A shared doc is a fine place to draft a rundown — until you're live. Here's where general documents stop and running order software starts, for timing, cues and driving the show.
Plenty of shows run their running order in a shared document or spreadsheet, and for drafting one that's perfectly reasonable — everyone can edit, it's free, and it's familiar. The limits appear at exactly the moment they matter most: when the show is live. This is an honest comparison of where a general document stops and purpose-built running order software starts.
Drafting vs. driving
A shared doc is great for writing down the running order. Running order software is built for running it — turning that list into something that times itself, drives the show, and keeps the prompter and clock in step. Here's where the two diverge.
| Capability | General doc (e.g. Google Docs/Sheets) | Running order software |
|---|---|---|
| Shared, real-time editing | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic segment and total timings | No — manual sums | Yes |
| Drives the show live (current item, cues) | No | Yes |
| Teleprompter reads from it | No | Yes |
| Show clock follows it | No | Yes |
| Cues tied to graphics/VTs | No | Yes |
| Versioning for a clean on-air copy | Limited | Yes |
Credit where it's due — a modern shared doc genuinely is collaborative and real-time. It just isn't a live rundown engine.
What you lose in a doc when you go live
- Timings are manual. Change one duration and every total is wrong until someone re-adds them by hand.
- Nothing follows the doc. The teleprompter and show clock can't read a Google Doc, so the script, the timing and the rundown drift apart the moment things change.
- No live position. A doc can't tell the gallery which item is on air now, or back-time to a hard out.
- Cues are just text. There's no link between "roll VT" in the doc and the graphic actually going out.
For what a rundown should do, see how to build a running order and running a live show.
When each is the right choice
- Use a shared doc to sketch an early running order, or for a simple show where you're happy to time it by eye.
- Use running order software when the show is timed, live, and needs the prompter, clock and graphics to move with the rundown.
How Show Runner handles it
Show Runner's running order is real-time and collaborative like a shared doc, but it also times itself, drives the show live, and keeps the teleprompter and show clock in sync — change a row and the whole production follows. You can publish a clean version and still make live changes.
FAQ
Can't I just run my rundown in Google Docs?
For drafting, yes — a shared doc is fine. The limits show up live: timings don't recalculate automatically, nothing (teleprompter, show clock, graphics) follows the doc, and it can't track which item is on air. That's what running order software adds.
What does running order software do that a spreadsheet doesn't?
It turns the list into a live system: automatic segment and total timings, a current on-air position, back-timing to hard outs, and a teleprompter and show clock that follow the rundown — plus cues linked to the graphics that actually go out.
Is real-time editing enough on its own?
Real-time editing is table stakes — modern docs have it too. The difference is everything downstream of the rundown: timing, driving the show, and keeping the prompter and clock in step, which a general document can't do.
See what a live rundown should do: how to build a running order. Or start for free.