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What is SmartSheet?
At first glance, Smartsheet seems both daunting and designed by the most boring person you know.
But I would be wary of any project management software that cares more about being “fun” than being effective. So is Smartsheet worth learning? Wouldn't you be better off trying to learn something less complicated... like playing piano?
Honestly, I don't know anything about your musical preferences, so I can't say for sure. But when it comes to Smartsheet, I've tested it extensively and the short answer is yes, Smartsheet is worth the time investment.
After spending an unreasonable number of days playing with charts and spreadsheets, I can say that this is an exceptional piece of software for managing calendars, creating reports, and organizing teams of all sizes. And while it never gets more beautiful, it does get a lot easier. At the end of the day.
Smartsheet offers a 30-day free trial and is available in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Japanese.
But the only thing that really matters is whether Smartsheet is right for you and your project. That is what we are here to find out.
Features
Powerful tools for big projects
Smartsheet offers over 40 features on its website. And after poking around a bit, I can tell that there are many, many more. I quickly realized that to properly test this large-scale project management software, I needed to use it to manage my own project.
This is the case with Dungeons and Dragons (follow me, it's important!) , a game where a group of adults sit around a table, play pretend, and get mad at the dice. It's also a logistical nightmare. There are tables, formulas, and flowcharts to decide which fantasy creature can cast which spell at any given moment.
Believe it or not, plotting a Dungeons and Dragons campaign is actually a great way to test project management software. And that's exactly what I did with Smartsheet.
What I discovered was that Smartsheet is a complete piece of software. It can perform calculations, create sheets and reports, send automatic notifications, set custom priorities, etc. Here are some of the features that stand out from the pack.
Views available
If you've already used Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, you'll recognize the grid interface.
A grid is the best way to quickly manage large amounts of information.
Timer in hand, it took me less than 40 minutes to add over 50 items to an inventory sheet using Smartsheet's grid view.
I know what you're thinking: a piece of software called Smartsheet can create spreadsheets; why is that worth a mention? Because grids are more than just spreadsheets.
Add a few date columns and you can see your calendar in a Gantt chart, which is a great way to visualize your project goals. Do you need a simpler view of all your tasks? You can see them as maps on a board. You can also use a calendar view, which helps you stay organized.
Your team members may have different ways of processing and learning information. If you are able to see the same project in different ways, everyone can do their best.
Data collection using forms
If you need to ask for employee contact information or get customer feedback, Smartsheet can help.
The forms feature built into Smartsheets allows you to submit forms, gather data, and automatically enter them into the columns of your choice.
There are also advanced settings.
For example, when designing your forms, you can use conditional logic to make different questions appear based on previous answers.
Plus, anyone can fill out a form, without needing an account.
Unfortunately, there is virtually no visual customization of the forms. This will be a recurring problem with Smartsheet. It's all the same business side, and there's not much you can do about it.
Let workflows do the hard work for you
Workflows are automated processes that are triggered based on the value in a cell.
It's a lot like an average spreadsheet function, and it's possible. But the difference is that workflows aren't limited to a single document.
You can create workflows that alert someone on your team (either on Smartsheet, via Teams or a Slack channel), ask for approvals on changes, or automatically submit forms.
The workflow interface allows you to do all of this visually, using diagrams instead of typing complicated functions.
Not only do workflows save everyone time, but they also reduce human error. Even if there is an error in the workflow itself, you can fix the logic by changing or removing faulty steps in the process, without having to do it on a case-by-case basis.
Organize your data the way you want with reports
Let's say you've already recorded large amounts of information, inventory, contact information, and project dates.
In my case, I had grids for spells, player information, and character information. All you have to do is organize this data.
And that's where relationships come in.
Reports allow you to view specific information from multiple sheets. If I wanted a document that only displayed certain types of spells or a document that showed a player's information alongside their character's information, all I had to do was create a report, specify my source grids, and select what I wanted to show.
