Smartsheet is a user-friendly project management tool that helps software development teams boost productivity via various features, such as collaboration, automation, budgeting, and real-time reporting. If you are a project manager or developer using Smartsheet, the following tips and tricks can help you maximize efficiency with the PM tool.
Want to make sure you are using Smartsheet to its full potential? Learn more about its features in our Smartsheet Project Management Tool Review.
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Figure Out Which Version of Smartsheet You Are Using
Although Smartsheet is known for being user-friendly project management software, you may run into occasions where you need help from the support team to fix an issue. To get the proper support, you must know what version of the Smartsheet desktop app you are running. You can find this information by clicking on Help and selecting About Smartsheet.
Access The Smartsheet Desktop App With Ease
If you use Smartsheet on a daily basis, you are going to want easy access to the project management tool. The best way to achieve that is by either pinning it to your taskbar if you use Windows or keeping it in your dock if you are on a Mac.
If you use Windows, open the Smartsheet desktop app. Right-click on its icon in your taskbar, then click on Pin to taskbar. If you use a Mac, open Smartsheet’s desktop app and right-click on its icon in the dock. Navigate to Options and select Keep in Dock.
Do More With Tab Dropdown Menus
An easy way to get more done with Smartsheet is to access the PM software’s dropdown menu through its tabs. Right-click on a Smartsheet tab at the top of the screen, and you will see a dropdown menu appear with several options.
The New Tab option will open a new Smartsheet Home tab. Copy Link will copy an item URL to your clipboard for record-keeping or sharing. Duplicate will open the same Smartsheet item in a new tab instead of having to do it manually. And you can also organize tabs via the Move option, and reduce clutter with the Close option.
Quickly Access Invisible Smartsheet Tabs
Programming can sometimes involve a multitude of multitasking, especially if you are a developer tasked with many responsibilities. What often happens when we multitask on our computers? We tend to open a ton of tabs. And if you open so many tabs in Smartsheet’s desktop app that they cannot all fit in the tab navigation bar at the top of the screen, some will get hidden.
When that happens, there is an easy fix to access all of your open tabs in the programmer tool. Simply click on the tab overflow menu button represented by three dots (…) that sits to the left of the (+) or new tab button, and you will see all open tabs. The visible tabs will appear above the fold of the tab overflow menu, while the hidden tabs will appear below the fold. Click on the desired tab in the overflow menu, and it will open.
Switch To Desktop Layout On The Mobile App
Most of the top PM software solutions have a mobile app so project managers and developers can keep up with work on the go. Smartsheet is no different, as it allows you to access your essential sheets, dashboards, and reports wherever you are.
Smartsheet’s mobile app rearranges and optimizes dashboards for optimal viewing on a smaller screen. But what if you prefer the desktop layout? You can easily switch to it for a more complete view by navigating to the bottom right corner of any dashboard and clicking the blue button with the computer monitor icon.
Select What Fields You Want To See In The Mobile App
Since mobile screens are smaller, you want to be picky about what fields are displayed when using the project management software on the road. You can do this easily by clicking on Settings and specifying which fields you want to see in a particular report or sheet. Look to the right of settings, and you will see icons for expanded or collapsed views to give you even more control over how you visualize data.
Switch Views In Smartsheet’s Mobile App
You can switch to the desktop layout in the Smartsheet mobile app for a more complete view, but you have other viewing options as well. In the navigation bar at the top of the mobile app, click on the Views icon near the right-hand side of the screen. From there, select between the Mobile, Grid, or List view until you find one that best fits your needs.
Work Offline On The Go
Losing connectivity on the go does not mean you have to stop using Smartsheet as long as you mark forms for offline use. This will allow you to capture essential information on the go regardless of your Internet connection.
It is important to note that the offline setting is not app-wide and must be toggled for each form.You can enable this option by opening the specific form you want to use when offline. Go to the screen’s upper-right corner and tap on the More option with three vertical dots. Then toggle the Make Available Offline option so it is enabled.
Add A Gantt Chart To Your Sheet
Gantt charts are a widely-used project management tool for tracking task relationships, making workflows clearer, and gaining insight into project progress. To add a Gantt chart to your sheet in Smartsheet, do the following:
- Have at least two date columns in your sheet – one to represent the tasks’ starting dates and another to represent the end dates.
- Go to the toolbar and select the Gantt View option.
You can go to the Project Settings to ensure that the proper columns are being used for your Gantt chart by clicking on the gear icon.
Create A Smartsheet Project Summary Page For Instant Oversight
Chances are, your software development team has a complex project or multiple ones on your plate that involve a ton of moving parts. Such complexity increases the chances of something essential slipping through the cracks, but with Smartsheet PM software, you can avoid this issue. How? By creating a project summary page that contains all the information you need in one place to give you a bird’s eye view of what is going on.
While there are several ways to create a project summary page, as shared by the Smartsheet online community, this one is the most straightforward:
- Create a report.
- Group the report according to Project Name (you may have to add a column in the sheet to do so).
This should give you the information from each sheet listed on a separate line next to the project.
Final Thoughts on Smartsheet Tips and Tricks
Hopefully, some of the Smartsheet tips and tricks listed above are ones you have not tried before. Start implementing them in your Smartsheet routine, and you should begin to enjoy the PM tool and the time-saving and productivity-boosting benefits it can bring even more.
Curious about other project management tools? Check out our list of Smartsheet Alternatives for more options.