School of Sheets Solutions Consulting

Need to keep dropdown options consistent across multiple Smartsheet sheets? Instead of updating each dropdown manually, use Manage Dropdowns to link a dropdown list to a source sheet. Update the source once, and every linked dropdown stays in sync. Here's how: ✅ Create and maintain your master list in a dedicated source sheet. ✅ Change the destination column to a Dropdown List (Table View is required for setup). ✅ Select Link to another sheet and choose the source column. ✅ Switch back to Grid View if you prefer. The linked dropdown continues to work. ✅ If you're working with contacts, remember that linked dropdowns only return text. To use contact-based automations, populate a Contact List column with an INDEX/MATCH or LOOKUP formula based on the selected text. This approach makes your solutions easier to maintain, reduces manual updates, and ensures everyone is choosing from the same standardized list. Trying to build a more scalable Smartsheet solution? Get in touch. We'd be happy to help you simplify your sheets with smarter architecture, automation, and best practices. → https://lnkd.in/gvj2xrwF #SchoolOfSheets #Smartsheet #SmartsheetTips #SmartsheetAutomation #ProjectManagement #WorkflowAutomation #WorkManagement #SmartsheetConsulting #ProcessImprovement

Sharing an entire Smartsheet workspace isn't always the best option. Sometimes, your team or clients only need access to specific resources - not everything behind the scenes. That's where Collections become incredibly useful. Instead of sending multiple links, create a curated collection that brings everything together in one place. Here's a simple way to use it: ✅ Open your workspace and select an existing collection or create a new one. ✅ Select + Add to Collection. ✅ Add the Smartsheet content your audience needs, such as sheets, reports, dashboards, or Dynamic Views. ✅ Include external resources like Google Docs, Power BI, SharePoint, YouTube, Figma, or Miro using embed links where available. ✅ Add multiple items at once to save time and keep everything organised. A well-structured collection gives people exactly what they need in one location, making collaboration easier while reducing confusion and unnecessary navigation. Looking for better ways to organise your Smartsheet workspaces and improve collaboration? Get in touch - we'd be happy to help you design a workspace structure that's easier for your team and clients to navigate. → https://lnkd.in/gvj2xrwF #SchoolOfSheets #Smartsheet #SmartsheetTips #SmartsheetCollections #WorkspaceManagement #ProjectManagement #TeamCollaboration #WorkflowAutomation #BusinessAutomation #WorkManagement #EnterpriseSolutions

If your team is maintaining a separate project calendar from your Smartsheet data, you're creating extra work every time a schedule changes. The Smartsheet Calendar App solves this by turning your existing sheet or report into a dynamic calendar that updates automatically as your data changes. To build a clean, useful calendar: ✅ Start with a sheet or report that includes at least one date column. ✅ Choose the calendar view that best fits your team (Monthly, Weekly, Daily, Quarterly, or Multi-Month). ✅ Map your task name and date columns correctly during setup. ✅ Use colour coding and data grouping to quickly identify projects, teams, or priorities. ✅ Add comments, attachments, and a web form if your team collaborates directly from the calendar. ✅ Share the calendar so everyone works from the same up-to-date schedule. A live calendar doesn't just display deadlines - it gives your entire team a single source of truth for planning, collaboration, and execution. Still managing project schedules manually? Get in touch - we'd be happy to help you build a Smartsheet Calendar that automatically stays in sync with your project data and fits the way your team works. → https://lnkd.in/gvj2xrwF #SchoolOfSheets #Smartsheet #SmartsheetTips #SmartsheetCalendar #ProjectManagement #ProjectPlanning #WorkManagement #PMO #WorkflowAutomation #BusinessAutomation #TeamCollaboration #OperationsManagement #CalendarManagement

