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CX Specialist at Great Lakes Institute of Management
Real User
Tracks progress of projects but lacks an auto-save feature
Pros and Cons
  • "The deployment is very easy. All you need to do is log in."
  • "Smartsheet is a cloud-based tool similar to Google Sheets in that multiple stakeholders can work on a document simultaneously. However, unlike Google Sheets, which saves changes in real time, Smartsheet requires users to manually save their changes."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution to track the progress of the project. We have created a bank chart or a milestone chart and follow the events on that Smartsheet point.

What needs improvement?

Smartsheet is a cloud-based tool similar to Google Sheets in that multiple stakeholders can work on a document simultaneously. However, unlike Google Sheets, which saves changes in real time, Smartsheet requires users to manually save their changes. Only after saving will the changes be visible to other stakeholders. For example, if two or three people are working on a Smartsheet and one person makes changes, those changes will not be visible to the others until the person saves their work. This contrasts with Google Sheets, where changes are immediately visible to all users in real time.

If any changes are made in Smartsheet, they should be saved automatically and reflected to all stakeholders in real time. Currently, if I make even a small change to a cell, I need to save it manually. This adds a significant amount of effort, as I have to save every small change each time. Automatic saving, as seen in Google Sheets, would greatly enhance efficiency by ensuring all changes are visible to everyone immediately.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Smartsheet for a month and a half.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Smartsheet is stable, but initially, setting it up was a significant effort. This was a major issue and caused problems. I rate the the solution’s stability a seven out of ten.

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October 2024
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Five people are using this solution. It is not widely used within the organization. We would resort to another product because Smartsheet is not free, and most of its features are not free of cost. Additionally, from a licensing perspective, our company already uses Microsoft products, including Excel, which offers more features.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Excel and Google Sheets are much more reliable compared to Smartsheet. Even though Smartsheet is a relatively new product, it was not very impressive. Google Sheets stands out as one of the better options compared to Smartsheet. However, nothing currently beats Excel.

I've used Excel more often, and for the projects for which we are using Smartsheet, we are not actually leveraging the AI features of Smartsheet. Instead, we are incorporating it into our process in other ways.

How was the initial setup?

The deployment is very easy. All you need to do is log in.
I rate it a seven out of ten where ten is easiest.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We have using the free version with limited features.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend Google Sheets or Excel instead of Smartsheet. Smartsheet doesn't offer any smart features. In fact, it took some effort to set up Smartsheet  to track the progress of a project, which was really disappointing. Moreover, Smartsheet doesn't provide any features that its competitors do not offer. Excel is much more efficient and will continue using it.

Overall, I rate the solution a five out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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YvesDene - PeerSpot reviewer
Lead Consultant CSV at QbD
Consultant
Top 20
Easy Collaboration, customizable, but there is a bit of a learning curve
Pros and Cons
  • "This solution provides easy collaboration and allows non-building users to use the system without requiring a license."
  • "The system can become more challenging to use in more complex scenarios, requiring additional add-ons that can be quite costly."

What is most valuable?

This solution provides easy collaboration and allows non-building users to use the system without requiring a license. 

Only licensed users who can create sheets and collaborative spaces are charged for their usage.

What needs improvement?

The system can become more challenging to use in more complex scenarios, requiring additional add-ons that can be quite costly. 

However, since we don't use those add-ons, this is not an issue for us.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Smartsheet for three years.

Since it's a software as a service, we are always working on the latest version of the platform.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability of Smartsheet a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would rate the scalability a seven out of ten.

Currently, we have around 15 to 20 users who have a valid license, but we plan to increase that number substantially. It's hard to determine the exact number of non-licensed users, but I would estimate it to be at least a few dozen, around 30 to 40 users.

How are customer service and support?

We did not have many occasions where we had to contact technical support.

How was the initial setup?

I was indeed involved in the initial setup, and let's say that for standard use, it's a very interesting tool. It's not that difficult.

But for more complex use cases, there is a higher learning curve.

What about the implementation team?

