17 years helping Singaporean businesses
choose better software
About Smartsheet
Smartsheet is an online work execution platform empowering organizations of all sizes to plan, manage, automate, and report on work.
Dashboards can be a nice way to have an overview with links to different sheets if you have a project with several documents, and are willing to spend the extra time and money to set it up.
It's also sometimes difficult to tell where user error plays a role in mathematic mistakes. I'd like to see more effort put into these areas.
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Filter reviews (3,309)
A Cool Tool for Keeping Track of Projects
Comments: Smartsheet is a fantastic tool for managing work, making it easy to track projects and stay organized. The many features can be overwhelming for new users but despite these small challenges, Smartsheet’s powerful features and ease of use make it a great choice for handling both simple and complex tasks.
Pros:
I find Smartsheet really helpful for managing my work. It’s like a smart spreadsheet where I can track projects and tasks, and it’s great for working with my team and sharing files. I also like that it connects with other apps I use, like Google and Dropbox, so I don’t have to jump between different tools.
Cons:
It might cost more than simpler tools, but it’s great for bigger projects. If your internet is slow, it might run a bit slow too, but it works better with a faster connection.
A tremendous tool for efficiently managing and coordinating our research projects.
Comments: I also valued Smartsheet's robust reporting functionalities. The platform facilitated the generation of real-time reports, offering valuable insights into the advancement of projects, allocation of resources, and identification of potential bottlenecks. These reports played a crucial role in keeping stakeholders well-informed and facilitating data-driven decision-making.
Pros:
Smartsheet's collaborative tools were very impressive. The feature of sharing sheets with team members, assigning responsibilities, and setting permissions ensured a synchronized understanding among all individuals and facilitated their effective contribution. By improving communication, the danger of miscommunication or duplicated efforts is minimized, which is essential for keeping the project on track.
Cons:
Smartsheet's adaptability is a strong point, it can also result in discrepancies in how various team members configure and oversee their sheets. In the absence of explicit instructions, this might lead to a dearth of uniformity among projects, hence complicating the task of upholding a unified project management methodology.
Alternatives Considered:
Good project management tool
Comments: I would use this software for future project management tools
Pros:
Smartsheet is a good project management tool. It helps you track your grouped dependencies and exported and clear GANTT chart
Cons:
The sub-tasks were hard to manage within the tool or it wasn’t as intuitive
Streamlined Project Management with an Intuitive Interface and Elegant Presentation
Comments: Overall, Smartsheet excels in creating a collaborative environment where teams can work seamlessly together. Its combination of user-friendly design, logical interface, and sophisticated project presentation makes it a valuable asset for managing projects and driving team success.
Pros:
The platform’s logical graphical user interface (GUI) enhances productivity by offering a clear and organized view of tasks, timelines, and dependencies. The layout is not only easy to understand but also customizable, catering to diverse project needs and user preferences.
Cons:
Although Smartsheet offers various integrations, setting them up can sometimes be complex and require additional configuration. Some users may find the integration process less seamless than other platforms.
Great for project management and task scheduling/reporting
Comments: Smartsheet has been a helpful and useful tool for organization and task/project management. being able to see/assign individuals natively and make sure people are being notified and updating tasks has helped for visibility of project status and employee wellbeing.
Pros:
A powerful platform with excellent organizational features. I particularly like the ability to create timelines and easily switch between task and Gantt views. creating reports using filters and specific criteria is super helpful in seeing what employees are spending their time on and for getting prompt feedback about projects.
Cons:
I wish I could sort by more than 3 criteria. Some reports I've made need one or two more levels of sorting or filtering than are available to really focus on what the report needs to tell me.
Smartsheet as a PM resource
Comments: We use smartsheet for project schedule tracking, schedule dashboards for clients, and some data collection. We have always been impressed with the ease of use and the support offered.
Pros:
Easy to use with great collaboration features that allow for across team and client communication so everyone stays up to date on schedules or metrics.
Cons:
I think the sheets and schedule features are a little more robust than their dashboard. Though all parts have steadily improved over the 5 or 6 years Ive used Smartsheet.
