SmartSheet Adoption

kmingain

I am sharing with approximately 80 users and about 15% actually login and look at the dashboard, click on issues, risks and attachments - never mind download the attachments.

Has anyone experienced this resistance to adoption before and if so, how did you overcome it? 

Thanks,



Karen

sdkotes12901

Karen:

We do not use dashboards but wish we did, so I am not sure whether my input will be helpful. You may already be using the top helps I reference, but I thought I would chime in.

Since I am not allowed to write up users for not cooperating, I have done the following to get my very non-project minded managers to view and update their project sheets:

[Assumption: Your users are assigned to tasks across multiple sheets.]

1. Use recurring update requests - be sure to include attachments. You will be able to see attachments and users can add attachments. (Cumbersome because update requests must be created by sheet and recreated when new tasks/action items/issues/risks are assigned to users. Ahem Smartsheet!)

2. Use a web form for adding new items - again include attachments option if applicable if users will not use a sheet. (I get it that sheets are overwhelming when you open them.)

3. Include a "Parent" column (where you can join ancestors) which will help in the update requests web form to orient users to which sheet they are responding to - if you have users assigned across multiple sheets. Formula for Row 1: =[Task Name]$1. Formula for subsequent rows: =JOIN(ANCESTORS([Task Name]2), " > ").

4. While not conventional "PMI" practice or PM process, I include the following subsections (where applicable) in each phase on my projects (where "for..." is the task name of the phase): Action Items Log for...; Activity Log for...; Lessons Learned for...; Issues For...

5. From my "Type" droplist I use use the following options for each of the above subsections so that I can then filter update requests, reports, or my sheets by the type for monitoring and update requests.

Activity Log = Note, Email, Phone Call, Working Session

Action Items = Action Item

Lessons Learned = Note

Issues = Action Items (as someone needs to address the issues and risks)

6. Assignees get their own reports across all sheets using their contact name and these types: Action Item, Task, Issue, Risk. Reports have only Parent, Task Name, Notes, Start, Due, Finish Dates, % Complete, Attachments, Alert.

7. Project owners get an all-inclusive report  for their direct reports across all sheets using same filters: Action Item, Task, Issue, Risk. Same columns included.

8. Project Sponsor gets an all-inclusive report across all sheets regardless of the project owner or assignee when a line item has an alert. Same columns included + "Project Owner" "Assigned To #1" "Assigned To #2" and "Assigned To #3"

If we had the business plan, my not so project-minded managers would be all over a dashboard. 

Reach out to me if you are interested in commiserating or collaborating.

Good Luck!

Sandy