From Smartsheet to Google Sheets: Project Reports and Dashboards That Work

If you rely on Smartsheet reports to monitor and control projects, you already know the value of having multiple views of the same data: a clean status view for leadership, a detailed task view for the team, and a risk view that makes problems impossible to ignore. The challenge is that Google Sheets lacks a one-click "Report Builder," so people often copy data into separate tabs, creating messy duplicates and losing confidence in their numbers.

In this hands-on session, we focus on creating Google Sheets equivalents of the most common Smartsheet reports used for project monitoring and control. Starting with a single project tracker built as a Google Sheets table with defined column types, participants build report-style views using filters, pivot tables, formulas, conditional formatting, and charts. A simple dashboard tab consolidates key project signals in one place, including overdue work, tasks due soon, workload by owner, progress by phase, and items at risk. Participants also explore conditional notifications to alert team members when key values change and saved filters and groups to preserve reusable views of project data.

The emphasis is on a repeatable, Smartsheet-inspired reporting workflow in Google Sheets: update one source sheet, refresh multiple report views, and communicate project status clearly without rebuilding reports every week.
Participants leave with a reusable reporting template and the ability to reproduce many of the reporting outcomes commonly created in Smartsheet.
 

Objectives
Learners will have the opportunity to:
1. Set up a project tracker structure using Google Sheets tables with appropriate column data types to support multiple report-style views
2. Create Smartsheet-style report views using filter views, saved filters, and saved groups with targeted criteria (owner, status, dates, priority)
3. Summarize project data with pivot tables for status, workload, and progress reporting
4. Build formula-based indicators for key signals such as overdue work, due-soon items, and risk flags
5. Configure conditional notifications to alert stakeholders when project data changes
6. Assemble a simple dashboard tab using summary metrics and charts for quick project monitoring

Topics
Module 1: Smartsheet vs Google Sheets and Source Sheet Setup
- Smartsheet reports vs Google Sheets equivalents: what translates cleanly, what requires workarounds
- Tables in Google Sheets
  - Creating and managing tables as structured data ranges
  - Column data types in tables: dropdowns, dates, checkboxes, numbers, and text compared to Smartsheet column types
  - How tables improve formula references, sorting, and filtering consistency
- Designing the source sheet so that multiple report views update automatically

Module 2: Filters, Saved Views, and Report-Style Views
- Filter vs filter views: building reusable, audience-specific reporting views
- Saved filters and saved groups
  - Saving and naming filter configurations for quick access
  - Creating saved groups to organize and collapse data by category, owner, or phase
  - How saved filters and groups compare to Smartsheet saved report views
- Creating common Smartsheet-style report views in Sheets
  - Overdue and due-soon tasks
  - Tasks by owner
  - Tasks by status or phase
  - High-priority and at-risk items

Module 3: Formulas and Conditional Formatting for Reporting Logic
- Core formulas for reporting logic
  - Date-based flags (overdue, due soon)
  - Status-based indicators
  - Simple rollups and counts
- Conditional formatting for visual monitoring (RAG status, overdue highlights, risk flags)

Module 4: Conditional Notifications and Pivot Tables
- Conditional notifications
  - Setting up notification rules based on cell value changes
  - Alerting owners when tasks become overdue, change status, or shift priority
  - Comparing conditional notifications to Smartsheet automated alerts
- Pivot tables for summary reporting
  - Workload by owner
  - Progress by status/phase
  - Counts by category

Module 5: Charts and Dashboard Build
- Charts for project monitoring
  - Progress visuals and workload snapshots
- Building a dashboard tab
  - KPIs, summary tables, and charts linked to the source sheet

Module 6: Sharing, Permissions, and Putting It All Together (60 minutes)
- Sharing and control basics
  - Protected ranges, permissions, and avoiding duplicate report copies
- Review of the full reporting workflow: source sheet to report views to dashboard
- Hands-on time to refine templates and apply concepts to participants' own projects