Smartsheet is taking over
Comments: Excellent features and its the best tool to create project plans. This is become more and more popular with businesses, so its worth taking the time and mastering your skills on this tool
Pros:
Excellent for project plans, dashboards can be easily customised and are excellent way to get a high level, save time creating weekly reports
Cons:
Guest users now need to have a licsence You need to practise how to use some features sich as dasboards Can be tricky moving rows
Simple yet powerful and reliable
Comments: Overall, as someone who has actively used Smartsheet to run a couple of portfolios of proejcts, I found it a simple yet powerful software with brilliant collaboration features.
Pros:
Simplicity and ease of use. It's a powerful and reliable software with amazing collaboration features and dashboards.
Cons:
At times, it takes a long time for desktop app, Windows in my case, to load up.
Smartsheet is great spreadsheet style task management tool, but has less functionality than other similar systems
Comments: Smartsheet is a use-friendly, intuitive product which is great for those who traditionally worked in a spreadsheet for task tracking, as the style mimics this. However, it is more limited in functions than other similar systems
Pros:
Great for working with team members or vendors who traditionally worked in a spreadsheet to track project progress, as it uses a similar design, intuitive design
Cons:
Not as many complex features as other task tracking systems, team members preferred other task tracking systems for this reason and wanted to switch
smart sheet tool was very user friendly tool we can easy handle
Comments: Over all I had very good experience where I can create and handle project time lines and handle actions and progress of the project in one tool
Pros:
In smart sheet mostly I like the workflows where I can create alerts to manage my actions without manual effort
Cons:
While creating new workspace from another workspace the references are referring to the old one where we need to change manually
Versatile Project Management Tool
Comments: We use Smartsheet in lots of ways -- from spinning up dashboards to show our operations teams how they're doing on any given day to managing data transfers from sales to operations to crafting project plans for implementations to tracking survey responses when projects are completed. It's an incredibly versatile tool that, with a little creativity, can produce amazing results.
Pros:
I love how accessible and customizable the product is. We're able to make it do so much to integrate various departments and help work flow across the organization.
Cons:
Some of the features aren't carried from sheet to sheet when you save as a Template or save a project as "new", and having to reconfigure alert rules can be time consuming.
Alternatives Considered:
Quick Spreadsheets that allow for collaboration
Comments: I solve the problem of tracking how my employees profit on many small profit/small margin projects. This allows me to see who is struggling the most and who is not. My team specifically focuses on education, hospitals, and non-profits. So maintaining margins to not lose any money is important. I wrote up a story about it here: https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/example-advanced-smartsheet-reporting-interconnectivity I've pulled off absolutely amazing things. I'm willing to go into detail and share more of what we were able to accomplish. Many of Smartsheet's examples do not solve business problems, but they do help us learn how to solve our own!
Pros:
I absolutely love how quick and easy it is to use Smartsheet. The formulas have great documentation and it helps tremendously when trying to learn and accomplish new tasks. You can pull off amazing things if you sit down and build it. I was able to build a completely automated revenue and labor estimator that shows me how profitable each member of my team is. Many of the applications we built, the community was clueless how to build it. We were able to accomplish some very unique dashboards & spreadsheets that make our lives easier. I can now make business decisions on a whim, without having to spend hours of research about the effect of one decision on our numbers.
Cons:
I dislike how many features such as the dynamic view or the workspace deployment feature is locked behind an expensive addon. And when inquiring about customer service we were told it "isn't" a fit for us. But yet, Smartsheet cannot give us a demo to experiment or test them out? Smartsheet is nickle and diming things a lot. Smartsheet is >not< small business friendly. It is really a shame because these tools are absolutely 100% amazing. It also surprises me how little the community interactions are. There are many great suggestions for features that are standard in Excel and Google Sheets, that Smartsheet blandly ignored for years, and sometimes says "coming soon" and years later we still don't have it.
Smartsheet for the win
Comments: The initial setup of some of my Smartsheets was cumbersome and time consuming. HOWEVER, it was well worth it. Now that I know how to navigate around, it does not take as long to get a Smartsheet up and running. I enjoy setting up new Smartsheet projects and teaching others how to use or navigate around the project. I literally learn something new everyday.
