How to Create a Report in SmartSheet

Probably one of the best features Smartsheet has to offer is making project reports. Allowing project managers to work with data from different sheets in a single view can be a real time-saver. However, this process might seem challenging for those who have never made reports or just started using Smartsheet. If you belong to any of the two categories, you’ve come to the right place.

In this step-by-step guide, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about creating a report in Smartsheet. You’ll walk away knowing what the different report types are and how to configure each.

How to Create a Report in Smartsheet on a PC?

Every successful project manager needs to know how to multitask efficiently. Keeping up with ongoing tasks, weekly sales, or other projects can be daunting without timely reports on each of these activities. Reports are especially useful for answering core business questions and managing and keeping track of a workflow.

You can edit, summarize, or sort all data in a report. Once you’ve successfully created one, you can send, share, or publish it with your colleagues or stakeholders.

You can create two basic report types in the Smartsheet desktop browser app: Row and Sheet Summary Reports.

The Row Reports instantly accumulate row data from different sheets. Thanks to these reports, you can get an overview of all incomplete tasks, payments that didn’t go through, or any other info stacked in rows.

The Sheet Summary report displays summary field information across different sheets. This is an excellent tool for getting a detailed overview of different projects.

You can build Row and Summary Reports in Report Builder inside the Smartsheet desktop browser app. This process involves quite a few steps, but they’ll be a piece of cake for those who follow the instructions below carefully:

Row Report

Step 1: Creating the Row Report

1. Log into your Smartsheet browser account on your desktop.
   
2. Navigate to the Menu sign in the top left-hand corner of the window.
   
3. Click on the plus sign to enter the Solution Center.
   
4. Click on “Create” in the left-hand sidebar.
5. Choose “Report” from the options displayed.
   
6. A prompt window will show asking you to name the report and choose the report type.
   
7. Select “Row report” and click “OK.”
   

You’ll now have to configure your report to be able to use it.

Step 2: Configuring the Row Report

Use the tabs in the upper toolbar to configure the Row report. You can configure the following: Source Sheets, Columns to Display, Filter Criteria, Group, Summarize, Sort. For example, in the Filter Criteria tab, you can choose conditions to show in your report. You can filter by comments, department, description, assigned to, and much more.

Step 3: Sorting Row Report Results

An essential part of creating a row report is to sort the results by fields:

1. Click on the “Sort” section in the toolbar menu.
   
2. Choose a field by which to sort the report.
   
3. Select “Sort Descending” or “Sort Ascending” on how you want to sort the results.
   

If you want to add more sorting criteria, click on the “Sort by another column” option. You can sort the report results by no more than three fields.

How to Create a Report in the Smartsheet iPhone App?

The Smartsheet iPhone app lets you access and edit information in all available sheets and reports. This can be a real lifesaver when you’re out without your computer, and you get an impromptu data configuration task that needs to be done right away.

However, the Smartsheet mobile app doesn’t allow users to create new reports. As recommended on their website, you’re best using the app with previously set up reports or sheets. You should use the desktop version to set up a report or build automation, apply formulas, and other administrative changes. You can make changes to the columns on your phone if you’re a sheet Admin or Owner.

How to Create a Report in the Smartsheet Android App?

Having access to Smartsheet reports on your Android device can be surprisingly convenient, especially when your computer is out of reach. Unfortunately, the Smartsheet Android app still doesn’t support creating new reports.

You can access all the reports on your workspace anytime using your Android device. You can also edit the columns if you’re the Owner or Administrator of the report. Creating new reports, sheets or working with any administrative change is best done on the Smartsheet desktop version.

How to Create a Summary Report in Smartsheet?

Creating a summary report lets teams accumulate specific summary fields from different sheets in one place. Doing so allows everyone to spot important information and data in a portfolio-level view. You can then easily combine the data into groups, summarize information by applying functions, and much more.

Here’s what you should know before creating a summary report in Smartsheet:

• The summary fields in all sheets you plan on including need to be named consistently. The app will exclude information for a specific summary if there are even the slightest differences in spacing or spelling.
• Use the same field types for all summaries that accumulate the same data. You want all the columns to have a currency format if you’re aggregating money information, for example. This will help stay away from duplicate report columns. If some fields were just numbers, and others were currencies, you’d end up with two columns – one for each field type.

Here’s how to create a summary report in Smartsheet:

1. Launch the Smartsheet app on your desktop browser.
2. Head over to the Menu Bar in the upper right-hand corner. It’s the menu with three horizontal lines.
   
3. Select the “Solution Center,” featured as a plus sign.
   
4. Click on the “Report” button.
   
5. You’ll see a prompt asking you to name the report and select a report type.
   
6. Choose the “Sheet Summary Report” option.
   
7. Hit “OK.”
8. (Optional, can be done later) In the “Source Sheets” section, select the source sheets whose sheet summary fields you want to include.
   
9. (Optional, can be done later) Under “Fields to Display,” specify the columns to display. These are summary fields you wish to add.

You can add the sheet summary report directly to your dashboard with the report widget. You may also visualize the report data into charts or graphs and make it easier for your colleagues to access the information.

To create a portfolio view of all included data, you need to define what information to pull into the summary report. You can do so by navigating through the toolbar settings:

• Source Sheets: Specify which sheet and sheet summary to include in the report.
• Columns to Display: Select the summary field to include in the report.
• Filter Criteria: Set parameters for the information shown in the report.
• Group: Organize rows by grouping similar data into logical classifications.
• Summarize: Extract core report information.
• Sort: Choose how to sort the report summary data.

To apply all these changes, click “Save” in the top right-hand corner of the app window. You’ll then be able to see all the information that met the criteria selected above.

How to Create a Status Report in Smartsheet?

Status reports help summarize the overall project progress, and their main goal is to keep everyone informed about the ongoing changes and potential risks or roadblocks. Fortunately, Smartsheet has tons of free templates you can use to create a detailed status report. You can find them on this page.

You can also create your own status report and only look at the templates for inspiration. Here are some of the basic sections you should include in your status report:

• Project Name. This is where you write the name of the project. The name should be clear enough for all stakeholders who might have a look at the status report.
• Project Manager. Name of the person in charge of the project.
• Project Period. The time period that the project covers.
• Date of Completion. You should write the project due date here. If there’s no exact due date, you can write the estimated one.
• Budget. What’s the status of your project’s budget? This is where you enter whether it’s on target or not.
• Schedule. This is where you write down the status of your project schedule. Are there any roadblocks, or is everything on track so far?
• Quality. Here you can enter whether the project is successful or leaning towards a risk.
• Scope. Write down the scope of the project and whether the initial one was too big or small.
• Risks. Write about all the risks your project was confronted with. What is their status now?
• Roadblocks. Mention any other roadblocks that might interfere with your project.

These sections will be more than enough to create a clear report that tracks all stages of a project’s successes.

Creating a Report in Smartsheet

Creating reports to track project progress is essential for ensuring a detailed, compact, and time-saving workflow. By combining the data from multiple sheets into one portfolio view, you can easily share key information with stakeholders. With Smartsheet, you can do just that. Hopefully, after reading our guide, you can create reports in Smartsheet on your own.

Which report type do you find especially useful for project management? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below.

Original publication by Dominic Anderson: Source article