The application is hosted on the cloud, but I wouldn't describe it as completely public since users have their own private space. Access to the system requires a user account that is created by an administrator within our company.

The deployment process took one or two months to complete.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I believe a licensed user costs between 300 to 400 euros.

This solution does not have any additional costs beyond the standard licensing fees.

What other advice do I have?

It's important to do thorough research and analysis to determine if the application fits your needs, as with any software. While we are satisfied with its use cases in some areas, we might have needed to do more research to determine if it would also meet our needs in other areas.

I would rate Smartsheet a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Buyer's Guide
Smartsheet
October 2024
Learn what your peers think about Smartsheet. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2024.
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Alexander Saravia - PeerSpot reviewer
Gerente at 1-800SAP
Real User
Simplified project management and financial tracking without deep knowledge requirements
Pros and Cons
  • "It's stable and simple to use."
  • "The only reason we migrated to another application was the full integration available in other solutions. We never used the integration capabilities of Smartsheet."

What is our primary use case?

We used it for two scenarios. The first one was in project management. We made up the collaboration with our customer using Smartsheet. The second scenario was a financial application to control the cash flow.

How has it helped my organization?

It helped simplify project management and financial tracking, making it very friendly and powerful without the need for deep knowledge of forms or code. It's stable and simple to use.

What is most valuable?

Its mechanics align themselves very well, making it very powerful and simple. Its interface is almost like you are using it yourself, making it very friendly. You don't need to develop deep knowledge of forms or something like that.

What needs improvement?

I think it is a very good program. However, the only reason we migrated to another application was the full integration available in other solutions. We never used the integration capabilities of Smartsheet.

For how long have I used the solution?

We used the solution for four or five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It was stable. We never had a problem with this program.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's good to work with, and you have a lot of choices. In other words, it is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

I cannot rate customer service since we never used it. Smartsheet never failed, so we didn't need to reach out to customer service.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We migrated all of our applications to Odoo due to the full integration that we have in other solutions.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was pretty easy. It is just like opening boxes.

What about the implementation team?

I did the deployment myself.

What was our ROI?

It's really hard to quantify since you don't have to invest much time in learning it. It is simple to use and stable, so it is worth the money invested.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We used the monthly subscription, which is really cheap. It is not expensive.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Odoo. We migrated to Odoo because it is a fully integrated ERP. We have all the projects, accountability, and services in one place without needing any interfaces or integrations.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend it to others. It is a good program and provides the features they promise.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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reviewer1855623 - PeerSpot reviewer
Associate Director at a pharma/biotech company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Program management software that allows you to link interconnected activities and communicate with collaborators on the same platform
Pros and Cons
  • "The management aspect is the most valuable. You can also prioritize tasks and then view tasks by priorities as passports."
  • "The long-term timelines could be improved, especially the visuals on the projection Gantt chart."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution for portfolio, project, and program management.

We each have a license on our machines and use the solution online. It's deployed on the cloud.

We have 50 people using this solution. All of the senior leadership, program leaders, and project managers use this solution. You don't need a license to use it, but you need a license to edit. Everybody has access to it and can see the roles, responsibilities, and comment on it.

What is most valuable?

The management aspect is the most valuable. You can also prioritize tasks and then view tasks by priorities as passports. There are also predecessors, and you can link activities that are interconnected and communicate on the same platform with collaborators and team members.

What needs improvement?

The long-term timelines could be improved, especially the visuals on the projection Gantt chart. When you have to take the sheet and project it, there's no way to easily convert it into a PowerPoint. You have to use Tableau or something else. If there was a way to quickly capture the long-term timelines from Smartsheet into a visualization software, that would be really useful for board meetings or the more strategic meetings.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for about eight years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's scalable.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is good and they provide training.

How was the initial setup?

We just purchased it through the company and then it gets installed on our machines. Deployment took a few hours.

What was our ROI?

