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Thanks for watching, PattiS!

Thanks, Edgar! Best wishes on your projects. 🙌🏻

Great, thanks for sharing! I’ve really loved using it. Ask and verify. 😉

This comment means so much to me, thank you! I’m happy to hear the videos have been helpful. Best of luck on your projects. 🙌🏻

Thanks for your comment! I took a look and the video is playing properly on this end. Maybe give it another try? Thanks for watching!

@@PMPexpert certainly will do, thanks for checking!

@@lievenslotte7376 Hello! For the triangular distribution, it is divided by three. If you are using the beta (or PERT) distribution, you will divide by 6, as you are weighting the most likely number by 4x. Here is a helpful article!

www.projectmanagement.com/wikis/368763/3-points-estimating#_=_

@@richardemms7331 No, Smartsheet does not natively support multiple baselines within a project plan like Microsoft Project does. However, you can use a manual workaround, which I know isn’t ideal. Workaround: Manually Track Baselines with Columns • Create additional columns (e.g., “Baseline 1 Start,” “Baseline 1 End,” “Baseline 2 Start,” etc.) to represent different baselines. • When setting a new baseline, copy the values from the existing date columns (Start, End) into the corresponding baseline columns. • This allows for manual comparison between multiple baselines and actuals.

Ok that's great to know. Thank you for your quick response.

Hi Melissa - thanks for watching! Will your clients require access to project plans to make updates? If so, I’d consider setting up a different PMO for each of them, as access rights can only be set at the Workspace level and not at a subfolder level. If the PMO is being setup for internal management for your company, however, one PMO could work! You can also ‘Publish’ dashboards / schedules to share with your individual clients for information, without inviting them to a workspace. 😀

@@PMPexpert Thank you so much! Yes, some will access it to add notes and status updates to project plans, etc., so this is very helpful. 🙂

Thanks for watching!

@@robinmcleod8404 thanks for watching! It does not require the resource management add-on. It is available to licensed users on the Smartsheet Business or Enterprise plan. Cheers!

@@cashcontrollovinlife7604 thanks for watching!

Glad it was helpful! Best of luck.

To invite non-licensed users to collaborate in Smartsheet, you can assign them Editor permissions on specific sheets, reports, or dashboards. Here’s what they can and cannot do: What Non-Licensed Editors Can Do: • Edit Data: They can update cell content, add information to rows, and make edits where allowed. • Collaborate on Reports and Dashboards: They can view and interact with shared reports and dashboards. • Work with Existing Content: They can engage with pre-configured elements, such as entering data or uploading attachments. What They Cannot Do: • Structural Changes: They can’t modify the structure of a sheet, such as adding, renaming, or deleting columns. • Manage Permissions: Non-licensed users do not have the ability to control sharing settings or permissions. • Create or Own Sheets: They cannot create new sheets, reports, or dashboards, nor can they become the owner of any item. Non-licensed users are intended to collaborate on existing data rather than drive processes or manage the sheet’s setup. This role is often beneficial when you need stakeholders or team members to contribute data without needing a full Smartsheet license. For more detailed information about sharing permissions and non-licensed roles, you can explore this Smartsheet help article: help.smartsheet.com/learning-track/free-users/user-types-and-permissions To invite someone as an editor in Smartsheet, follow these steps: 1. Open the Sheet or Report: Navigate to the item you want to share in Smartsheet. 2. Click the Share Button: This button is located in the upper-right corner of the screen. 3. Enter Email Address: In the “Invite people and groups” field, type the email address of the person you want to invite. 4. Set Permission Level: Choose “Editor - Cannot Share” from the dropdown menu to allow them to edit content within the sheet or report. 5. Customize the Message (Optional): You can add a personal message to the invitation. 6. Click Share: The recipient will receive an email with access to the sheet at the designated permission level. Keep in mind that while editors can modify data within the sheet, they cannot alter its structure (such as changing column types) unless they have a licensed account. This ensures they can focus on contributing data without impacting the sheet’s setup. For more detailed instructions on sharing permissions, visit the Smartsheet Learning Center here: help.smartsheet.com/articles/520104-share-sheets-reports

Great question! When coming up with optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely estimates, I like to lean on three primary things: 1. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs): They’ve been through similar situations and can provide insights you might not think of. Getting their perspective can help ground your estimates in reality. 2. Past Projects: If you’ve worked on or know of similar projects, those can serve as a great reference point. Look at what worked, what didn’t, and how things played out. 3. Research: A little digging into market trends, best practices, or industry data can help refine your estimates and avoid surprises. Hope that helps! Let me know if you have more questions.

