Help! Can't figure it out!

Shauna Brotz

Good Morning,

I set up a Smartsheet (task list) that all our managers and partners use to add tasks to the Paraprofessionals list so we can track what we are currently working on and all upcoming jobs with their due dates. However, every morning (and sometimes during the day) when the sheet is reopened, it appears that several of the tasks move by themselves to a different location on the sheet. I can't have this because it messes with the visual due dates, and I can't keep cleaning it up every morning before starting work. Can someone help me with the following or tell me how to properly set it up please?

1. How do I lock rows in order to keep them in their proper place while still allowing the Partners/Managers/Paraprofessionals access to change the information?
2. Is there a way to set up a form with all of the headers (see below) that will input the data directly into the Smartsheet so that nobody but the Paraprofessional can touch the Smartsheet, but can still look at it to see how busy we are and where their job falls in the que? If I use a form, how do I properly set it up. Everything I have tried has been ugly. :0|
3. Is there a way to have all jobs that are entered to automatically fall into place under the priority level (high, medium, low) and then secondarily the When Needed Date (numerically, date) with the oldest dates first and the newest dates second? What formulas should I use if formulas are needed?
4. I set up an Automation so that when a date is entered in the Actual Completion Date column, the Status column should automatically change to Completed, but it is not. What did I do wrong? I am pasting the Automation below so someone can tell me where I errored.
5. Lastly, for now anyway, is there a way to have all completed jobs automatically move down the page to the COMPLETED TASKS area by date completed?

Help anyone. I need to get this sheet working properly ASAP since so many people use it. I am sure I am making this much harder than it should be...LOL.

Thank you in advance!

Shauna

Jason Tarpinian

So, that's a lot to take in, but I think most of your issues can be solved my using a form for initial input, then building out reports and using the "Group" and "Sort" functions within those.

1. You can't. Well, you can, but then nobody would be able to edit them.
2. Yes, this is exactly what forms are for! If you build out a form, you can dictate which fields are required, set them as restricted drop-downs, and even build in logic. If you would still need people to see data on the sheet after that, then you can build a report and either publish or embed it on a dashboard where they could then view it (all without having access to the sheet)
3. Yes, check out grouped reporting. Then add a sort (group is applied first, then the sort is applied within the group) https://help.smartsheet.com/articles/2482082-configure-grouping-to-organize-results-in-report-builder
4. Your automation looks correct. The only thing I can think of is you may not be saving the sheet after inputting a date, or the date isn't 'changing' (so if you had 3/15/22 and change it to 3/15/22, that's not a recognized 'change' and the trigger wouldn't activate).
5. See again grouped reporting, or if you go the dashboard route, build out another report filtered to completed tasks and throw it on the dashboard for all to see.