"Master" or "Global" Sheet

Karl Ebert

I am new to Smartsheet and am using the 30 day version to determine if this app will do what I need.  Two questions I have is in RE: to the Sheet.  I run a PMO and have 12 PMs. 

1.) Can I create a Master or Global Sheet and lock it down so the PMs use that sheet I have created which has specific Milestones, Q-Gates and Phases they must follow. 

 

2.) If yes than do I control User access through Groups?

 

Thanks

Karl 

Heidi Decker

Hi Karl,

The answer is yes, you control the users access at the sheet level. Each time you share your sheet with one of the PM's, you set what access you want them to have.

Peace!

Stephan Lafrance

What you need to understand is that permissions are applied in a way that the most permissive access is given. Since there are only two levels for permission management, Workspace level and Sheet level, you have to start by locking down your workspace. Either you do not given any permissions or you give viewer permissions to each of your PMs. Then, at the Sheet level, you give Edit or Admin access to your PMs. 

 

Reports are considered sheets for the purpose of permissions. If you use reports to update a sheet, you have to consider two levels for your permissions: 1 - You need to give at least Edit access to the spreadsheet in question. 2- Then you create the report, and you can give viewer access to the report itself. This controls access to changing the properties of the report. It does not control access to the data in the report. Just remember that a report is a view into your spreasheet. Any data that the user can see in the report, is controlled by permissions to the sheet. 

 

Based on that, you could create your master project sheet, use one of the columns to assign to a user. You give that user Edit access to the sheet. Then you create a report for that user only, where you extract only the lines with that user's name. You give Viewer access to it to that PM. 

 

When the PM runs the report, they cannot change the parameters of the report, but they will see and be able to update all of their lines. You cannot create new lines from a report. For that, it can only be done through a web form, or directly in the sheet.