Pros:
Because I use this software on a daily basis, I need to be able to navigate around fairly quickly. For the most part, I am able to do this. When I do have a question or can't figure out how to do something, the search function either in the Solution Center or a search in Google often produce great results. And if if doesn't, customer service is superb and I am able to get pretty close to an immediate response or help. I do like how I can create a Dashboard that can house any type of information from links to other Smartsheets, forms, other websites, the list is endless. It helps bring projects and/or information together in one area that is easy to navigate through.
Cons:
Although I know this isn't excel, I do wish it had more functionality like excel. With that said, the more I use this program, the more I do love it and am able to maneuver my way around easier.
It's simple to monitor progress and simultaneously work on a project
Comments: Implementation and usability simplicity. Tasks can be scheduled and rescheduled. Organization of teams at one place. Achieving the best possible results as a team. Instant messaging and online talking through the internet. Project budgeting and planning capabilities. Plugins and configurations are easy to use.
Pros:
This app's ease of use and ability to manage projects and send updates are fantastic. Easily adjustable and a lifesaver when it comes to streamlining the way work gets done and keeping track of individual tasks. It is a more business-oriented variant of the other spreadsheet applications. Templates might also be useful.
Cons:
My wish is that reminders and automatic emails based on task management/workflow would be sent. It has been a while since I used this, so things may have changed. This would be a significant advancement in the software's capabilities.
Keeps us on track with our projects
Comments: People who already know Excel will like the ease with which they can get started, but if they're willing to dive further, they'll find many more useful advanced capabilities like automation. It has a lot of power. The preconfigured templates are excellent for getting you up and running quickly. The forms are simple to create and distribute. There is a significant amount of manual labor eliminated by the workflow automation. The design of the dashboards is superb.
Pros:
Using Smartsheets is the best way for me to keep track of my progress, interact with my clients, and make my work visible to my boss. Tracking progress and keeping track of projects and todos has been a big help to me with the aid of Smartsheet. Increasing the level of transparency for the company's top brass as well as its customers.
Cons:
There isn't anything I don't like about Smartsheet at this stage in our journey. We've only scratched the surface of what Smartsheet can achieve for our teams, but the value and efficiency it's provided us go well beyond what a shared spreadsheet or file could ever provide.
Must-have software for project managers
Comments: Smartsheet has been an invaluable tool for overcoming obstacles for a long period of time. The relationship has helped us most in terms of project management and our capacity to work with people from all over the world. Our teams can now work on projects in real time without having to rely on inefficient methods like ping-ponging between different platforms or sending and receiving emails where information can easily be lost in translation. From a management standpoint, we leverage the App and dashboard features that allow us to set up a row-level security structure and regulate the flow of information cascading to different types of end users.
Pros:
I enjoy how smart sheet's shortcuts and key commands make it quick and simple to fill in the project's specifics. That many people may access the same document at once and make changes while receiving real-time notifications is a great feature of this program. I appreciate the ability to notify investors of upcoming milestones with a timeframe. Conditional formatting and color-coding for people and their statuses is a nice touch.
Cons:
When using a gantt chart, it might be challenging to view all of the accompanying columns at the same time. Though I haven't looked at alternatives just yet, I appreciate being able to view both the gantt chart and the finer points of the project simultaneously. Navigation in a Gannt Chart is elementary, or at least it is for me.
Fantastic Product
Comments: Great customer service. Ever-improving features. 100% cloud so you can collaborate from anywhere with virtually any device (desktop and/or app). Smartsheet has become an indispensable part of how we run our business.
Pros:
Smartsheet is an amazing product and helps keep our whole company on schedule and collaborating in real time. It is really flexible and easy to start using. Once you have used it for a while, you will want to do more and more with it, and there never seems to be a limit to what you can do. They are also constantly adding new helpful features. One that was really useful to me was a kanban view called cardview. But there is also classic spreadsheet view, gannt view, and calendar view. In addition to sheets, you can also run reports off the sheets which filter the data down for particular users or departments. These reports can be editable or read-only. You can also look at your data in real time using dashboards. We have been using Smartsheet for several years now, and we still feel like we are only scratching the surface of its capabilities. Another great feature is that you can have unlimited free collaborators. These people can use the sheets/reports/dashboard and enter data. However, it is only the paid users who can create and maintain the sheets. Over time, you may find more people in your organisation want to be creators, and it is easy to add licenses as needed.
