One of the most common automation requests in Smartsheet is: “How can I make my task automatically show as Complete when I check the box?”

This workflow not only saves time but also helps maintain data consistency across your project sheets. In this article, we’ll walk step-by-step through how to configure your sheet so that checking a box updates the task’s Status column automatically.

When you check the “Done” (or “Complete”) checkbox in your Smartsheet:

• The Status column automatically changes to “Complete.”

• Optionally, you can also show a completion date or use conditional formatting to gray out the row.

You’ll need at least these columns:

Pro Tip: Keep your dropdown values in the Status column consistent across all sheets (e.g., “Not Started,” “In Progress,” “Complete”). This makes reporting and dashboards cleaner.

This is where the magic happens.

1. Go to the Automation menu → Create a Workflow

2. Choose “When rows are changed” as your trigger

3. Set the condition: When [Done] changes to checked

4. Add an action:Change cell value → Column: Status → New Value: Complete

5. (Optional) Add another action: Record a date → Column: Completed Date → “Date when action is executed”

6. Name your automation something clear like: “Mark Task Complete When Checkbox Is Checked”

Your workflow should look like this:

When “Done” changes to checked
Then change “Status” to “Complete”
And record “Completed Date”

If you want completed tasks to look complete:

1. Go to Format → Conditional Formatting

2. Create a new rule:

   • If Status is Complete

   • Apply formatting (e.g., gray text, strikethrough, or background color)

3. Save the rule

This visual cue helps your team quickly scan for what’s finished.

Now check the Done box on one of your tasks.
If configured correctly:

• The Status column should automatically update to “Complete.”

• If added, the Completed Date should populate with today’s date.

• The row will format differently (if you applied conditional formatting).

You can add a second automation that resets the status if someone unchecks the box:

When [Done] changes to unchecked
Then change [Status] to “In Progress”

This ensures your sheet stays accurate if someone accidentally marks a task as complete.

Automating task completion in Smartsheet:

• Saves time and reduces manual updates

• Keeps team dashboards and reports always current

• Standardizes project tracking across all sheets

• Enhances visibility for project managers and stakeholders

After setup, your Smartsheet workflow behaves like a lightweight project tracker:

• Check the box → Task marked complete → Status and date updated automatically.

No manual edits. No missed updates. Just clean, consistent data.

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Smartsheet For Everyone

Consolidating Multiple Smartsheet Trackers and Managing Action Items

Managing multiple project trackers in Smartsheet can be streamlined by organizing them in a single workspace and using consistent structures for related sub-sheets (like action item logs). This guide covers how to do four different things, 1) consolidate sheets into one workspace, 2) how to organize main trackers and sub-sheets, 3) setting up automatic reminders for action items, and 4) ways to sync or extract action items to Google products (Docs and Sheets). Each section provides clear steps and best practices for implementation.

1. Consolidating Multiple Sheets into One Workspace

A Smartsheet Workspace is a container that can hold multiple sheets, reports, and dashboards, making it easier to organize and share your project trackers. Consolidating your sheets into a single workspace offers a central place for your team to access all trackers. Here’s how to do it:

1. Create a New Workspace: In Smartsheet, click the Solution Center (plus icon) and select Create Workspace. Give the workspace a descriptive name (e.g., “Project Portfolio Workspace”). This will serve as the central folder for all your trackers.  Watch this VIDEO
2. Move Existing Sheets into the Workspace: For each of your tracker sheets, right-click the sheet name (in the Home or Sheets directory) and choose Move to Workspace, then select the new workspace. This groups all trackers under one umbrella for easy access.  Watch this VIDEO
3. Organize with Folders (Optional): Inside the workspace, you can create folders to further organize content. For example, create a folder per project or category, and place the main tracker and its sub-sheets (like action items) in that folder. Use clear naming conventions for folders and sheets so that related items are easily identifiable.
4. Manage Sharing and Permissions: Share the workspace with your team (or specific folders/sheets as needed) to grant them access to all trackers at once. This is more efficient than sharing individual sheets one by one. If a user is shared to the workspace, they inherit access to all contained sheets.  Watch this VIDEO
5. Use a Portfolio Report or Dashboard: To get a consolidated view of all projects’ status, consider creating a Smartsheet Report that pulls key info from all tracker sheets. You can configure a report to include rows from multiple sheets (e.g. all tasks across projects or high-level milestones). For example, a Smartsheet report can aggregate data from multiple sheets into one view. This is similar to Excel’s multiple tabs with a summary, and it allows you to see all tracker data in one place without merging the sheets into one. You can then add this report to a dashboard for at-a-glance status across projects.
6. Buiding a Report VIDEO
7. Building a Dashboard VIDEO

(Note: Smartsheet’s “WorkApps” is another native feature that can create a custom app-like interface to combine multiple sheets and reports in one view. This is a premium option that might be useful for a large portfolio.)

