightforward but actually encompasses multiple interconnected systems. The key to success is breaking it down systematically.

The Analysis Framework

Before writing a single formula or line of VBA code, we need to decompose this into manageable components:

Component Breakdown

1. Data Structure

What information needs to be tracked? Task name, assignee, status, priority, dates, category, notes.

2. Visual Dashboard

What charts will provide the most value? Task distribution, completion trends, workload balance, priority breakdown.

3. Filtering Mechanisms

How will users interact with the data? Button-based filters, dynamic date ranges, status toggles.

4. Automation Needs

What should VBA handle? Conditional formatting, filter operations, report generation, data validation.

Part 2: Building the Foundation

Worksheet Architecture

A well-designed Excel dashboard separates concerns across multiple worksheets. Here's the structure we'll build:

The Data Entry Sheet: Your Single Source of Truth

Everything starts with good data structure. Here's the column layout we'll use:

Column A: Task ID (auto-generated)
Column B: Task Name
Column C: Assigned To
Column D: Status (dropdown: Not Started, In Progress, Completed, On Hold)
Column E: Priority (dropdown: High, Medium, Low)
Column F: Category (dropdown: Development, Marketing, Operations, Admin)
Column G: Start Date
Column H: Due Date
Column I: Days Elapsed (calculated)
Column J: Notes

Key Formula: Days Elapsed

In column I (starting at I2), we track how long each task has been active:

=TODAY()-G2

This simple formula automatically calculates working days and updates daily, providing instant insight into task age.

Data Validation: Ensuring Data Quality

Consistent data is crucial for reliable dashboards. We set up dropdown lists for key columns:

Pro Tip: Named Ranges

Instead of hardcoding dropdown values in each validation rule, create named ranges (Formulas → Name Manager). This makes updates easier—change the list once, and all dropdowns update automatically.

Status Dropdown: Not Started, In Progress, Completed, On Hold
Priority Dropdown: High, Medium, Low
Category Dropdown: Development, Marketing, Operations, Admin

Part 3: Creating the Visual Dashboard

Dashboard Layout Strategy

A cluttered dashboard is worse than no dashboard. We'll organise ours into three zones:

Header Zone (Rows 1-2): Title and filter buttons
KPI Zone (Rows 4-6): Key metrics in large, bold text
Chart Zone (Rows 8+): Four visual charts arranged in a grid

The Four Essential KPIs

These summary metrics give instant insight into project health:

Total Tasks

=COUNTA('Data Entry'!B2:B1000)-COUNTBLANK('Data Entry'!B2:B1000)

Completed

=COUNTIF('Data Entry'!D2:D1000,"Completed")

In Progress

=COUNTIF('Data Entry'!D2:D1000,"In Progress")

Overdue

=SUMPRODUCT(('Data Entry'!H2:H1000<TODAY())*('Data Entry'!D2:D1000<>"Completed")*('Data Entry'!D2:D1000<>"On Hold")*('Data Entry'!H2:H1000<>""))

Understanding the Overdue Formula

The overdue count uses SUMPRODUCT to check multiple conditions simultaneously:

Due date (column H) is before today
Status is not "Completed" or "On Hold"
Due date cell is not empty (critical to avoid counting blank rows)

Each condition returns TRUE (1) or FALSE (0), and SUMPRODUCT multiplies them together—only rows where ALL conditions are TRUE contribute to the count.

Chart 1: Task Distribution by Status (Doughnut Chart)

This provides an immediate visual breakdown of work status.

Data Source:

Status          Count
Not Started     =COUNTIF('Data Entry'!$D$2:$D$1000,"Not Started")
In Progress     =COUNTIF('Data Entry'!$D$2:$D$1000,"In Progress")
Completed       =COUNTIF('Data Entry'!$D$2:$D$1000,"Completed")
On Hold         =COUNTIF('Data Entry'!$D$2:$D$1000,"On Hold")

Chart Settings:

Type: Doughnut
Colours: Grey (#95A5A6), Blue (#3498DB), Green (#27AE60), Orange (#E67E22)
Data labels: Show percentages

Chart 2: Tasks by Priority (Bar Chart)

Helps identify if the team is focused on the right priorities.