Did you know you can interact with your Smartsheet data using natural language instead of manually digging through sheets and reports? By connecting Amazon Quick to the Smartsheet MCP Server, you can ask AI to summarize projects, identify risks, generate reports, create sheets, and even start discussions - all from a simple conversation. Before you get started: ✅ Confirm your organisation is on a Business or Enterprise Smartsheet plan. ✅ Verify that AI and MCP Server access are enabled (they're enabled by default unless your administrator has turned them off). ✅ Configure the connector in Amazon Quick using the correct regional Smartsheet OAuth and MCP Server endpoints. ✅ After the connection is complete, test it by asking a simple question like "Show me projects that are at risk" or "Summarise this week's updates." Once connected, you can also build interactive dashboards with QuickSight and automate workflows using Quick Flows - helping your team spend less time searching for information and more time acting on it. Curious how AI could improve your Smartsheet workflows? Get in touch - we're always happy to discuss ideas and help you get started. → https://lnkd.in/gvj2xrwF #Smartsheet #AmazonQuick #AmazonQuickSight #ArtificialIntelligence #BusinessAutomation #WorkflowAutomation #SmartsheetTips #ProjectManagement #DigitalTransformation #BusinessIntelligence #DataAnalytics #EnterpriseAI #Productivity #SchoolOfSheets #WorkManagement

If you're still manually updating project calendars, you're probably doing more work than necessary. The Smartsheet Calendar App lets you turn your existing sheet or report into a dynamic, shareable calendar that updates automatically as your project data changes. Instead of maintaining separate spreadsheets or Outlook calendars, you can use the data you already have. A few tips to get the most out of it: - Start with a sheet or report that includes at least one date column. - Map your task name, start date, and end date correctly during setup. - Use colour coding to separate projects, teams, or priorities at a glance. - Add extra columns so users can see key details without opening the source sheet. - Enable comments and attachments if your team collaborates directly from the calendar. - Share the calendar with stakeholders so everyone stays aligned from a single source of truth. A well-built calendar doesn't just display dates—it gives your team clarity on what's happening, when, and who's responsible. If you're using Smartsheet but still relying on manual calendars or disconnected planning tools, we can help. We’ll be happy to share practical ways to build calendars that update automatically and make project scheduling much easier. → https://lnkd.in/gvj2xrwF #SchoolOfSheets #Smartsheet #SmartsheetTips #CalendarApp #ProjectManagement #WorkManagement #WorkflowAutomation #BusinessAutomation #ProjectPlanning #DigitalTransformation #BusinessProcesses #SmartsheetExperts

One of the biggest reasons project tracking fails isn't the Gantt chart - it's that people spend too much time searching for updates instead of acting on them. A well-designed Smartsheet project tracker should do more than display timelines. It should automatically highlight delayed and at-risk tasks, calculate project progress in real time, surface upcoming work, and give each team member a filtered view of only the tasks they're responsible for. In this video, I walk through a Gantt chart solution that uses dashboards, reports, automation, and live metrics to make project management simpler. Instead of digging through a massive sheet, your team can quickly identify priorities, update task status, monitor workloads, and keep projects moving without unnecessary complexity. The goal isn't to build a more complicated Smartsheet solution - it's to build one that helps people make faster, better decisions every day. Is your current Smartsheet setup giving you the visibility your team actually needs? If not, we can help. → https://lnkd.in/gvj2xrwF #SchoolOfSheets #Smartsheet #SmartsheetTips #ProjectManagement #GanttChart #ProjectTracking #WorkflowAutomation #BusinessAutomation #Dashboards #ProjectControls #OperationsManagement #WorkManagement #Productivity #PMO

If your team already relies on Microsoft 365 Copilot, you can now bring your Smartsheet data into the conversation without constantly switching between apps. Once the Smartsheet Connector is configured by your administrator, you can ask Copilot questions in plain English to search sheets, compare project health, summarize updates, add comments, build dashboards, and even create reports. It also supports Deep Research, making it easier to analyze information from multiple sheets and generate comprehensive business reports. Before you get started, make sure your organization has a Business or Enterprise Smartsheet plan, AI and MCP access are enabled, and your Microsoft 365 Copilot agent has been configured with the Smartsheet Connector. The biggest advantage isn't just AI. It's reducing the time spent searching for information so you can focus on making decisions and moving projects forward. If you're exploring AI in Smartsheet but aren't sure where to start, we can help. We help teams implement practical AI workflows that save time and improve day-to-day operations. → https://lnkd.in/gvj2xrwF #SchoolOfSheets #Smartsheet #Microsoft365 #Copilot #MicrosoftCopilot #ArtificialIntelligence #BusinessAutomation #WorkflowAutomation #DigitalTransformation #ProjectManagement #EnterpriseAI #WorkManagement #BusinessProcesses #SmartsheetTips