Yes! Smartsheet forms do have separators that you can drag and drop to organize your sections. It makes it super easy to keep things neat and user-friendly. You can move them around however you like to fit your needs. For more info, check this out: help.smartsheet.com/topics/forms

In my experience, importing a project plan into Smartsheet isn’t straightforward because it requires setting up the data in a new grid. This means that formatting from the original plan (like dependencies, start/end dates, or durations) may not transfer seamlessly. The most reliable way I’ve found is to use copy/paste from your existing project plan directly into the Smartsheet template, which I know isn’t ideal. This method ensures that essential details are retained, though it still may require some manual adjustments afterward to align everything correctly. Cheers!

Hi Victoria! Yes, you’ll need to manually update that specific information across all sheets, as it won’t update automatically from a template update. If this is something you need to change frequently, like updating email addresses, it might be a good idea to create what’s called a "metadata sheet." A metadata sheet is essentially a central sheet that stores important information that all of your template sheets can reference. For example, instead of updating each individual sheet when you want to change who gets an email or when an automation triggers, you could update that information in one place-the metadata sheet. All the templates and their copies would then look to the metadata sheet for these details. However, even if you create a metadata sheet, you'll still need to go back and manually update all of the existing sheets to make sure they’re pointing to the metadata sheet for future updates. This will save you time in the long run as you’ll only have to update the metadata sheet in the future. Hope that helps - cheers and good luck!

Thank you!

Thanks for sharing your experience and great job building your first form! You’ve got this. 🙌🏻

Thanks for sharing, Jack! I agree. 🙌🏻

Thanks for watching, Ken! I think Smartsheet is better than Excel for several reasons. First, Smartsheet is built for collaboration, allowing multiple users to work on the same sheet in real time, assign tasks, and communicate directly within the platform. Excel doesn’t have these collaboration features. Second, Smartsheet makes it easy to build reports and dashboards with real-time data from multiple sheets, which is much harder to do in Excel. Third, Smartsheet integrates project management functionality like dependencies, Gantt charts and calendars, which are not available in Excel without heavy customization. Fourth, each task or row in Smartsheet can have attachments and file storage, making it easy to keep related documents in one place. Additionally, Smartsheet offers automation for sending reminders and alerts, whereas Excel requires complex macros for automation. Smartsheet also has better permission settings, integrates with a wide range of other tools, has a mobile app, and offers version control with a detailed audit trail. Overall, Smartsheet is more user-friendly for team collaboration and project management than Excel.

@@PMPexpert Thanks for the reply. I purchased annual license and will begin to learn it.

Thanks for watching, Jack!

@@vze39n8v thanks for watching! Best of luck.

A remodel can follow either the waterfall or agile approach: • Waterfall: Each phase is fully planned and executed before moving on to the next. For example, all room designs are completed before any construction begins. • Agile: This method offers flexibility if a room-by-room approach is taken for iterative delivery, supporting concurrent work, like remodeling the kitchen while the living room design is being completed. If plumbing issues are discovered during construction of he kitchen, plans for other rooms can then be easily adjusted since construction hasn’t started anywhere but the kitchen. In a room-by-room remodel, iterative delivery ensures progress continues without waiting for every detail to be finalized upfront. Similarly, a hotel remodel can be done floor by floor, keeping as many rooms in service as possible. Agile allows improvements between phases, while waterfall ensures everything is planned from the outset. Both methods offer value depending on the project’s needs.

Glad you like them! Thank for watching and best of luck on your projects.

@@WarrenNg-r4r thanks for watching! You would need to break the task into two separate tasks and assign only one resource on each row to calculate workloads. I know that’s not ideal for large and complex projects, although that is what Smartsheet currently offers with this feature. Best of luck!

Thanks for watching! Do you still have the form link originally sent to you? Is it giving you an error? Or are you hoping to modify the information you originally provided? Additional details would be helpful to problem solve with you. Thank you!

Yes, I have but I am trying to open it again, it says there that the link has been used or was cancelled. How would I request access again?