We keep all our timelines and projections on the software, so it's very effective for us.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

There would be more extensive usage if the solution were cheaper. It's really expensive right now, and that's why we provide a few licenses for admins. The rest of them are just users without admin privileges.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution 8 out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1407036 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior PM / Scrum Master at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Powerful, integrates with a lot of tools, and does a really good job of creating Gantt charts
Pros and Cons
  • "Smartsheet does a really good job of creating Gantt charts. Export to Excel feature was also very useful."
  • "The fact that you can have different access groups is definitely a pro for Smartsheet. It also has the ability to integrate with a lot of tools."
  • "The downside of Smartsheet is that there are some security concerns. We were able to restrict people from sharing sheets with anyone who was not in our domain, but it could be easier. We also found it hard to restrict certain user groups from adding attachments to sheets."
  • "It already has a really powerful Export to Excel feature, but it can have an Excel add-on. The way to set up single sign-on wasn't too easy in the beginning, and it was hard to get hold of customer service. They should make it easier to set up SSO. Smartsheet's customer service also definitely needs to be improved."

What is our primary use case?

I use it to collect the status of various projects. Before we moved to Agile, a lot of us used it for project planning. In the PMO, I created a master list of all the projects in the company and basically just started compiling statistics on them, such as the project managers assigned to each project, what sprint they were in, and things like that. We are using its enterprise version.

What is most valuable?

The Gantt chart feature was incredibly useful. Smartsheet does a really good job of creating Gantt charts. Before moving to Agile, a lot of us used it for project planning. We basically used it to create a project plan, and we were able to add Gantt charts just like Microsoft Project.

Export to Excel feature was also very useful. I used it to export to Excel and gather project status. I also used it to customize forms and collect project status and other information from users. Basically, I used it very much like Excel, except it is way more robust.

The fact that you can have different access groups is definitely a pro for Smartsheet. It also has the ability to integrate with a lot of tools. You can integrate it with other major tools like Jira and Microsoft Teams, which is incredibly useful.

What needs improvement?

The downside of Smartsheet is that there are some security concerns. Security is quite good
with the enterprise version, but there are some loopholes. It should be easier to restrict the users within the organization from sharing sheets outside of the domain. We were able to restrict people from sharing sheets with anyone who was not in our domain, but it could be easier. We also found it hard to restrict certain user groups from adding attachments to sheets. We have analytical groups in our company who should not be allowed to add attachments because they can attach sensitive information, which is something we don't want. The ability to prevent certain features of Smartsheet for a user group is not there. I couldn't find a way to do that. This is where there is room for improvement.

It already has a really powerful Export to Excel feature, but it can have an Excel add-on. It can have something just like an Excel integration or something that would make it easier for people who aren't really familiar with Smartsheet but are more familiar with Excel. 

The sign-in process was actually confusing. The way to set up single sign-on wasn't too easy in the beginning, and it was hard to get hold of customer service. They should make it easier to set up SSO.

Smartsheet's customer service definitely needs to be improved. They create a ticket, and then it disappears. It is very hard to understand to whom that ticket is assigned.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using it for almost three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is 100% stable. It probably went down only once or twice in the last almost three years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I don't know about scalability, but it has the ability to integrate with a lot of tools. We have integrated it with Microsoft Teams and Jira. These are the two most powerful integrations that are helping it scale. The fact that you can integrate it with other major tools like Jira and Microsoft Teams is incredibly useful. The Microsoft Teams integration is very useful because if a certain project manager or a scrum master is required to enter a status for their project, they receive an instant message in their Microsoft Teams inbox. This is a really nice feature.

In terms of the number of users, we have 5,000 people, and only a fraction of those people use it. We have around 2,000 users. The security concern is the reason why a large portion of them aren't allowed to use it.

How are customer service and technical support?

Smartsheet's customer service definitely needs to be improved. It has been a few months since I've talked to them. They're easy to get ahold of, but it has been the general consensus in our company that they create a ticket, and then it disappears. It is very hard to understand to whom that ticket is assigned. Their customer service definitely needs to improve, but for the most part, it has definitely improved over the past year since I've used it.

