What you need to know
- Google Docs has got new drop-down and spreadsheet tools for collaborative project management.
- New drop-down chips allow you to add menus to your document with a list of customizable options.
- You can also insert table templates into Documents to indicate common project workflows.
Since Google introduced the Smart Canvas update last year, Google Docs has evolved from a simple network word processor to a handy collaboration tool. Productivity service now tends to be a replacement for your favorite project management software such as Notion or Asana.
In a blog post, Google announced two new additions to the document’s growing feature set, including drop-down chips and table templates. The first allows you to insert drop-down menus into your document with predefined options that you can customize to your requirements. For example, you can change the color and rename each option to help the team track document status or project milestones.
By default, there are two drop-down menus that you can add to your document, namely “project status” and “preview status”. Each menu contains options to indicate the status of the job or document, but you can remove or add another option if needed.
Meanwhile, new table templates can help turn an ordinary table into something with interesting formatting. These templates can be used for tasks such as tracking project assets or product plans.
The latest wave of features is based on the “@” feature, which brings a variety of block tools that turn your boring document into an interactive whiteboard.
Alternatively, you can access the new features by navigating to the Insert menu at the top.
“We hope these features will help you create highly customized and organized documents in Google Docs, making it easier to collaborate and drive your project forward,” the search giant said.
Drop-down chips and table templates represent Google’s ongoing effort to make documents your best service for all things collaborative. Over the last few months, the service has gained new features, including support for Markdown formatting, document summary, draft e-mail template, and the ability to insert different types of rich content without switching between applications.
Over the next two weeks, the latest features will be available on all Google Workspace plans, legacy G Suite Basic and Business levels, and personal Google Accounts.