While we don’t currently have a video on it, here are step-by-step instructions for integrating Smartsheet with Microsoft Teams: 1. Ensure Proper Access Rights: • You must have Admin-level sharing permissions or be the Owner of the Smartsheet items you want to add to Teams. • A Microsoft Teams Admin must approve the integration to install the Smartsheet app. If needed, consult with your IT team to grant permissions. 2. Install the Smartsheet App: • Open Microsoft Teams, navigate to the Apps section, and search for Smartsheet. • Click Install to enable it in your Teams workspace. 3. Connect Smartsheet to Teams: • Go to the relevant Teams channel and click the + icon at the top to add a new tab. • Search for Smartsheet, select it, and click Add. • Log in to your Smartsheet account to authorize the connection. 4. Add Smartsheet Tabs to Teams Channels: • In the Teams channel, click the + icon again. • Choose a Smartsheet sheet, report, or dashboard to display in the channel. • Set sharing permissions (e.g., read-only or editable) and click Save. 5. Enable Notifications (Optional): • You can receive notifications for key updates from Smartsheet in the Teams channel. • Add the Smartsheet app as a tab and configure it to notify you of changes or new submissions. This integration ensures seamless collaboration by allowing access to Smartsheet content directly within Teams and enabling real-time notifications. It also helps maintain project momentum without switching between tools. For more detailed guidance, visit: help.smartsheet.com/articles/2476201-integrate-smartsheet-with-microsoft-teams Thanks for watching!

@zodka - thank you so much for your kinds words! It really means a lot. We have worked with many clients to help them establish PMOs utilizing Smartsheet, so we bring our real-world experience to the table, along with our knowledge of the tool. We always customize the PMO setups to meet the needs of the clients, so Smartsheet’s PMO Template Set isn’t off-the-shelf, although it is fantastic to highlight the possibilities and then go from there to gather requirements. Wishing you the best on your projects - it sounds like organizations are in great hands with your expertise! Cheers, Kandis

Thanks for the feedback, Emily! Congrats on your new job. In Smartsheet, both "grids" and "projects" are types of sheets you can create to organize and manage data, but they serve different purposes and have distinct features. A grid is a flexible, general-purpose sheet where you can track and manage information in rows and columns. It's often used for tasks like lists, inventories, or any dataset where you need a structured layout. Grids have standard columns and rows where you can input text, numbers, dates, dropdowns, and more. However, grids do not have features for task dependencies, which are critical for project planning. You can customize the layout by adding or removing columns and rows as needed. While you can apply basic automation, like alerts or approval workflows, grids lack the project management focus found in other sheet types. On the other hand, a project sheet is specifically designed for project management. It includes tools to help plan, track, and manage tasks and timelines, making it ideal for managing projects. Project sheets feature a Gantt chart view that visually represents your project timeline, which makes tracking progress easier. You can create task dependencies, such as Finish-to-Start or Start-to-Start, which is essential for managing task sequences and understanding the project’s critical path. Project sheets often include resource management tools to assign tasks to team members and track workload. You can also set milestones to track significant events or deadlines within your project. Additionally, project sheets can use more complex automation, such as reminders based on task dates or status changes. In summary, grids are versatile and useful for various types of data tracking, while projects are tailored specifically for project management, offering tools like Gantt charts, dependencies, and milestones that are critical for tracking tasks and timelines. Choose a grid if you need basic data tracking, or a project if you need specialized project management tools.

@@PMPexpert Thank you so much for the thorough explanation! Really appreciate you taking the time.

Thanks for the suggestion, Colin! I agree a EVM video would be helpful for many. In the meantime, here are some thoughts on setting it up in Smartsheet...WARNING...this will be a lot of information! I hope it is helpful. Yes, you can use Smartsheet for Earned Value Management (EVM), though it requires some customization and setup to fully implement the key EVM metrics and calculations. You can also extend these capabilities to a portfolio level to manage and monitor multiple projects at once. First, you'll need to set up your project in Smartsheet by outlining all the tasks and subtasks in a project sheet. Ensure that each task has start and finish dates, assigned resources, and estimated costs. Use dependencies to define relationships between tasks, which is crucial for tracking project progress and understanding the critical path. To track EVM, start by entering the planned cost for each task in a column labeled "Planned Value (PV)." This represents the budgeted amount of work scheduled to be completed by a certain date. You can also set a baseline schedule in Smartsheet to compare actual progress. While Smartsheet doesn’t have a native baseline function, you can manually create a column for baseline dates and costs. Next, create a column to track the actual cost incurred for each task, labeled "Actual Cost (AC)." Update this regularly to reflect the current spending. Add another column for "Earned Value (EV)," which is the value of work actually performed. This can be calculated based on the percentage of completion multiplied by the Planned Value (PV). To calculate key EVM metrics like Cost Variance (CV) and Schedule Variance (SV), use the following formulas: CV = EV - AC and SV = EV - PV. Similarly, for the Cost Performance Index (CPI) and Schedule Performance Index (SPI), use CPI = EV / AC and SPI = EV / PV. You can set up formulas in Smartsheet to automatically calculate these variances and indices. Use Smartsheet’s dashboard feature to create visual representations of your EVM metrics, such as CV, SV, CPI, and SPI. Dashboards can include charts, graphs, and key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor your project’s health in real-time. Additionally, you can generate reports to summarize EVM data across projects or for specific time periods, helping you track trends and identify potential issues early. If you manage multiple projects and want to apply EVM at the portfolio level, you can consolidate data from individual projects into a central portfolio sheet. Use cross-sheet formulas or cell linking to pull data from each project's EVM metrics into this portfolio sheet. In the portfolio sheet, create summary columns to aggregate metrics like total Planned Value (PV), total Actual Cost (AC), and total Earned Value (EV) across all projects. You can then calculate portfolio-level EVM metrics such as portfolio Cost Variance (CV), Schedule Variance (SV), Cost Performance Index (CPI), and Schedule Performance Index (SPI). Finally, set up portfolio dashboards to provide a high-level view of your entire portfolio’s EVM performance. Use Smartsheet’s dashboard feature to visualize aggregated metrics and monitor portfolio health. Automations can be set up to notify stakeholders when portfolio-level EVM metrics fall outside acceptable ranges, ensuring timely intervention. While Smartsheet doesn’t have a built-in EVM module, you can effectively manage Earned Value Management at both the project and portfolio levels by customizing your sheets with additional columns, formulas, and cross-sheet references.