Is your Smartsheet workspace becoming cluttered with sheets, reports, dashboards, and documents? Instead of giving everyone access to everything, use Collections to create a cleaner, more focused experience. Think of a collection as a curated workspace for a specific team, project, or process. You can group the exact sheets, reports, dashboards, and even external content people need, without changing where those items are stored. A few practical tips: - Create collections for each department or client. - Drag and drop items to organize them in the order your team uses them. - Add an entire folder to a collection to save setup time (just remember new items added to that folder won't appear automatically). - Set a default view or filter so everyone opens the same report exactly how you intended. A little organization upfront makes navigation easier, reduces confusion, and helps your team spend less time searching and more time getting work done. We help businesses simplify complex Smartsheet environments every day. If your workspace is becoming difficult to manage, let's have a conversation. → https://lnkd.in/gvj2xrwF #SchoolOfSheets #Smartsheet #SmartsheetTips #ProjectManagement #BusinessAutomation #WorkflowAutomation #DigitalWorkplace #TeamCollaboration #BusinessProcesses #EnterpriseSolutions #SmartsheetAdmin

Phishing attacks don't always look suspicious. In many cases, they closely resemble legitimate Smartsheet emails, making it easy to click before taking a closer look. Before entering your login details or opening a shared sheet, take a few seconds to verify what you're seeing: ✅ Hover over links and buttons before clicking to confirm the destination URL. ✅ Official Smartsheet login links always begin with app.smartsheet.com. ✅ Be cautious of urgent emails claiming your account will be closed or suspended. ✅ Watch for spelling mistakes, awkward wording, or unusual branding that doesn't match previous Smartsheet emails. ✅ If you receive an unexpected password reset email, don't act on it immediately. Verify that you actually requested it first. A few extra seconds of verification can prevent compromised accounts, lost data, and unnecessary downtime. Cybersecurity isn't just an IT responsibility. Every Smartsheet user plays a role in protecting company data. Need help building a secure, scalable Smartsheet environment? That's exactly what we help organizations do every day. → https://lnkd.in/gvj2xrwF #SchoolOfSheets #Smartsheet #CyberSecurity #Phishing #OnlineSecurity #SmartsheetTips #DataSecurity #InformationSecurity #BusinessAutomation #WorkflowAutomation #ProjectManagement #CyberAwareness #DigitalSafety #BusinessOperations

Need to correct a timesheet or expense report after it's already been approved? You don't have to create a new entry or accept inaccurate data. If your Resource Management account has time-entry approvals enabled, Resourcing Administrators can unlock approved time or expense reports so they can be edited and resubmitted. Here's how: ✔ Go to My Work → Approvals → Approver View. ✔ Filter Approval Status to Approved. ✔ Locate the report that needs changes. ✔ Select Unlock. ✔ Make the required edits and Resubmit for Approval. If you regularly review employee submissions, it's also worth enabling the option that allows approvers to unlock reports themselves. This reduces back-and-forth with administrators and helps keep payroll, billing, and project reporting accurate without disrupting your approval workflow. Knowing when and how to unlock submissions can save time while keeping your resource and financial data clean and reliable. Have you ever had to fix an approved timesheet or expense report? Share how your team handles corrections in the comments. → https://lnkd.in/gvj2xrwF #SchoolOfSheets #Smartsheet #ResourceManagement #SmartsheetTips #ProjectManagement #TimeTracking #ExpenseManagement #WorkflowAutomation #BusinessOperations #Productivity #PMO #WorkManagement #BusinessProcesses