How to Set Up a Sheet

Let's look at how to set up a sheet in Smartsheet. Use the Create New button to

build a new sheet from scratch, start from a customizable template or import

data from another application. We'll create a new sheet and name it.

Next, we'll customise the columns. Columns drive important functionality in your

sheet and can have different properties. The first type of column we'll look at

is the primary column. The primary column is a text or number base column that

contains key information about each row in your sheet. We'll double-click on the

column header and name this column Task Name. We could also select Rename Column

from the column dropdown menu. We'll name this second column Assigned To and give

it Contact List properties to make it easy to assign tasks and share

information with team members. If you've already imported team member contacts

into Smartsheet, names will autofill as you start typing. We'll name the next

column Due Date, give it Date properties and select due dates for each task. From

the calendar, adding dates to your sheet makes it easy to create automatic alerts

for team members and view dates from your sheet on a calendar. Then we'll

create a Status column, give it Dropdown List properties, and enter the list

values. Dropdown lists simplify data entry and come in handy if you use Card

View. Finally, we'll make a Health column with Symbol properties and select red,

yellow, green balls to show the health of each task.

Now that you've created your columns, you can rearrange or resize them. Delete

unnecessary columns from the column dropdown menu. Now, let's look at rows. Rows

help support column functionality and can be used to keep information in

context. Attach files and add comments to any row and tag teammates.

Move rows using drag-and-drop. Insert rows from the toolbar or use the row

dropdown menu. For this project, it will be helpful to group related tasks, so

we'll select the rows below the row we want to use as the header and click the

indent button. Now you can collapse your rows for an overview or expand to view

details. To share your sheet with your team, click the Share button, enter the

names of the people you want to share with and set their permission levels.

Include a brief message if needed. Then click on Share Sheet. Each recipient will

get an email inviting them to view the sheet. We set up the sheet in Grid View

but Smartsheet offers multiple ways to view your work. Use Calendar View to

see tasks dates on a calendar. Or work more visually with Card View. In

Card View, different columns called lanes correspond to the options from your

dropdown list. In this case, the cards are organized by status: in progress, at

risk, complete and postponed. You can rearrange cards and add cards. Each card

you add becomes a row in your sheet. You can also view your sheet as a Gantt

timeline the sheet we created has due dates, and we'll add start dates so we can

use the Gantt View.

And that's how you set up a sheet in Smartsheet.