Smartsheet is challenge administration software program that is available in a spreadsheet format. Whereas that will appear ideally suited if you’re conversant in Excel and related apps, is Smartsheet the one PM software program resolution that may fulfill your software program growth crew’s wants? After all not, which is why we’ll reveal a number of Smartsheet options on this challenge administration tutorial.
What are Smartsheet Options for Software program Growth Challenge Administration?
Smartsheet could appear to be a spreadsheet, however the software program provides far more that can assist you handle your tasks, akin to:
- An exercise log to see what adjustments have been made and by whom
- Automated workflows
- Baselines to maintain tasks on observe and crew members accountable
- Calendar, card, Gantt, and grid views
- Conversations and content material collaboration
- Vital path to see duties that affect your challenge completion date
- Customizable dashboards
- E-signatures
- File attachments
- Integrations with Slack, Skype, Dropbox, G Suite, Microsoft Groups, and so forth.
- Report sharing and publishing
- Useful resource administration through challenge budgeting, portfolio administration, reporting, and primary time monitoring
Smartsheet Pricing
Not like many different challenge administration options at present in the marketplace, Smartsheet doesn’t have a free plan. You’ll be able to join a free trial, however the lack of a free perpetually plan might deter many.
Smartsheet’s most cost-effective plan is its Professional providing that prices $7 per person, per thirty days when billed yearly. It’s supposed for groups seeking to handle, observe, and share tasks and provides limitless sheets and viewers, Gantt charts, card, grid, and calendar views, 20GB of storage, 250 month-to-month automations, as much as 10 editors, integrations with Slack, Microsoft Groups, and different third-party apps, plus dashboards, reviews, and varieties.
The Enterprise plan prices $25 per person, per thirty days, when billed yearly. It’s supposed for groups seeking to handle tasks with limitless editors and superior options. The Enterprise plan provides all the things from the Professional plan, plus baselines, person, group, and license administration, 1TB of storage, limitless automations, an exercise log and doc builder, proofing, superior assist, entry to Smartsheet coaching, and the power to publish sheets, reviews, and dashboards.
Smartsheet additionally has an Enterprise plan with customized pricing. It provides you all the things from the Enterprise plan, plus a devoted supervisor, DocuSign integration, single sign-on, limitless storage, customized e-mail domains, and so forth.
Smartsheet Strengths And Weaknesses
Smartsheet has a number of strengths that will push you in direction of choosing it as your challenge administration software program to spice up your crew’s collaboration and productiveness, nevertheless it additionally has weaknesses that will have you ever look elsewhere. Right here is how Smartsheet breaks down when it comes to its execs and cons.
Execs of Smartsheet Challenge Administration for Builders:
- Spreadsheet format could also be most well-liked by some groups which can be used to working with Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and so forth.
- Drag-and-drop automation builder helps you create superior workflows to save lots of time and improve effectivity
- Simple-to-generate, real-time reviews you can share with colleagues or purchasers
- Options for useful resource, portfolio, and digital asset administration
- Budgeting and forecasting instruments
- Group collaboration by means of conversations, notes, file sharing, and extra
- Prime-notch safety through two-factor authentication, single sign-on, safe information facilities, AES 256-bit at-rest encryption, and so forth.
Cons of Smartsheet Challenge Administration for Builders:
- No free plan
- Not essentially the most intuitive interface round
- Manually sifting by means of the spreadsheet’s rows and columns as you search for information could be time-consuming
- Spreadsheet view is considerably restricted or proscribing for challenge administration in comparison with different extra user-friendly choices that provide higher visualization
- Not ideally suited for Agile groups searching for Kanban boards
- Can really feel clunky when attempting to handle extra advanced tasks
- The next worth level than some options
- Time monitoring is missing
You’ll be able to learn our full Assessment of Smartsheet Challenge Administration to study extra about its options and advantages for software program growth groups, challenge managers, and builders.
