SmartSheet was founded in 2006 by Brent Frei, an early Microsoft employee, with a mission to make planning, tracking, automating and reporting on the work of people and teams.
Smartsheet has quickly gained popularity as a powerful work management platform, giving users the ability to plan and collaborate on projects from anywhere.
In 2011, Smartsheet became the first cloud-based spreadsheet application to offer access control, task automation, and project sharing.
In this blog post, we’ll explore what Smartsheet is and how it can help your business become more streamlined and efficient.
We’ll discuss the features and benefits of the platform, its downsides, and pricing to enable businesses to make informed decisions.
What is Smartsheet?
Smartsheet is innovative cloud-based software that can help businesses of all sizes organize and automate tasks, manage projects, and streamline workflows.
Smartsheet is a great solution for businesses that need a scalable, user-friendly platform to manage their operations. It can provide a single source of truth for business processes, enabling seamless collaboration and providing real-time insights and updates across multiple teams.
In 2019, Smartsheet has been named one of the best cloud companies in the world that businesses can work with. Today, Smartsheet is used by millions of people in over 100 countries to plan, track, and manage the work more efficiently.
Benefits of Using Smartsheet for Business Needs
Smartsheet project management software can help organizations and teams in several ways:
Improved collaboration and communication. Smartsheet makes it easy for team members to share information and updates, and collaborate on tasks and projects in real time.
Increased efficiency and productivity. Smartsheet features and tools can help streamline workflows and automate repetitive tasks, enabling teams to work more efficiently and get more done.
Better visibility and tracking. Smartsheet’s reporting and tracking features provide real-time visibility into project progress and performance, allowing teams to quickly identify and resolve issues.
Increased flexibility and scalability. Smartsheet can be customized and scaled to meet the needs of different teams and projects, and can be integrated with other software and tools.
Improved project management. Smartsheet provides project management tools and templates, which help plan, organize, and execute the project in a more structured way.
Better decision-making. Smartsheet empowers teams to make data-driven decisions, providing access to real-time data and analytics that help the team assess the performance of their projects and identify areas for improvement.
Smartsheet Project Management Tool Features
Drag-and-drop automation builder. Smartsheet’s drag-and-drop automation builder allows users to create custom workflows and easily automate repetitive tasks. This feature allows users to create automated actions, such as sending emails or updating data, that are triggered by specific events or conditions. This helps streamline workflows and increase efficiency.
Enterprise-grade security. Smartsheet provides enterprise-grade security features to help secure data and information. This includes features such as data encryption, user access controls, and compliance with industry standard security protocols.
Powerful analytics and reporting. Smartsheet provides powerful analytics and reporting tools that allow teams to track progress, measure performance, and make data-driven decisions. These tools include real-time reporting, data visualization, and advanced filtering and sorting features.
Different Models. Smartsheet provides a wide range of templates for different types of projects and workflows, such as task lists, project schedules, Gantt charts, and issue trackers. These templates can be easily customized and adapted to meet the specific needs of different teams and projects. This helps users set up projects quickly, reducing setup time and giving more time to focus on execution.
Disadvantages of Using Smartsheet for Project Management
Confusing for beginners. Some users may find Smartsheet’s interface and features confusing, especially if they are unfamiliar with project management software or spreadsheets. The drag-and-drop automation builder, for example, can be tricky to navigate for those unfamiliar with the concept of automation.
Limited activity log. Smartsheet’s activity log isn’t as detailed as some other project management software. It may not capture all actions or changes made within a project, making it difficult for users to track changes and understand the full history of a project.
Limited PM methodologies. Smartsheet is a flexible tool that can be used for various project management methodologies, but it might not be the best option for some methodologies. For example, it might not be the best solution for users who prefer a more agile methodology, as it doesn’t have built-in support for Kanban boards or sprints.
Old autosave feature. Smartsheet’s auto-save is not up to par; it does not automatically save changes made by the user and does not reflect real-time updates. This may not be a major concern for everyone, but it can be frustrating. Like many other cloud-based software, changes are automatically saved and this is a feature widely expected by users. Smartsheet requires the user to manually click the save and refresh button after making changes.
Smartsheet Pricing
Smartsheet offers four pricing plans to meet the needs of different types of users and organizations.
The Pro plan is the most basic and affordable option, priced at $7 per user per month. It includes all the essential features of Smartsheet, such as the ability to create and collaborate on projects, automate workflows, and access real-time analytics and reports.
For businesses with more advanced needs, the Business plan is available at $25 per user per month. It includes additional features such as advanced data validation, data encryption, and user access controls.
For larger businesses, Smartsheet offers an enterprise plan with custom pricing that can be tailored to meet the organization’s specific needs.
Also, there is an advanced version of Smartsheet called Smartsheet Advance, for which you will need to contact the sales team for the cost.
Smartsheet Use Cases and Review
Smartsheet is well suited for large organizations in industries such as healthcare, financial services, higher education, and government.
Its strong project management and collaboration features make it an effective tool for managing complex projects and teams within these institutions.
Smartsheet is user-friendly, especially for users who are already familiar with Microsoft Excel, Project, and Teams.
The ratings of Trustradius and Capterra are respectively 8.1 out of 10 (over 700 reviews) and 4.5 out of 5 (over 2600 reviews).
Alternatives to Smartsheet
There are several alternatives to Smartsheet, including Microsoft Project Online, Wrike, Planview AdaptiveWork, Zoho Projects, Monday, Clarity PPM, Workfront, and ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management. Each of these tools offers unique features and capabilities to help manage projects and teams.
Finally
Smartsheet is a powerful project management tool that offers drag-and-drop automation, enterprise-grade security, analytics, and a variety of templates.
It can help businesses streamline workflows and make data-driven decisions. However, it may not be suitable for beginners or some PM methodologies. It is important to assess your business needs before deciding to use it.