Smartsheet Can Replace Microsoft Project for Most People Who use Microsoft Project
March 09, 2015
Smartsheet Can Replace Microsoft Project for Most People Who use Microsoft Project
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Smartsheet
Smartsheet was used for pure project management, to make traditional Project Plans with Gantt charts, dependencies, resources, and attached documents. It was able to replace traditional Microsoft Project needs, in addition to more sophisticated workflow needs like email reminders, document management, and team discussions. As a low-cost, lightweight, portable replacement for Microsoft Project, is it without peer.
- Conditional Formatting is an easy and highly effective way to assist readability, and more importantly, upkeep of a project plan.
- While not obviously a team management tool, don't overlook these functions in Smartsheet, which can obviate the need for other such tools.
- The web interface is slick and modern in all the best ways a modern app should be. It can be customized far beyond just a MPP-alike.
- So many good features are hidden, such as the team management tools. This makes them hard to use.
- The "sheets" quota, and the transmission of sheets between members, and the ability to maintain sheets - the whole system is convoluted. While I understand it after having used it so long, and also understanding the revenue model, it's a shortcoming of "product management."
- It does not save automatically in the same way Google docs does. When people integrate with Google Docs, but the integrated tool doesn't follow one of the key affordances of Google Docs... well, a lot of people lose work, which is esp discouraging in that critical "education" phase.
- It was handy when we needed MPPs. That's mostly it.
- However, for daily project management, it was not needed enough, and we decided to forego the expense.
It's cheaper than MPP and does all the MPP stuff that 90% of normal people need. If you need MPP but never use the super weird stuff, then you are all set. Smartsheet. And once you are there, the additional abilities will pleasantly surprise you.