Challenge Administration Software program Alternate options to Smartsheet
If a few of Smartsheet’s weaknesses make it look like the software program isn’t best for you, listed here are some challenge administration options that could be a greater match:
Microsoft Challenge
Like Smartsheet, MS Challenge makes use of the spreadsheet format. It’s higher fitted to advanced tasks, however does include a steep studying curve and a better worth level. Microsoft Challenge highlights value mentioning embrace shared calendars, time monitoring, useful resource administration, customized reporting, superior budgeting, detailed job descriptions, and assist for Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid methodologies.
You’ll be able to study extra by studying our Microsoft Challenge Assessment.
Jira
One of many prime Smartsheet options for Agile and Scrum groups is Jira. It has an open-source model that may be custom-made to suit your growth crew’s distinctive wants, plus customizable dashboards. Different causes to decide on Jira as a Smartsheet different embrace bug monitoring, customized workflow templates, strong reporting, bug monitoring, roadmaps, Scrum and Kanban boards, third-party integrations, and a sturdy cell app for engaged on the go.
Causes to skip Jira embrace its greater worth level, restricted collaboration options, and a steeper studying curve.
Now we have an amazing Assessment of Jira PM Software program that can assist you resolve if Jira is the correct selection on your software program growth crew.
Asana
Many challenge managers use Asana because it has a restricted studying curve, works properly for giant groups, and may deal with a number of tasks concurrently. Asana is nice for Agile groups with its Kanban boards, workflow automation, and backlog administration and is straightforward to make use of but has superior options for managing duties like checklists and subtasks. Due to the software program’s strong challenge overviews, useful resource administration is a breeze, and you’ll collaborate through Asana’s job feedback and file-sharing features.
The place does Asana fall quick as a Smartsheet different? First, you can’t assign a number of crew members to a job. Second, you can’t assign feedback to crew members. Third, its time monitoring is missing. And lastly, whereas Asana does have a free plan, it’s slightly restricted.
Try our Assessment of Asana Challenge Administration for extra about its options, pricing, and execs and cons.
Basecamp
Small to medium-sized groups could flip to Basecamp as their Smartsheet different for managing tasks. You should utilize its to-do lists to handle duties, chat for real-time communication, hill charts for monitoring challenge progress, and doc administration to remain organized. Basecamp can be simple to make use of, options drag-and-drop performance for sharing recordsdata, and has reviews that offer you an in depth look into job or crew member progress. You’ll not must take a ton of time to seek out desired info in Basecamp because of its common search bar, and you’ll not have to fret about maintaining your recordsdata safe because it has computerized hourly backups.
It’s value noting that Basecamp is a bit gentle when it comes to time monitoring and budgeting.
You’ll be able to study extra about Basecamp by studying our Basecamp Challenge Administration Instrument Assessment.
ClickUp
ClickUp is highly-rated challenge administration software program that serves as a Smartsheet different because of instruments for collaboration, monitoring, reporting, and extra. Whereas Smartsheet’s views are slightly restricted, that’s not the case with ClickUp, as you recover from 15 custom-made views to visualise information, akin to calendar, Kanban, Gantt, field, checklist, and so forth.
Group members can collaborate by means of feedback in duties, tagging, and file sharing, and ClickUp’s time-tracking capabilities are additionally significantly better than Smartsheet’s. Add in job checklists, 100-plus automation templates, tons of integrations, thoughts maps, and drag-and-drop performance, and a user-friendly interface, and you’ve got many causes to take a robust take a look at ClickUp as a Smartsheet alternative.
Learn our ClickUp Challenge Administration Software program Assessment for extra info.
Trello
In case you have a easy challenge to handle, Trello could suffice as your Smartsheet different. Trello’s user-friendly interface could also be ideally suited for Kanban followers, and you can begin utilizing its customizable and interactive playing cards with no use for onboarding. Organizing duties is straightforward sufficient because of color-coded labels, and drag-and-drop performance makes it simple to handle your boards.
Nonetheless, if you should handle extra advanced tasks, Trello could fall quick because it lacks the superior PM options that different options on this checklist provide.
You’ll be able to study extra by studying our Trello Assessment.