Cons:
There's not much I can say negative about this software. On rare occasions there can be unexpected outages or loss of functionality, but that is very rare indeed. There are sometimes maintenance windows on the weekend which can last up to 4 hours at a time, but these are advised well ahead of time. I think the only business that wouldn't want to use smartsheet is one that operates 24/7. If you are a normal Monday to Friday business, smartsheet will be fine for you.
Enterprise features and pricing mean you can probably find a startup alternative
Comments: I hated it a few years back when I first started using it. The thing that won me over and made me a power user was the interface refresh about a year ago. I then took the Smartsheet training to be certified and that opened my eyes to the power of the tool (and also to the fact that the sheets I hated were users in our company using it very, very WRONG). Anyway, while we do love it, there are a few antiquated things like concurrent editing that are truly broken (Google sheets can do this just fine!) and the recent price increase for our contract means that we are probably moving to another tool.
Pros:
--You can easily switch between different views of the same data, e.g. grid vs. Kanban --Dashboards and reporting are both powerful --Growing number of integrations --Commenting per-row is excellent --Can be used as a simple spreadsheet --Security/permissions are robust and intuitive --Excellent training and certs available --Forms feature is pretty complete for basic stuff --Very extensive formula capabilities, almost like Excel --The "business" pricing tier would actually be quite adequate for my group's needs, vs. the enterprise plan --Nesting/hierarchy of rows can be useful
Cons:
--No in-cell formatting --Awkward multi-user editing, no auto-save, other users keep resetting views --Reporting is difficult, meaning that you have to create separate complex reports instead of just saved views --Not a true database or app builder --Notifications system is wonky, delayed, and hard for new users to tame --Very easy to abuse and misuse, even worse than Excel because you can add in the nesting/hierarchy (we have one user in particular that makes the most gawdawful sheets you've ever seen, partly because of the inherent Smartsheet interface) --Attachments are pretty rough, not easily visible or visual, and no desktop app integrations (e.g. save a file from Word to SmartSheet) --No concept of a "document" or app, only the spreadsheet motif; can't do notes or instructions very easily, for example, so people overload rows for this and that makes reporting even harder when you have to manually select rows --Forms feature not embeddable or graphically complete with formatting to make it look nice --Not clear how you combine formulas and forms without overwriting formulas at the bottom--I haven't figured this out yet even after years of using it --Enterprise pricing is now forcing us to consider alternatives, including lower tiers of Smartsheet
We use Smartsheet for Project Management
Comments: As I mentioned, we use Smartsheet extensively for project planning and project management. But we also use it to run a help desk for our Electronic Health Record System. Here the forms feature comes in really handy. Users fill out a form to add tasks to the help desk. We also use it to manage our individual tasks and queues. And our development department is building sheets to track donations and plan promotions. We often export the data and use it to build Tableau reports.
Pros:
Projects are easy to set up with the built in functionality. There are lots of built in templates that you can use. But we have found it most helpful to build our own templates. We really appreciate being able to add dependencies, working and non working days, and duration. Then the start and end dates fill in automatically. We have found that the learning curve is not nearly as steep for Smartsheet as it was for Microsoft Project. Another really helpful feature is being able to use formulas in the Project Plan. Our team schedules our work using a points system. I was able to create formulas that take the number of points for that task and who is assigned to that task to create a point breakdown for each person or team assigned. We then use the linking feature to link the total points for the project, the points accomplished, and the status of the project to a master "Queue" sheet. Smartsheet has special formula values available for children and ancestors of a task. So, we use a simple =Sum(Children()) formula to add up the points. Actually, the formulas end up being more complicated because we can test whether the row has children or not and do different things depending on the test. For instance, when summing the work completed if the task has no children, then the product of the percent complete and points gives us the number of points completed. If the row is a parent, then the formula sums the children.
Cons:
For project planning the resources feature is not as helpful as it could be. The main reason is that if a staff is assigned to a row during a particular time, the resource function assumes that they are 100% allocated for that time. So, if you have three tasks that overlap, the resource allocations shows 300%. We have mitigated that by routinely filling in 30% allocation for each resource. This helps to take into account the fact that a task although it lasts a full week won't take up all the staff's time. One idea I have had recently--but haven't tried yet--is to make a formula that takes the number of points for the task and assigns an appropriate allocation number based on points per week. The other feature that we haven't found useful is the "Critical Path." How the software determines what is on the critical path is a mystery. I'm not sure why it chooses some tasks that have dependencies filled in, but not others that seem to be just as important.
