Request for Update - Set Expire Date/Days

Gladys Liley

We are using Smartsheet to manage a weekly work schedule. There is a workflow that sends "Request an update" to employees the ability to pickup an open shift. Do to volume of calculations and space limitations, the schedule is managed in a a master sheet:

• Master sheet is a two-week (14days) schedule
• Planning for new schedule starts 5days prior to the start date

There are instances when employees try to pick up a shift during the Planning, the work schedule is changed to the new coming two-week schedule

Is there a way to restrict the requests for update to 9days? Please note that we are not looking to create a unique bi-weekly schedule due to the overhead of all linked sheets for calculations.

Any feedback is appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

Gladys

Brett Wyrick

Hey Gladys, interesting use case for Smartsheet here.

Just to be clear, can you clarify a couple things for me:

1. How are the "requests" made currently: Simply through an update request form? Is there any other form or option for the requests to be made? The reason I ask is, this may be a better use case for a Smartsheet form with conditional logic. You could still send alerts automatically, then simply link to the form.
2. What's the "trigger" for the Update Request Form to be sent? Is it recurring or based on a field change on the sheet?
3. Just to be clear, what you're looking to do is restrict employees to select dates in a timespan of today's date to the date 9 days from now? Is my assumption correct?
   • Example: I want to pick up a shift. In your scenario, you'd like for me to receive an Update Request, then when filling out the form, I'd solely be able to view dates from 10/29/2021 to 11/07/2021 (9 calendar days).

Let me know!

Brett Wyrick

Hey Gladys, following up!

Gladys Liley

Thank you for the follow-up. Here's the clarification to above points:

1. Yes regular request update workflow.
2. To use the Smartsheet form with conditional logic, the open shifts would need to be exposed within the upcoming 14day schedule. The schedule is within the sheet that triggers the request update workflow. This means that there would need to be a constant management of the open shifts once filled or vacated so that the responders are seeing current data. Very interesting concept, I'll brainstorm with process owner.
3. Request is triggered by a two field: schedule status = Finalized and scheduled name = empty.
4. Yes to point 3, restrict request within a timespan of today's date to upto 5days from when the schedule goes into effect. Example: publish 11/10 for scheduled 11/13 - 11/27. Request for open shifts stop on 11/22. 11/22 planning for new schedule begins with final schedule published on 11/24.

Thank you!

Gladys