Sign in to join the conversation:
In Microsoft Project you could 'baseline' your plan and then track against it with the ability to view both baseline and current plan on the Gantt.
I cannot see the same capability in Smartsheets.
Does anyone know how you would do this?
Hi,
It's not possible in Smartsheet, but a possible workaround could be to see the information, combined in the Gantt title.
Would that work for you?
I hope this helps you!
Best,
Andrée Starå - Workflow Consultant @ Get Done
Thank you for quick reply, but not sure what you mean by 'combine in the title'?
But an alternative suggestion given to me is to create extra columns in the plan i.e. start date, end date and duration and label them "baseline start date", "baseline end date" and "baseline duration" and merely copy the information
Yes, that is the usual "Baseline" solution in Smartsheet, but it will not show on the Gantt. What I meant by "combine" is that you could combine information in different cells to show the title + baseline start + baseline end.
Andrée
You are right that Smartsheet doesn't have Baseline feature like how MS Project has.
What i do is that when i prepare the project plan, i have the "Start Date" and "Finish Date" columns. Once the project plan is completed and okayed by the Stakeholders, i add 2 new columns called "Trend Start" and "Trend Finish".
I go to the Project settings and change the Start date Column to " Trend Start" and Finish Date column to "Trend Finish". SInce the Predecessor is already entered, when this change is done, automatically the dates get populated in the "Trend Start' and "Trend Finish" columns.
Now i track each task against the "Baseline"..
I am not sure if this is the best way, but for now, this is how i have been doing..
Robert
I have the same issue
So once I have an agreed schedule I just copy (duplicate) each schedule line
Label each new line baseline e.g. Task Description (baseline)
(the lower line is the baseline, the active schedule line is above the baseline)
Change the gantt color for each baseline line
Remove the dependencies for each gantt line
(you need to be sure nothing mistakenly is dependent on your baseline lines)
Lock each gantt line
Yes it it tedious but not as difficult as it seems
You just need the discipline not to mess with your gantt line dates, locking only protects someone else but not you
But if you keep a print you can always get back to it
Now you can visually see your progress against a baseline on the gantt
You can show progress on the baseline or not but as you adjust your normal schedule you will see where the schedule veers from the baseline
John
It's been a long time since I've seen a comment by Smartsheet on adding a Baseline capability without a workaround. Is the Baseline functionality on the Smartsheet roadmap?
Thanks!
Well, there goes SmartSheet as a possible MS Project replacement... I'm better off using a basic spreadsheet.
Smartsheet, please add baseline functionality. This is critical in waterfall planning.The workaround recommended above will skew your percent complete and therefore throw off the project. Please allow the saving of a baseline.
There is an option that does not skew your % Complete where you create your baseline sheet then save a copy and use that as your actual sheet then reference both in a report.
At last year's Smartsheet convention, it was mentioned that Baseline functionality would be introduced in Jan 2021. I have not seen any further details on this topic. Baseline functionality is something I have used extensively in MS Project.
@Mohsin Ansari It hasn't been released yet.
Hi all,
We just released baselines within Smartsheet! Here is an article with information on how to get started: https://help.smartsheet.com/articles/2482093-baselines. Please let us know your thoughts!
-Madyson
This is good feature which is displayed (Gantt view) on plan sheet but this baseline mark is not displayed (Gantt view) on report. How can we bring this (baseline details) on report and ultimately on dashboard. Appreciate your help.
Hello, I'm seeing this error for the first time as I expand some capability in an existing workflow. Here's how this section with the error works. Scenario: a user puts in a request on the form with a check box indicating they will later upload the required file attachment. Automation sends a request for Approval with…
I have a task that started in Sept and ends in Feb. I need to assign it to someone else, but do not want to lose the history of the first employee. How do I do this?
Starting a couple of days ago, I started getting 2 or more emails a day about my account being activated. I have a monthly subscription but have never received this type of email from Smartsheet. The email looks legitimate - the sender is "reply_to@Smartsheet .com" - except for maybe the greeting, which is "Dear Customer".…