Data Source:

Priority    Count
High        =COUNTIF('Data Entry'!$E$2:$E$1000,"High")
Medium      =COUNTIF('Data Entry'!$E$2:$E$1000,"Medium")
Low         =COUNTIF('Data Entry'!$E$2:$E$1000,"Low")

Chart Settings:

Type: Horizontal Bar
Colours: Red (#E74C3C), Yellow (#F39C12), Green (#27AE60)
Data labels: Show values

Chart 3: Workload by Person (Column Chart)

Essential for identifying bottlenecks and balancing assignments.

Data Source (dynamic):

Extract unique names from the "Assigned To" column and count tasks for each person. Since team members change, use a UNIQUE formula (Excel 365) or create a manual list of team members.

=COUNTIF('Data Entry'!$C$2:$C$1000,A1)

Where A1 contains the person's name.

Chart 4: Tasks by Category (Pie Chart)

Shows how effort is distributed across business functions.

Data Source:

Category        Count
Development     =COUNTIF('Data Entry'!$F$2:$F$1000,"Development")
Marketing       =COUNTIF('Data Entry'!$F$2:$F$1000,"Marketing")
Operations      =COUNTIF('Data Entry'!$F$2:$F$1000,"Operations")
Admin           =COUNTIF('Data Entry'!$F$2:$F$1000,"Admin")

Conditional Formatting: Visual Intelligence

Colour-coding makes patterns jump out instantly. Apply these rules to the Data Entry sheet:

Overdue Tasks (Column H - Due Date)

Formula: =AND(H2<TODAY(), $D2<>"Completed", $D2<>"On Hold")

Format: Light red fill (RGB 255, 199, 206)

Completed Tasks (Column D - Status)

Formula: =$D2="Completed"

Format: Light green fill (RGB 198, 239, 206)

High Priority (Column E - Priority)

Formula: =$E2="High"

Format: Bold red text (RGB 192, 0, 0)

Part 4: VBA Automation

Why VBA for This Dashboard?

While Excel formulas handle calculations beautifully, VBA adds interactive functionality that formulas alone cannot provide:

One-click filtering without Excel's built-in filter interface
Automated report generation to a separate sheet
Dynamic worksheet switching and navigation
Batch operations across multiple rows

Macro 1: Filter This Week's Tasks

Triggered by a button on the Dashboard sheet, this macro filters the Data Entry sheet to show only tasks due this week:

Sub FilterThisWeek()
    Dim ws As Worksheet
    Dim lastRow As Long
    Dim startOfWeek As Date
    Dim endOfWeek As Date

    ' Set reference to Data Entry sheet
    Set ws = ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Data Entry")

    ' Calculate this week's date range (Monday to Sunday)
    startOfWeek = Date - Weekday(Date, vbMonday) + 1
    endOfWeek = startOfWeek + 6

    ' Find last row with data
    lastRow = ws.Cells(ws.Rows.Count, "B").End(xlUp).Row

    ' Clear any existing filters
    If ws.AutoFilterMode Then ws.AutoFilterMode = False

    ' Apply filter to Due Date column (H)
    ws.Range("A1:J" & lastRow).AutoFilter Field:=8, _
        Criterion1:=">=" & startOfWeek, _
        Operator:=xlAnd, _
        Criterion2:="<=" & endOfWeek

    ' Switch to Data Entry sheet to show results
    ws.Activate

    MsgBox "Showing tasks due this week (" & Format(startOfWeek, "dd/mm/yyyy") & _
           " to " & Format(endOfWeek, "dd/mm/yyyy") & ")", vbInformation
End Sub

Key Techniques

Dynamic date calculation: Weekday(Date, vbMonday) finds Monday of current week
AutoFilter with criteria: Uses date range comparison operators
Error prevention: Clears existing filters before applying new ones
User feedback: MsgBox confirms the date range being displayed

Macro 2: Filter This Month

Similar logic, but filters by the current calendar month:

Sub FilterThisMonth()
    Dim ws As Worksheet
    Dim lastRow As Long
    Dim startOfMonth As Date
    Dim endOfMonth As Date

    Set ws = ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Data Entry")