Fantastic tool that is growing quickly!
Comments: I'm a huge fan of Smartsheet. I would highly recommend their annual conference - ENGAGE. It's a great mix of presentations of use cases, tutorials, hands on workshops, networking, and a glimpse into their roadmap. With Smartsheet, we've saved time on existing processes and been able to build out new processes we weren't able to streamline/automate before Smartsheet. It also is so helpful with managing data integrity and auditing when/how things are edited. We also use it quite a bit to collaborate externally - that alone has made Smartsheet worth it.
Pros:
There's a lot to like about Smartsheet. You can get simple business processes converted quickly. The automation 'designer' is so easy to use and it's quite intuitive. Permissions are easy to manage without feeling overwhelming. Their training center is one of the best I've seen. Our Account Team is also phenomenal. I can't say enough about them. They never make me feel like they don't have time to talk use cases, strategies, or even one off questions. They roll out new functionality often enough to add value but not so often that you can't keep up. Smartsheet also really values their customer's feedback - highly recommend their EAP.
Cons:
Smartsheet is great in so many ways but there are some functionality missing that would make a massive difference in the amount of processes I could move to Smartsheet - cascading dropdowns, setting a field's value with automation, setting a form field's value based on another field or formula, editing an existing item via a form (not an update request), extract time stamping from cell history to be able to report on it. I would also like to see more consistency in the functionality across different apps within the platform. Overall, I'm able to find workarounds to most of the functionality wish list and with their ability to turn out new features often throughout the year, I don't consider these as deal breakers. My other pain point (though it's also helpful in some ways, especially for small businesses) is how tiered the features are - meaning that you do have to purchase premium apps/add ons to leverage the full power of Smartsheet. That gives a lot of flexibility in how you want to scale but is also a bit of a pain as an end user, making the case for purchasing the add ons that will help my processes even more.
Excel on speed
Comments: I have a running joke with my colleagues that goes along the lines of "have I told you how much I love smartsheet?" This is generally when I have discovered a new wow feature - e.g. the ability to lock in column formulae. They smile and say "yes you have mentioned it"
Pros:
It's core infrastructure is very easy to understand. As an accountant I saw a spreadsheet like thing and shouted hurrah I get this. Then I realised that was just a beginning but a beginning that was good because it hooked me. Then I started to get that there are forms and the spreadsheets are really databases in disguise from which you can easily produce reports with no programming skills needed (other than those I knew anyway). Then there are dashboards that you can configure to your own requirements. I particularly love that you can change information on the reports and it changes on the underlying spreadsheets (databases). For one business I worked for I changed what had been a daily and weekend nightmare for the owner into an automated process that took half an hour. Literally life changing for him.
Cons:
It's strength is it's weakness. Like a spreadsheet it can be too flexible which can be dangerous if you don't know what you are doing. Other software has guardrails, this doesn't. If you take care it's fine but you can find yourself changing something and it having knock on effects. It's not that the underlying data is compromised by this but the reporting can be. For example if you change the name of a database column the reports won't be able to find it again which means that on the reports and dashboards you find a blank where there should be data. So take care, but if you do, it's magic!
A flexible tool only limited by your imagination and ability with formulae
Comments: Smartsheet has been transformational for our business. As a small bespoke kitchen manufacturer (21 staff) we have some industry specific software for design and quoting, but most out of the box ERP software doesn't fit. We don't have an IT department so anything we use needs to be robust, and my background in programming has enabled us to implement some nifty systems using Smartsheet, but without the hassle of actually writing and then maintaining our own programs. Excel just doesn't compare, and is not cloud native so just doesn't work so well even in Office 365. We genuinely cannot live without it.
