Product Review: Smartsheet
Smartsheet has been on my product review list for a while. In the course of my research, I learned that the organization claims 90% of Fortune 100 companies use Smartsheet to manage their projects. I was stunned. As a former consultant, I believe that I’m supposed to love a spreadsheet…but, as a writer, I frankly don’t. Let’s see if this product can win me over in spite of my biases.
Product Philosophy
For starters, I agree with Smartsheet’s product philosophy. The product bills itself as an enterprise collaboration platform that combines email, documents, calendar, file storage, and communication capabilities in one application. With the increasingly non-routine nature of knowledge work coupled with the rise of remote work, asynchronous communication is more important than ever.
Smartsheet includes some interesting use cases on their website that offer models for how to incorporate their product into your technology stack. The quote from the Syngenta use case perfectly encapsulates the GTD philosophy and the power of process:
“All of a sudden you’re coming up with ideas that you never had before because you were paralyzed by the fact that you didn’t have a system...you as an individual now open yourself up to think totally differently. We’re dreaming bigger than we ever have.”
Product Features
As I took Smartsheet for a test run, I was most struck by its versatility. The product is designed for use in either small or large organizations and has the security chops to prove it. Product functions range from a simple spreadsheet to a management status dashboard to an automated workflow to a customized no code application. Smartsheet also integrates with a myriad of other applications, including Microsoft Office and PowerBI, Google Suite, Dropbox, Jira, Tableau, Salesforce, and Slack.
The primary view in Smartsheet is called a “grid.” This resembles a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet or Google Sheet. Project managers can use it to create a list of tasks, including status, assignee, start date, end date, % complete, and a variety of other custom fields.
If you want to get fancy, you can use the Gantt view to visualize the timeline associated with these tasks. The Gantt view option lets you set the project’s critical path.
If you’re like me, and the Gantt view doesn’t quite cut it, you can toggle to the Kanban board—what Smartsheet calls a card view. My bliss. I’ve started to use this view as a Microsoft Planner alternative to manage ongoing tasks.
The calendar view lays out activities in the context of the upcoming week or month.
If you’re getting started with Smartsheet and find the process of building your own sheets too daunting, the application also offers a premade set of templates for inspiration. In addition, they have a variety of template sets that combine multiple sheets specific to the type of portfolio you might be managing, whether that is a construction project or a project management office.
Once you’ve got your sheets going, you can view a project dashboard that aggregates performance data in a summary format conducive to executive reporting. The spreadsheet influence comes through in the design of this dashboard, in a good way. Smartsheet offers one of the better canned dashboards I’ve seen across the project management platforms I’ve reviewed.
Other notable Smartsheet features include:
The ability to set automated alerts or reminders that notify you when a specific event occurs
A resource management view that shows who is working on what projects (I wish this had a better name that does not equate people with resources)
Reporting capabilities that reveal the status of tasks across your sheets
The ability to share sheets with both internal and external users and to tailor permissions based on role.
Smartsheet’s website also boasts an online forum for collaboration, a learning center with product tutorials, and a slew of training and certification options. They have me there—this former consultant may not love a spreadsheet, but she can’t resist a good cert.
Product Pricing
Smartsheet offers an individual plan for $14/month or a business plan for $25/user per month (this plan requires a minimum of three users.) Enterprise pricing is also available.
My take? The product seems average relative to its competitors, but that could be because their analytical twist doesn’t appeal to my right-brained side. For MBA types who think in Excel, Smartsheet could be worthwhile. But, for $25/user per month, the product seems a tad pricey and doesn’t offer any particularly compelling features to justify the price tag.