@PMPexpert Thanks Kandis I've already created the EVM spreadsheet in Excel - I'll look at building it into a SS sheet. and follow the advice from there. What about a portfolio level dashboard that somehow indicates all the critical paths?

Thank you for your kinds words! Best of luck working with Smartsheet.

Thanks for your input, Kevin! Much appreciated. 🙌🏻

Glad it was helpful! I am loving the use of AI in project management. If you want to see anything specific related to this, please let me know.

More to come, ha ha! Thanks for watching.

Thank you very much!

Good question! I would break the task into three subtasks, so that only one resource is assigned to each row, and reflect the appropriate % allocated for each resource. Best practice is to break the work down into small enough components so that one resource can be assigned. This helps with accountability and is also how many of the project management tools calculate availability of resources when looking across projects. I hope this is helpful! Thanks for watching and best of luck on your projects.

@@PMPexpert with a 700-line project plan and many tasks requiring various expertise to complete (3PV, EE, QA) it’s more trouble to explode each task into separate. Was hoping there was a technical solution, not more tasks.

@@daleclough9001 I hear you! If you need more advanced resource management features (like resource allocation, forecasting, and workload balancing), you may want to explore Resource Management by Smartsheet, which is a premium add-on designed for detailed resource planning. It integrates directly with Smartsheet, although there is additional cost for this: www.smartsheet.com/platform/resource-management. I'm sure Smartsheet would be more than happy to demo it for you if you want to learn more. If that isn't an option, MS Project does have more advanced capabilities when it comes to managing resources (via the 'Resource' Tab in that tool). I think MS Project is a fantastic tool, although not nearly as collaborative. Every tool I have worked with has its pros and cons!

@@PMPexpert I have RM. That module cannot provide the functionality desired. I’ve had several call with several groups inside the Smartsheet ecosystem and they all scratch heads. I’ve enjoyed TEAMS calls where I demonstrate, using MS Project, what I need and they haven’t been able to provide a solution. This basic functionality, I fear, is what keeps Smartsheet from reaching the next level, an industry standard tool.

@@daleclough9001 Thank you for sharing your experience, and I’m sorry to hear you’ve encountered challenges with Smartsheet. I’ve heard similar feedback from some of my clients-particularly when the Smartsheet support team doesn’t fully grasp the more advanced project management needs. That’s why our company takes a tool-agnostic approach and avoids partnerships that push specific technologies. Instead, we focus on understanding the client’s unique project management needs and then identifying the right solution-which isn’t always Smartsheet. While I do appreciate Smartsheet’s capabilities, I agree it’s not always the best fit for every scenario. MS Project definitely stands out for complex scheduling, though it lacks the collaborative features that Smartsheet offers.

Thank you! PMI is predicted that the global economy needs 25 million new project professionals by 2030. I believe that AI will play a central role in automating routine tasks like scheduling, risk management, and resource allocation. Project managers will rely on AI-powered tools for predictive analytics to forecast project outcomes and optimize decision-making. I do not, however, believe that AI will replace project managers. Managing people can be a challenging aspect of project management and AI won't be able to do that. :) Here is an interesting PMI article on talent gaps in the project management world: www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/learning/career-central/talent-gap-report-2021-finalfinal.pdf?rev=a7ff58552b8645789b7f3dbe26d0402d&sc_lang_temp=en

Thank you for your comments! Best of luck on your projects.