How was the initial setup?

Its initial setup was extremely straightforward. It is very easy to use in terms of the learning curve.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Its licensing is on a yearly basis. I was responsible for negotiating the price with the Smartsheet team, but I don't remember what the price was. Its standard license probably was around 5,000 to 6,000 a year. The enterprise version is significantly more expensive.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did not really evaluate other options. We use Microsoft Project, and we tried using Jira for a project management solution. Now that we're fully Agile, we don't really have the need for project plans, but we still use Smartsheet.

What other advice do I have?

It is a really robust tool, and it has really improved. They've improved its user interface a lot. Before using this tool, I would advise evaluating the size of your organization and your security needs. If you don't have too many people using Smartsheet, or if you have less than 50 licensed people, it is completely acceptable to go with the standard implementation. It isn't at all bad for a small startup in terms of pricing. Similarly, if there isn't really a huge need for security, you don't need to go with the enterprise version. It is significantly more expensive. Because we're a fairly large organization compared to startups, we went with the enterprise solution, which provides a slew of features. It is more than okay to go with the basic version of it.

I would rate Smartsheet an eight out of ten. There are some small flaws, but it is definitely a very powerful tool.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Senior Product Manager at Indian Institute of Management Calcutta
Real User
Top 10
Intuitive and flexible in creating and modifying plans
Pros and Cons
  • "If you just need a planning tool, it's a low-cost and effective option."
  • "There isn't much automation at this time."

What is our primary use case?

It's mostly for project management, scheduling, and planning.

How has it helped my organization?

Smartsheet mainly helps with project planning, maintaining and updating the plan, identifying and documenting risks, and staying on top of the plan.

What is most valuable?

It's very flexible when creating and modifying plans. It's also quite intuitive.

What needs improvement?

Integration with other tools. Smartsheet itself is good and not costly, but integration could enhance project plan management. For example, updating the plan with the help of triggers from other tools.

There isn't much automation at this time. Improving flexibility in creating and updating plans dynamically would be helpful. There's not much scope for automation right now.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using it for a year. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability an eight out of ten. Keep in mind, it's only a project planning tool, which is SaaS. It's a single terminal; there's not much else to it.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is good, but you have to purchase a license for every user. We have licenses for 50 users. It was a small project, and we wanted something simple and effective.

I would rate it an eight out of ten.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I used Clarity. It's very costly and meant for a huge scale. It's not suitable for a small project that only needs a planning tool.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very straightforward. 

What about the implementation team?

It can be done in-house. There's not much specialized knowledge needed.

What was our ROI?

It was good with project delivery times and cost savings. It was mainly to communicate project plan changes and updates across the board. 

There are multiple ways of using it, and it's cheap. If there's a change in the plan, we update it, and it automatically notifies stakeholders.

It's a subscription model and a very effective way of planning any project. You pay about $25 per month for each user. If you want to integrate with other tools, it will not work. But if you just need a planning tool, it's a low-cost and effective option.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

There's a trial version and a free version. But if you need additional features, you have to pay. Each license costs a decent amount, $25 per month or something.

What other advice do I have?

It lacks integration. If someone is looking for a standalone project planning tool, I would recommend it. But if you want to integrate with other dynamic activity trackers, like Jira, I would suggest using something else.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Donee Damore - PeerSpot reviewer
Associate Director Of Project Management at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Real User
Creates Gantt Charts, has multiple export formats, but the installation could be simplified
Pros and Cons
  • "For doing project plans what was really valuable is the ability to do a predecessor."
  • "You were forced to create a new tab rather than add another sheet."

What is our primary use case?

We used Smartsheet for project plans. It was used for project planning. Basically, the timeline out, the beginning and end of a project, and what that process would be in terms of how many days, and what those phases in the project were.

What is most valuable?

For doing project plans what was really valuable is the ability to do a predecessor. You could say "This has to happen before this can happen," then if you change a date, it changes automatically, and you don't have to go back in and change all of those dates.