Pros:
Cloud based - available everywhere to everyone Flexibility - it's not only a project management tool, it can do most things that Excel can do, but often better. Specifically column formulae are a fantastic recent addition that enables sheets to become almost unbreakable
Cons:
Nothing major. There are some minor gripes: - Slack integration doesn't allow tagging of individuals, and cannot allow a variable to determine which channel to send the message to - Cannot yet control heirarchy with formulae, I hope this function will come eventually
Managing Projects Made Easy: A Review of SmartSheet
Comments: I find SmartSheet to be a highly effective and flexible tool that allows me to manage complex projects and collaborate with team members. The real-time task tracking and deadline monitoring features help me stay on top of my work, while the collaborative tools facilitate communication and information sharing with others.While there are some challenges to using SmartSheet, such as the complexity of some of the advanced features, the benefits of the tool far outweigh any drawbacks. Overall, I would highly recommend SmartSheet to anyone looking for a powerful and versatile project management and collaboration tool.
Pros:
There are several things that I like about the tool. One of the features that I enjoy the most is the ability to collaborate in real-time with other team members in a single centralized location. This means we can work together on a project without the need to send separate emails, spreadsheets, files, and other documents.Another important feature in SmartSheet is the ability to create custom spreadsheets and forms to collect information more effectively. This allows all team members to have access to the same updated information in real-time and avoids duplicated efforts.I also find the task tracking and calendar functions useful, as they allow me to have a quick view of deadlines and tasks that need to be completed in the project. In addition, SmartSheet's process automation helps simplify repetitive tasks and saves time in project management.
Cons:
The interface, while intuitive, can be overwhelming for new users who are not familiar with project management or spreadsheet software.While SmartSheet offers a wide range of templates and tools, some of them may not be customizable enough to meet specific needs. This can be frustrating at times, especially when trying to create more complex spreadsheets or workflows.Certain features like reporting and charting could be improved to provide more flexibility and customization options.
When it comes to efficient and effective project management, Smartsheet is your best friend!
Comments: Because of the platform's ability to help us efficiently organize and track our data, we can improve the efficacy of our decision-making processes, which is just one of the many benefits we reap when we learn to utilize each of Smartsheet's many tools properly. Our team members' workload has unquestionably increased.
Pros:
When it comes to effective project management and data analysis, Smartsheete is the platform that has it all. We appreciate how this platform has freed up our time and effort to concentrate on other projects, ultimately boosting our company's efficiency from the inside out. Smartsheet's collaboration features are among the most flexible, allowing team members to easily share ideas, assign tasks, and set due dates in real-time. In contrast to other platforms we tried, where it took too long to solve inconveniences while waiting for a response from the support, it has excellent support because they attended to all the requests we made for inconveniences presented to us in the process of adapting to it.
Cons:
We have no significant complaints; the issues we encountered at the outset were resolved in subsequent updates. If anything, I would point out that the Smartsheet platform has a steep learning curve, which is to be expected given the breadth of its project management features, which ultimately streamline and accelerate the company's internal operations.
Smartsheet is So Easy and Effective, you Must Have it!
Comments: I started my current job with 0 Smartsheet experience, and my boss got me an Admin license (only her and I have this license type on our team). She then provided me with a 1-2 slide deck on each project she wanted me to work on. I struggled a little, and found the forum, and continued to go back. I still need help on every project, but each project I need different help. My latest project had one bad issue an "account number" had to be typed/pasted into every parent row (then 5 child rows). This was not user friendly. I had the idea to have a new sheet with the numbers and formulas to them (INDEX/MATCH). Back to the forum, how do I count "parent rows" on a sheet containing only formulas? Well with the assistance of a few helper columns and one text field that indicates Parent or Child, I made the miracle happen. And this sheet feels into a "single line" sheet, which feeds into the dashboard. Bringing projects like these to the next level makes me a better analyst! And when I am not up to my eyeballs in projects, I make time to actively read the Smartsheet Community posts.
Pros:
Smartsheet is easy to learn. The company has webinars, "university" a Community (forum for questions and announcements). The formulas and "nuances" are very similar (and some the same) to Excel, making learning Smartsheet very easy. The Community (forum) is outstanding, I am a regular visitor. Sometimes, I just cannot get something to work, so I post my problem with my formulas and screenshot into the forum and answers come quickly, they are always happy to help, which is appreciated.
Cons:
There are some features of Excel, that are not incorporated into Smartsheet. For example, VLOOKUP exists, however it can cause issues if columns are moved or inserted, or if you need to lookup to the left. To solve this issue in Excel, I would use XLOOPUP, but in Smartsheet, I must still use INDEX/MATCH. But this list is small, it is only because I am an Excel girl.