Reports automatically update the information in a grid. If you change something in a report, it's saved in the source grid and vice versa.
Highlight your information with dashboards
Dashboards are great for presenting your information in a clear and engaging way.
The way you build a dashboard in Smartsheet is by placing widgets using a drag-and-drop editor: easy to do.
Widgets show information from any other document, and are automatically refreshed if you make changes to the source.
Smartsheet dashboards can create dynamic presentations, but you won't be thrilled with how they look.
However, don't expect the most impressive presentation. For a function that's designed to display data visually, you don't have much control over how it looks.
That said, Smartsheet is not a design app, and the default look and feel is very professional. I just wish you could choose a background color other than white and gray.
Collaboration tools
Clear goals for all team members
Team members can add comments, files, and evidence on individual rows or entire sheets. While a live chat feature would have been appreciated, Smartsheet provides everything needed for successful teamwork.
Dashboard and communication
Communication within a project is exceptional.
Members can comment on individual lines and tag other members. You can quickly set up workspaces to make it easy to share files and automatically notify teammates when there are significant changes.
You can also add evidence to various lines. The evidence can be files of any type, and other members can annotate and comment on specific sections. If you upload a video, members can even associate comments with different timestamps.
Plus, there's a free Slack integration. So it's not like you can't contact other team members in real time, if you really need to.
File sharing
If you want to share files, you can put them exactly where you need them. You can attach files to a workspace, to a sheet in that workspace, or even to a row on this sheet.
Mobile app
The Smartsheet mobile app has nearly all the features of the web app.
Dashboards automatically adapt to the size of your screen, and you can import your phone's calendar or contact list directly into a grid.
Customer Support
Smartsheet offers three options for customer support.
You can call them directly, send them an email, or use their ticket system. That's what they're saying. In practice, unless you have a plan with pro-support, there is only one way to contact customer support.
A real human being can invite you to a video chat to solve your problems.
The service is great.
Pricing
Smartsheet's price isn't exorbitant, but it's also not cheap.
If you decide to use Smartsheet for your project, it's important to consider the cost. But here it is: for what it offers, the prices are great.
The business plan, in particular, offers an unlimited number of collaborators and automation. These features are only available with custom plans for similar services like Wrike or Teamwork.
And while Smartsheet doesn't offer a free plan, the pro plan is cheaper than almost any other plan with similar features on the market.
The price of the business plan can skyrocket depending on the features you need. But honestly, the enterprise plan is good enough for any team smaller than an international conglomerate.
My two recommendations are:
- Pay annually. The price difference is significant.
- Try Smartsheet before you buy.
- You get 30 days free of charge with all the features. Take advantage of this time to decide for yourself if Smartsheet is the software that's right for you.
FAQs
What is the best use of Smartsheet?
Smartsheet is the best way to manage all project information in one place. There are lots of integrations out there, but if you want a central HUB to manage the work done in other applications, I recommend choosing a simpler and cheaper option.
If you're not sure which one to use, why not take a look at our review of the best project management software in 2022?
Is Smartsheet better than Excel?
Yes. Aside from my dislike of Excel, Smartsheet offers sheets with more features and a comprehensive project management suite that Excel doesn't have.
Is Smartsheet secure?
Smartsheet offers AES 256 encryption for all customers, which is the same encryption standard used by the U.S. Army.
Smartsheet also complies with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and other acronyms.
Does Smartsheet have a free version?
Smartsheet does not offer a free version. That said, you can get a 30-day free trial to test all of its features.
Final notice
It would take 2 or 3 other applications to do what Smartsheet does in one.
The interface is not the most appealing in the world, and you have to invest time and money to learn it.
But if you leave these things aside, Smartsheet could be the best companion for your epic journey (or your small or large-scale project, if you want to be boring).
If you want a solution that is easier to use but professional at the same time, Monday or Clickup are good alternatives.
