Benefits: Cost Savings, Simpler Workflows, and Better Buy-In
Since switching:
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We cut project management software costs to $0
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Team members actually use the tracker daily—no resistance, no training curve
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Our sprint reviews became more transparent and actionable
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Velocity forecasting improved because estimations and completions live in the same view
The simplicity encouraged autonomy. Team leads didn’t need a PM hovering to stay on track—everything was self-evident.
Key Features: Sprint Dashboards, Burn Charts & Team Logs
Over time, I expanded the tracker to include:
Sprint Dashboard with auto-populated active tasks, responsible owners, and priority flags
Automated Chart calculating ideal vs actual progress by day and overall
Time Logging Sheet so each member could estimate and log time without needing a third-party tracker
Email Macro Button to instantly generate and send out sprint status reports
No API integrations, no extra accounts. Everything’s local, fast, and version-controlled through our existing cloud storage.
My Solution: Building a Tracker from Scratch in Excel
Rather than default to another software suite, I created an Excel system tailored to art and production tracking:
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A master sheet listing all current and future tasks
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Sprint selection logic using dropdowns
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Status color-coding for visual tracking
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Time estimation columns that auto-calculate workloads
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Filterable fields for departments (art, programming, design)
This sheet evolved into a flexible, fast tool that requires zero setup for new team members—just open and go.
The
Problem:
Jira Overload on Small Art Teams
Jira is powerful—but it’s overkill for many small to mid-size teams. We faced common issues:
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Slow onboarding for new artists unfamiliar with Agile/Jira terminology.
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Redundant layers between status updates, task ownership, and sprint reviews.
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License costs added up when only half the team actually needed full access.
I needed a simpler system that gave everyone clear task visibility without the Jira bloat. So I built one.
How I Replaced Jira with Excel for Sprint Management (and Why It Worked Better)
As an Art Producer overseeing simulation and game teams at JANUS Research Group, I found Jira to be more overhead than help. For small to medium sized teams working under real deadlines, I needed something lean, fast, and flexible. So I built a custom Excel-based task and sprint tracker - and haven’t looked back. Here’s the breakdown.
Final
Thoughts:
When Excel Beats the "Big Tools"
If your team is under 15 people and you already live in Google Suite or Office 365, Excel can outperform Jira for:
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Visual clarity
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Startup time
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Daily usability
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Cost effectiveness
Don’t get me wrong—Jira is amazing when you’re scaling fast or need deep cross-functional workflows. But if you’re spending more time configuring your PM tool than producing… it’s time to simplify.