    ' Calculate first and last day of current month
    startOfMonth = DateSerial(Year(Date), Month(Date), 1)
    endOfMonth = DateSerial(Year(Date), Month(Date) + 1, 0)

    lastRow = ws.Cells(ws.Rows.Count, "B").End(xlUp).Row

    If ws.AutoFilterMode Then ws.AutoFilterMode = False

    ws.Range("A1:J" & lastRow).AutoFilter Field:=8, _
        Criterion1:=">=" & startOfMonth, _
        Operator:=xlAnd, _
        Criterion2:="<=" & endOfMonth

    ws.Activate

    MsgBox "Showing tasks due in " & Format(Date, "mmmm yyyy"), vbInformation
End Sub

Macro 3: Show All Tasks (Clear Filters)

Simple but essential—returns the view to show all data:

Sub ShowAllTasks()
    Dim ws As Worksheet
    Set ws = ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Data Entry")

    If ws.AutoFilterMode Then
        ws.AutoFilterMode = False
    End If

    ws.Activate
    MsgBox "Showing all tasks", vbInformation
End Sub

Macro 4: Extract Follow-Up Items

This powerful macro automatically creates a filtered list of urgent tasks (overdue + high priority) on a separate sheet:

Sub ExtractFollowUpItems()
    Dim wsSource As Worksheet
    Dim wsTarget As Worksheet
    Dim lastRow As Long
    Dim i As Long
    Dim targetRow As Long

    Set wsSource = ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Data Entry")
    Set wsTarget = ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Follow Up Items")

    ' Clear existing follow-up items (keep headers)
    lastRow = wsTarget.Cells(wsTarget.Rows.Count, "A").End(xlUp).Row
    If lastRow > 1 Then
        wsTarget.Range("A2:J" & lastRow).ClearContents
    End If

    ' Find last row in source data
    lastRow = wsSource.Cells(wsSource.Rows.Count, "B").End(xlUp).Row
    targetRow = 2

    ' Loop through tasks and copy urgent ones
    For i = 2 To lastRow
        If wsSource.Cells(i, 2).Value <> "" Then ' Task name not empty
            ' Check if task is overdue OR high priority AND not completed
            If (wsSource.Cells(i, 8).Value < Date And _
                wsSource.Cells(i, 4).Value <> "Completed" And _
                wsSource.Cells(i, 4).Value <> "On Hold") Or _
               (wsSource.Cells(i, 5).Value = "High" And _
                wsSource.Cells(i, 4).Value = "In Progress") Then

                ' Copy entire row to Follow Up sheet
                wsSource.Range("A" & i & ":J" & i).Copy _
                    Destination:=wsTarget.Range("A" & targetRow)
                targetRow = targetRow + 1
            End If
        End If
    Next i

    wsTarget.Activate
    MsgBox "Follow-up items updated. Found " & (targetRow - 2) & " urgent tasks.", vbInformation
End Sub

Business Logic Breakdown

This macro identifies tasks requiring immediate attention by checking:

Overdue tasks that aren't completed or on hold
High-priority tasks currently in progress

The result is a curated list perfect for team stand-ups or manager reviews.

Macro 5: Refresh Dashboard

Recalculates all formulas and reapplies conditional formatting:

Sub RefreshDashboard()
    Application.ScreenUpdating = False

    ' Recalculate all formulas
    ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Dashboard").Calculate

    ' Reapply conditional formatting (if needed)
    Call ApplyConditionalFormatting

    ' Return to Dashboard
    ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Dashboard").Activate

    Application.ScreenUpdating = True
    MsgBox "Dashboard refreshed successfully!", vbInformation
End Sub

Connecting Buttons to Macros

On the Dashboard sheet, insert buttons (Developer tab → Insert → Button) and assign each macro:

"This Week" button → FilterThisWeek
"This Month" button → FilterThisMonth
"Show All" button → ShowAllTasks
"Extract Follow-Ups" button → ExtractFollowUpItems
"Refresh" button → RefreshDashboard

Part 5: Testing and Refinement

Sample Data Strategy

Before deploying to your team, populate the Data Entry sheet with 15-20 realistic sample tasks that include:

Mix of statuses (not started, in progress, completed, on hold)
Various priorities (high, medium, low)
Different team members
Tasks spanning past, present, and future dates
At least 3-4 overdue tasks to test conditional formatting

This allows users to see the dashboard "in action" immediately and understand its value before entering their own data.