I liked that you could save it as an Excel spreadsheet or a PDF. I also liked the fact that you could use a Gantt chart, and you could get different viewpoints on the project plan.

What needs improvement?

I don't believe you could add another sheet to it, which is something you can do in an Excel spreadsheet. Such as another tab, you would have to start from scratch.

You were forced to create a new tab rather than add another sheet.

In the next release, I would like to see the ability to create additional sheet tabs and keep everything in one place. What you could do, with the way it's set up, which is also nice, is to do one project plan on top and then create another one with different dates and put the predecessor in, and it's all on one sheet. However, you'd have to delete that instead of just deleting the sheet once it's finished.

For how long have I used the solution?

My contract had just ended, but they were always fairly up to date on the versions.

I was using the latest version of Smartsheet at the time.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Smartsheet is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In terms of scalability, there were some people who could be assigned to make changes to it, but we never collaborated with a large group of people on it.

I worked with five people who were also using this solution.

How are customer service and support?

I have not contacted technical support.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is simple, but if you don't know how to use it, you'll need some training.

What about the implementation team?

I completed the installation and deployed this solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I would assume there is a licensing fee. I don't think that it is free.

What other advice do I have?

I believe it all depends on how you intend to use it. Platforms are used for specific purposes. I would recommend this solution to others who are interested in using it. I think it's a great tool.

I would rate it a seven because I believe it greatly facilitates the creation of a project plan. And then, if you needed to change dates due to a process being pushed back or content not being delivered on time, it's very easy to do so by changing one line and everything else would change.

I would rate Smartsheet a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
KM Manager and Compliance Officer at a consultancy with 51-200 employees
Real User
Is intuitive with a good interface; constantly improving
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution has subtasks and a rollup."
  • "They provide a limited number of sheets which is not enough."

What is our primary use case?

I use Smartsheet for my own personal task management needs and occasionally I'll share a sheet with somebody in the company when we're working on a particular project together. I tend to use it more for my ongoing long-term projects rather than for day-to-day needs. I'm a customer of Smartsheet and a KM manager and compliance officer.

What is most valuable?

I like that the solution has subtasks and a rollup. It has a pretty good interface and it's intuitive. I use it for personal things and I like it even though I have company products that I could use. Smartsheet is worth it for me. They're constantly making improvements and adding things. 

What needs improvement?

I'd like to have access to more sheets, and I don't know if this relates to the price I'm paying or that the product needs improvement, but they limit the number of sheets and it's not enough. I think it's around 10 and I've reached capacity. I think it's a little chintzy on what you get for that kind of money and any individual using it would want more than 10 sheets. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for about five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

There are no issues with stability. I like that they seem to be constantly improving. I don't really make use of all their improvements, but I know it is improving and that they are adding things all the time. In my situation, through the company, I have access to features that they're adding and I tend to use them through the company solutions. Take web forms, for example, I know Smartsheet has web forms, which is a good thing to have but I use the company product for that. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I'm not sure about scalability and I don't think it's meant to be a business account. I think it's meant for individual use.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I previously used Outlook extensively but when I looked into Smartsheet it worked better than Outlook for my purposes.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was very easy, straightforward and intuitive. At the time I deployed Smartsheet, I hadn't worked with any project management software or task management and setup wasn't a problem. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I have the basic paid license, which is pretty pricey. I think it's $17 a month. For that kind of money, I'd like more sheets. You can upgrade and pay more, whether it's to a higher personal account or a business account, I'm not sure. Because I'm using it independently of the company, I don't want to pay more.

What other advice do I have?

I think it's a solution that's definitely worth looking into. I don't know what the cost would be in terms of deploying for a business. And I'm also not sure how it stacks up to other solutions, but I think for unlimited use or even for an enterprise company, it's definitely worth having a look at. I'm not a frequent user but I use it for particular use cases. I don't log on every day, only when I need access to what I've stored there. I tend to store more long-term ongoing-type tasks as opposed to limited projects.

I rate the solution eight out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Smartsheet Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: October 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Smartsheet Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.