Accounting Task Management Spreadsheet

I need an easy-to-navigate Excel workbook that lets my team of four in-house accountants, four external accountants, stay on top of every mandate we handle. The sheet must capture, at a minimum, the following details for each task: deadline, the person responsible, current status, and whether it is flagged as urgent. A clean layout with clear filters or conditional formatting for overdue or high-priority items will keep everyone focused.

It should also be possible to add a list of mandates which are not yet allocated to a specific accountant. Time estimate column. Flat or hourly rate column or marking. Maybe work with colors for different type of mandates.

Right now all entries will be manual, but please structure the file so that simple automations or macros can be added later without having to rebuild the whole thing. If you already see quick wins—such as a status drop-down, automatic colour changes when a date is approaching, or a dashboard that totals open items per accountant—feel free to include them and note how they work.

Deliverable: a single .xlsx file that is ready for immediate use inside Microsoft Excel.