How to send automated update request to contact not in a column?

I want to create a grid, where one person (contact person) can update progress on tasks and another person (anchor) can "sign off".

I want an update request for each deadline date to go to a Contact Person and have that person update the column "status".

My questions is - is there another way of giving roles in a grid to be used in automated workflows other than repeating the contact info in every row?

I want to save the sheet/grid as a template to be used for multiple contact persons and anchors, so I dont want the options, to change the recipient in the workflow. I want to work smarter.

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My thought was to use the sheet sum up fields as a kind of meta data fields, but when I want to automate, I cant choose these fields for update request.

Do you have a good idea of how I can set it up differently in SmartSheet that the picture below?

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Andrée Starå

Hi Christine,

I’d recommend creating a section where you add the roles and then link those to the different contact fields.

Make sense?

Would that work?

I hope that helps!

Be safe and have a fantastic week!

Best,

Andrée Starå

Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

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Ryan K

@Christine Rosenberg ,

If you implement the role based strategy you will have additional complexities but would enable you to scale easier. However, you'll have to maintain this reference table and that may end up being more overhead than its worth if you have a 1:1 relationship between roles to users which it sounds possible given the description.

Another option would be to create a process that would use a given sheet as template (which it sounds like you are trying to do) and then have your process automatically populate these fields for you.

As an example, take template 1; approver for new sheet; create sheet from template; populate user column and then you could roll this out for others.

Ryan

Andrée Starå

@Christine Rosenberg

Some more details on my suggested method because there are a few different ways to structure it.

We could add the people in the Intake process, and then they would be linked to the project sheet through the role placeholder.
We could have a master contact sheet linked by role to all project sheets.
We could have a section in the specific project sheet with the placeholder roles.

For all options, the placeholder role contact links would be updated in all instances of the role.

Make sense?

Would that work/help? Which method would you prefer?

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