Cross Project Dependencies

PattiL · 01/06/22

Hi SmartSheet Community!

I have built a portfolio of projects and I want to create an additional project within the portfolio to capture action items that need to be completed before some of the tasks in the related projects could complete. Example, I'm making ice cream and I have three projects in the portfolio:

Vanilla
Chocolate
Strawberry

I want to buy ONE ice cream freezer that each of the projects will use. I want to make sure the freezer acquisition and installation completes before the first batch of ice cream completes in any of the individual projects. I know silly example, but hopefully helpful.

Is there a way to create cross project dependencies so that I can align the key components (i.e. Uber Critical Path) across the entire portfolio? I don't have many interdependencies, just a few, but critical all the same. Thanks in advance for your advice!

Genevieve P. · 01/07/22

Hi @PattiL

Currently in Smartsheet dependencies and predecessors are specific to each sheet and cannot be linked across multiple sheets. (Please submit your feedback about this to the Product team, here!)

However you could potentially create your fourth sheet, then use a Report to bring together the specific critical tasks from all four sheets, Sorting the Report by the Start Date and looking at it in a Gantt view. Although the tasks wouldn't be directly linked or able to automatically adjust across sheets, this would offer you a condensed view across all your projects. I hope that helps!

Cheers,

Genevieve

Genevieve P. · 01/07/22

Hi @PattiL

Currently in Smartsheet dependencies and predecessors are specific to each sheet and cannot be linked across multiple sheets. (Please submit your feedback about this to the Product team, here!)

However you could potentially create your fourth sheet, then use a Report to bring together the specific critical tasks from all four sheets, Sorting the Report by the Start Date and looking at it in a Gantt view. Although the tasks wouldn't be directly linked or able to automatically adjust across sheets, this would offer you a condensed view across all your projects. I hope that helps!

Cheers,

Genevieve

PattiL · 01/07/22

Thanks, Genevieve!!

I was afraid of that. I did submit my feedback to the product team and I think your idea of a report is the way to go. Thanks for your input!! Have a great day! Patti

LPelser · 03/23/23

@Patti L I have the same problem. Did you receive any feedback from the product team in the meantime?

PattiL · 03/23/23

Hi @LPelser!

No, they did not. What I did was create a task "Ice Cream Freezer Acquisition Complete" in each of the other projects and then used the "link to another sheet" to pull in the completion date from my Ice Cream Freezer project.

I have the completion tasks in the other projects depending on the created task mentioned above. Almost too simple, but it works. What I can't see though is the uber critical path via Smartsheet. I have Visio drawings that I refer to to help identify the impact of slippage risk. I hope this helps!

LPelser · 03/23/23

Thanks you @PattiL I will try this workaround for one of our programmes.

It is shocking to see that there have been enhancement requests for cross-sheet dependencies as far back as 2018, and yet nothing has come of that. It is impossible to manage project programmes without considering inter-project dependencies.

Cross Project Dependencies

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