STAGE 2 OF 4: GETTING STARTED WITH SMARTSHEET
Your first 10 minutes in Smartsheet
This page is practical. It covers the small number of things you need to do to get started: navigating your workspace, working in a sheet, and submitting a form. Nothing here requires prior experience of the platform.
Work through it in order. Each step builds on the last.
- Finding your way around
Once you have accepted your invitation and logged in for the first time, you will land on the Home screen. Depending on what has already been shared with you, this may already contain items, or it may appear empty. Either way, you are in the right place.
The Home screen gives you quick access to your most recent items, your favourites, and a list of all the workspaces that have been shared with you. As you start working in Smartsheet, this screen will fill up and become a useful jumping-off point.
On the left-hand side is a navigation panel. This is how you move between the different areas and functions of the platform: sheets, reports, dashboards, notifications, and more.
- Finding your workspace
Your solution will have been set up inside a workspace and shared with you by your administrator. To find it, click Workspaces in the top tab on the Home screen, or select Browse from the left-hand panel.
If you cannot see your workspace, check that you are logged in with the correct email address. If it still is not there, contact your internal Smartsheet administrator as access is managed by your organisation.
Understanding key Smartsheet terms
Depending on your role, you may primarily work in sheets, primarily view dashboards, or move between both. But you will always work in workspaces and folders.
| Building block | What it is | When you’ll use it |
| Workspace | The top-level container in Smartsheet. It has its own sharing settings, so everyone who needs access to the solution is granted it at the workspace level, rather than item by item. | When your administrator sets up your solution and grants you access. You will also use workspaces to organise and share collections of related sheets, reports, and dashboards. |
| Folder | A container that sits inside a workspace, used purely for organisation. It has no sharing settings of its own. It simply helps group related items together in a tidy structure. | When you want to keep your workspace tidy. The workspace controls who can see what; folders just keep things neat inside it. |
| Sheet | The core of Smartsheet. A grid of rows and columns where your work lives: tasks, projects, requests, records, whatever your process requires. | Every day. This is where data is captured and updated. |
| Report | A filtered view that pulls rows from one or more sheets based on criteria you define. Updates automatically. | When you need a specific slice of your data: overdue tasks, open requests, items assigned to one person. |
| Dashboard | A visual summary built from widgets: charts, metrics, text, and reports. No raw data, just the view people need. | When you want to give leadership or a wider team a clear view without sharing underlying sheets. |
- Working in a sheet
To open a sheet, click on it from your Home screen or from within your workspace. You will see a grid of rows and columns. Each row is a record: a task, a request, a project, or whatever your process tracks.
If you need to create a new sheet, you can do this by clicking the + Create button in the left-hand navigation panel, or the Create button in the top right corner of the screen.
Editing a cell
Double-click any cell to edit it. Press Enter or Tab to move to the next cell. Save and refresh to reflect changes; updated cells will turn blue briefly to confirm the update.
Some cells are formula-driven and will recalculate automatically. Status indicators and health columns in particular are typically calculated based on other columns. Do not overwrite them manually unless you have been told they are editable.
Top tip: If you are working in Table view, changes save automatically and instantly, with no need to hit save. In Grid view, Smartsheet will autosave every 10 minutes (or sooner depending on your settings). You will also be prompted to save when you exit or switch to a different item.
Adding an attachment
To add an attachment, first click the row to select and highlight it. Then right-click and select Attachments, or click the paperclip icon that appears on the row. You can attach files from your computer, Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox, or paste a link.
Attachments are visible to everyone with access to the sheet.
Adding a comment
To add a comment, first click the row to select and highlight it. Then right-click and select Comments, or click the speech bubble icon that appears on the row. Use comments for context that does not belong in a column: a note, a question, a decision that needs recording. You can @mention a colleague to notify them directly.
Comments are stored against the row and are visible to everyone with sheet access. They are not private.
Changing how you view a sheet
Smartsheet offers several ways to view the same data. Switch between them using the toolbar at the top of the sheet. The underlying data is the same in each view, only the presentation changes.
| View | Description |
| Table | A modern, real-time grid experience. Changes save instantly with no need to refresh. Best for day-to-day data entry and collaboration. |
| Grid | The classic spreadsheet-style view. Best for managing and organising large amounts of data, working with formulas, and detailed editing. |
| Card | A Kanban-style board that organises rows into visual lanes, typically by status or assignee. Best for agile workflows and visual task management. |
| Gantt | Displays tasks as a timeline with horizontal bars. Best for project scheduling, tracking dependencies, and understanding task durations. Requires start and end date columns. |
| Calendar | Displays date-driven tasks in a weekly or monthly calendar format. Best for managing schedules and deadlines at a glance. Requires at least one date column. |
Note: Not all views will be available on every sheet. Gantt and Calendar views require date columns to be set up on the sheet before they can be used. If a view is not appearing in your toolbar, it is likely the sheet has not been configured for it.
- Using forms to collect data into sheets
Smartsheet forms are how structured information enters a sheet without the submitter needing direct access to it. If your solution requires input or data capturing (for requests, intake, updates, or registrations) using a form, the form will have been shared as a link or embedded on a dashboard.
You do not need a Smartsheet account to complete a form. Colleagues without a login can submit one via the link. Complete the fields and click Submit. The data appears on the relevant sheet immediately.
Note: Forms can be configured to require a Smartsheet login before they can be submitted. If a form does not require a login, submissions will be anonymous, unless the form includes a field asking for the submitter’s name.
You do not need to know everything yet
At this stage, your job is simple: keep your data up to date and use the tools as they have been set up for you. You do not need to know how to build sheets, create automations, configure dashboards, or manage permissions.
Those things come later. As your confidence grows and your needs develop, Prodactive is here to help you get more from the platform.
Want to get more from Smartsheet?
Prodactive builds and implements Smartsheet solutions for teams across a wide range of industries. If you would like to talk about how Smartsheet could work harder for your organisation, we are happy to have that conversation. Get in touch: getprodactive.com/contact-us
Free template: see the structure in action
Download Prodactive’s free Simple Project Solution to explore a fully built sheet and dashboard in your own Smartsheet account. Download: getprodactive.com/resource/simple-project-solution
Smartsheet Fast Start
Want a structured start with expert guidance? The Prodactive Smartsheet Fast Start is a four-week programme: three live sessions and one support call with a Prodactive consultant, covering everything from your first steps through to automation and reporting. Find out more: getprodactive.com/contact-us
Next in this track
Stage 3: Working with your team in Smartsheet. Sharing, notifications, update requests, and permissions. How collaboration works and how to avoid the most common new-user mistakes.
Questions?
If something is not clear or you would like to talk through your setup, get in touch with the Prodactive team at getprodactive.com/contact-us. We are here.
