I am evaluating Smartsheet as a tool to help me do my job managing a small department. I think I see how to implement Smartsheet for what I consider true projects that will span months. But, I also need a tool that can help me manage ad hoc assignments and tasks that are not projects. (e.g. review final draft of revised Employee Handbook.) Sometimes these tasks belong to me, sometimes I assign them to someone in my department. I currently use Outlook tasks for such assignments, but Outlook tasks have limited functionality. Plus, I really want to have ALL my work planning in one place: Smartsheet.
The first approach I thought of is to create separate sheets for all the major programs that my department handles. Then when a task comes in I decide which category (sheet) it belongs in, then add the task, assign it, and negotiate a completion date. The downside of this approach is that it may create up to 30 sheets, with some sheets having only two or three rows in a year.
The second approach I've thought of is to set up smartsheets for each member of my department and call them "Person 1 miscellaneous", Person 2 miscellaneous", etc.. This approach does not feel as satisfying to me, for reasons I'll describe below. But, it is probably the simplest approach.
I do NOT know or track everything that staff in my department do. I like that they are significantly self-managing and I do not want to force them to use Smartsheet to manage all of ther work. Instead, I want provide them a tool and let them decide whether or how to use. That's why I prefer the first approach; to create sheets based on programs or contracts; cause I think that may be more conducive to them adding their own projects to those programs or even create a new sheet for a program I don't think about (cause I don't get involved).
Would appreciate any comments from the community on these two approaches or how you set up your smartsheet to manage ad hoc assignments?
Thanks,
Eric
