Requesting updates for parent/child rows with dependencies

lthurston

I have a SmartSheet that I'm using to track my project manager's construction projects they are assigned to. We have some projects for which there are smaller phases that are broken out that I have shown as individual rows set up as child-parent. With dependencies enabled SmartSheet calculates the overall dates of the parent row to be the first day of the earliest child row and the last day of the latest child row. This is great!

However, I also am trying to implement a workflow where, on a weekly basis, each project manager will receive an update request and provide any changes to the schedule for their projects.

I've found that with dependencies enabled, the start/finish dates on the update requests are "locked" and can't be changed.

That would make sense to me if it was just the parent row that was locked but that is not the case.

Can anyone provide some insight on a setting I may have missed or something I am doing wrong that would allow both dependencies to be turned on AND for the update requests to allow for child row updates?

Thank you in advance for any feedback.

Genevieve P.

Hi @lthurston

What you've found is correct: when dependencies are enabled, the Start and Finish dates are locked in Update Requests. Here's more information: Read-only fields in update requests

I believe this is because Update Requests show only individual rows, meaning that changes to these rows have the potential to impact the entire sheet, yet you're only seeing a snippet in the email. It's best to make these changes in the sheet itself to identify the impact it would have. Additionally, Smartsheet is using back-end formulas in those columns in order to determine elements such as the path, critical path, etc. Fields with formulas cannot be changed through an update request.

Please feel free to submit your feedback to the Product team by creating an Idea Post in the Smartsheet Product Feedback and Ideas topic here in the Community.

Thanks!

Genevieve