Common Issues and Fixes

Issue: Charts show inflated numbers

Cause: COUNTIF formulas counting empty rows

Fix: Add condition to check if task name is not blank: SUMPRODUCT((criteria)*(B2:B1000<>""))

Issue: Macros produce "Object required" error

Cause: Sheet names don't match exactly

Fix: Verify sheet names in VBA match actual worksheet tabs (case-sensitive)

Issue: Conditional formatting disappears after filter

Cause: Formatting applied to specific rows, not range

Fix: Apply conditional formatting to entire columns (e.g., $D:$D instead of $D$2:$D$100)

Part 6: Advanced Enhancements

For Power Users: Adding Email Alerts

If your team uses Outlook, you can add automatic email reminders for overdue tasks:

Sub SendOverdueAlerts()
    ' Requires reference to Microsoft Outlook Object Library
    Dim ws As Worksheet
    Dim lastRow As Long
    Dim i As Long
    Dim outlookApp As Object
    Dim outMail As Object
    Dim emailBody As String

    Set ws = ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Data Entry")
    lastRow = ws.Cells(ws.Rows.Count, "B").End(xlUp).Row

    Set outlookApp = CreateObject("Outlook.Application")

    For i = 2 To lastRow
        If ws.Cells(i, 8).Value < Date And _
           ws.Cells(i, 4).Value = "In Progress" Then

            emailBody = "Task: " & ws.Cells(i, 2).Value & vbCrLf & _
                       "Assigned to: " & ws.Cells(i, 3).Value & vbCrLf & _
                       "Due date: " & Format(ws.Cells(i, 8).Value, "dd/mm/yyyy") & vbCrLf & _
                       "Days overdue: " & DateDiff("d", ws.Cells(i, 8).Value, Date)

            Set outMail = outlookApp.CreateItem(0)
            With outMail
                .To = "manager@yourcompany.com"
                .Subject = "Overdue Task Alert: " & ws.Cells(i, 2).Value
                .Body = emailBody
                .Send
            End With
        End If
    Next i

    Set outlookApp = Nothing
    MsgBox "Alerts sent for " & overdueCount & " overdue tasks", vbInformation
End Sub

Mobile Access with Excel Online

Save your dashboard to OneDrive or SharePoint to enable:

Real-time collaboration (multiple users editing simultaneously)
Mobile viewing via Excel mobile app
Version history and backup

Note on VBA in Excel Online

VBA macros do not run in Excel Online. Users must open the file in desktop Excel to use the automation features. However, formulas, charts, and conditional formatting work perfectly in the browser.

Key Takeaways

Structure First: A solid data foundation (Data Entry sheet) makes everything else easier.
Formulas Do the Heavy Lifting: Most dashboard logic uses standard Excel functions—VBA adds interactivity, not calculations.
Start Simple, Add Gradually: Build the basic dashboard first, then add VBA automation once the formulas work correctly.
Test with Real Scenarios: Use sample data that mirrors actual business conditions to catch issues early.
Document Everything: The Instructions sheet saves countless support questions later.

Download the Complete Template

Want to skip the build process and start with a ready-to-use solution? We've packaged this entire dashboard—complete with formulas, VBA macros, sample data, and instructions—into a downloadable Excel template.

Free Excel Task Tracking Dashboard Template

Includes all features from this case study:

✓ Pre-built charts and KPIs
✓ Working VBA macros (Mac & Windows)
✓ Sample data to explore
✓ Complete setup instructions
✓ Customisation guide

Download Free Template →

When You Need Custom Solutions

This dashboard template is designed for general task tracking, but every business has unique requirements. If you need:

Integration with external systems (CRM, databases, web APIs)
Custom calculations specific to your industry
Multi-workbook consolidation
Advanced reporting with PowerQuery integration
Specialised automation beyond standard task tracking

Our VBA Code Generator can create tailored solutions that match your exact workflow. Describe what you need, and get production-ready VBA code in seconds.

Related Resources

Have you built a similar dashboard? What challenges did you face? Share your experience in the comments below or get in touch—we'd love to hear how you're using VBA automation in your business.

Building a Multi-Person Task Tracking Dashboard in Excel with VBA: A Complete Case Study

Part 1: Understanding the Request

Part 2: Building the Foundation

Part 3: Creating the Visual Dashboard

Part 4: VBA Automation

Part 5: Testing and Refinement

Part 6: Advanced Enhancements

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