2. Organizing Trackers and Related Sub-Sheets (Action Items)

For each main tracker (e.g., a project plan or task tracker), it’s helpful to maintain separate sub-sheets for detailed logs such as Action Items, Risks, or Issues. Here are best practices for organizing these related sheets:

• Use Separate Action Item Sheets per Tracker: If the action items or to-do lists are too detailed to live on the main project sheet, create a dedicated Action Items sheet for each project. This keeps the main tracker focused on high-level tasks while the action log captures granular follow-up items. As one Smartsheet expert suggests, “You could have a separate Action List sheet for each project”. Name each action item sheet clearly (e.g., Project A – Action Items) so it’s associated with its project.  Watch this VIDEO on how to combine multiple sheets
• Alternatively, Use a Master Action Items Sheet: If you prefer a single list of all action items, create one master action item sheet and include a column (dropdown or text) for Project Name or ID. Team members would select which project each action item belongs to. This way, all actions reside in one sheet and can be filtered by project. An expert notes that you can also maintain “a master Action List where you select which project it is”. This approach simplifies reporting on all action items across projects, but it requires discipline in tagging each item with the project.
• Link or Reference Between Main Tracker and Action Log: Maintain clear traceability between a project tracker and its action items:
• In the main tracker sheet, you might include a column or link that points to the action items sheet (e.g., a cell with a hyperlink to “Open Action Items Sheet”). This provides quick navigation for users reviewing the project plan.
• In the action item sheet, include a reference back to the main project or specific task (for example, a column for “Related Task ID/Name”). This context ensures everyone knows how the action item ties into the bigger project.
• Cross-sheet formulas or cell linking can be used to roll up information. For instance, you could use a COUNTIFS formula to count how many open action items exist for a given task or project and display that on the main sheet. Smartsheet allows cell links across sheets, so you could link a status or count from the action log into the main tracker. In practice, setting up such connections often involves “a combination of cell linking and cross-sheet formulas”.
• Consistent Column Structure: Keep your action item sheets consistent in design. Common columns include Action Item Description, Owner/Assignee (contact column), Due Date, Status (e.g., Not Started, In Progress, Completed), and any priority or category fields needed. Consistency makes it easier to manage automation and to create a report that covers all action item sheets.
• Use Reports for Aggregate Views: If you maintain separate action item sheets per project, you can build a Report that pulls all action items assigned to a particular person or due in the next week across all projects. This is useful for managers or team members who want a single to-do list. Because Smartsheet reports can aggregate rows from multiple sheets with the same columns, you can see all action items in one place without merging sheets.
• Templates and Reusability: If you frequently create new projects, consider making a template set: a main project sheet template and an action items sheet template. That way, each new project’s sheets are created consistently. Placing all these in one workspace (as above) keeps them organized.

3. Setting Up Automatic Reminders for Action Items

One of Smartsheet’s strengths is its Automation engine, which can send alerts and reminders based on criteria such as dates. To ensure action items don’t slip through the cracks, set up automatic reminders for upcoming and overdue tasks. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Action Items Sheet: Go to the specific Action Items sheet (or master action log) where you want reminders.
2. Create a New Automation Workflow: Click on the Automation menu and select Create a Workflow (or Manage Workflows to create a new one). Smartsheet offers a template gallery for common automations; you might see a template like “Remind Assignees about tasks due soon” which you can use. Otherwise, start from scratch.
3. Configure the Trigger (Date-Based): Set the workflow’s trigger to “When a date is reached.” In the trigger settings, choose the Date column (e.g., the Due Date column on your action items). Then choose when to trigger. For example, you can select “Run once, 2 days before” the due date (or 1 week before, etc.). Smartsheet allows you to pick a number of days before or after the date. (You may need to scroll in the date dropdown to find options like “1 week before”.) By setting “2 days before Due Date”, the workflow will trigger on each row two days prior to its due date.
4. Set Conditions (Optional): You can refine which rows send reminders. For example, add a condition: Status is not Complete (so that only incomplete items trigger alerts). You might also add “Assigned To is not blank” to ensure only tasks with an owner send alerts.
5. Define the Action (Alert or Reminder): Choose an action such as “Alert someone”. In the alert settings:
• Under “Recipients”, select “Send to contacts in a cell” and choose the Assignee/Owner column. This ensures the notification goes directly to the person responsible.
• Customize the message if desired. For instance: “Reminder: Action item "{{Action Item}}" is due on {{Due Date}}. Please update the status or complete this item.”
• You can also CC additional people or set it to send to a fixed email or contact list (e.g. the project manager) if needed.
6. Save the Workflow: Name it clearly (e.g., “Due Date Reminder – 2 Days Before”) and turn it on. Smartsheet will now automatically email or notify the assignee two days before their task is due, including a link to the row.
7. Setup Additional Reminders (Best Practice): Often, one reminder isn’t enough. Consider adding:
• A day-of-due-date reminder: Create another automation: Trigger “When a date is reached -> run once on the due date (0 days before)” with similar conditions, to ping the owner on the due date if still not complete.
• An overdue alert: Trigger “When a date is reached -> 1 day after” (or use a condition like due date in the past) to notify assignee or escalate to a manager that the item is overdue.
• Weekly digests or recurring reminders: Smartsheet can also do recurring date triggers. For example, you can set a workflow trigger to “Run every Monday at 9:00 AM” and then as conditions include all rows where Status is not Complete and Due Date is in the past week or coming week. This would send a weekly summary or batch of reminders. (This approach requires a bit more setup with conditions or helper fields, but can be useful for summary notifications. In a community example, a user scheduled a workflow for every Thursday and used conditions to catch items due in a week.)
8. Test the Automation: It’s wise to test with a sample row. Set a due date a day or two from now and ensure the assigned person (maybe yourself in a test) receives the email at the expected time. Adjust timing or messaging as needed.
9. Watch this VIDEO

Tips:

• Reminders from Smartsheet will appear as emails (or push notifications in the app) listing the row details. Encourage users to update the sheet when they get a reminder (you can even use the “Request an Update” action instead of a simple alert – this way the email contains an Update Form for that row).
• Smartsheet automations are row-based, meaning each row’s date will trigger its own alert when criteria are met. Only the assignee of that row (and whoever else you designate) will get the email, not everyone in the sheet.
• Be careful not to spam users with too many emails. It’s best to plan a couple of key reminders (e.g., one a few days before due, one on due date) rather than daily pings, unless truly needed for critical items.

4. Extracting or Syncing Action Items from Smartsheet to Google Products

Sometimes you may want to generate a document (or a portion of a document) that lists action items – for example, a weekly status report in Google Docs that includes all open action items. Smartsheet doesn’t natively sync to Google Docs in real-time, but there are both native tools and third-party integrations that can help you export or sync data from Smartsheet to a Google Doc.

Option 1: Smartsheet for Google Docs (Add-on)

Smartsheet provides a Google Docs add-on called “Smartsheet for Google Docs” which allows a form of mail-merge from Smartsheet to a Docs template. With this add-on, you can take your Smartsheet data and automatically insert it into a Google Doc format. According to Smartsheet’s description, “Smartsheet for Google Docs is a Google Docs add-on that allows you to create invoices, form letters, envelopes, or other documents from your Smartsheet data”. In practice, you would:

• Install the Smartsheet for Google Docs add-on from the Google Workspace Marketplace (it’s free and built by Smartsheet).
• In Google Docs, design a template document with placeholders for your Smartsheet fields (for example, a table or bullet list structure for action items, using placeholder tags like <>).
• Use the add-on to connect to your Smartsheet and select the sheet (or report) containing action items. You can then generate a Google Doc that replaces the placeholders with actual Smartsheet data, essentially creating a snapshot of the action items.
• This is useful for creating a one-time or periodic document (e.g., a meeting minutes doc that includes the latest action items). It’s not an auto-sync; you would run the merge whenever you need an updated doc. However, it automates the tedious copy/paste process by pulling live data at the time of generation. It’s like a mail merge, allowing you to “create multiple Google documents in a snap” from Smartsheet data.

Use case: For instance, before a team meeting, you could run the add-on to generate a Google Doc agenda that contains a section listing all open action items from Smartsheet. This Google Doc can then be shared or further edited for the meeting.

Get Smartsheet for Google Docs add-on from HERE

Option 2: Automated Integration with Zapier or Make

Watch this VIDEO

For a more continuous or automated sync between Smartsheet and Google Docs, third-party integration platforms like Zapier or Make (Integromat) are very effective. These services can watch for changes in Smartsheet and update a Google Doc accordingly, with no manual intervention after setup. Here are a couple of approaches using these tools:

• Append to a Google Doc for each new action item: Using Zapier, you can set up a “Zap” with Smartsheet as the trigger and Google Docs as the action. For example, trigger “New Row in Smartsheet” (or “New or Updated Row”) on your Action Items sheet. For each new action item, have the Zap append text to a specific Google Doc. Zapier’s Google Docs integration provides an action called “Append Text to Document” which will add text to an existing doc. You could format the appended text to include key fields (e.g., “Project X – Task Y – Owner: John – Due: 5/30/2025”). Over time, the Google Doc will build a running list of all action items added. This effectively creates a log in Docs that mirrors your Smartsheet.
• Create a new Google Doc from a template for each row or update: Alternatively, use Zapier to generate separate documents. Zapier has a action “Create Document from Template” in Google Docs. For instance, “whenever a new row is added in Smartsheet, a document is instantly created from a template in Google Docs”. You prepare a Google Doc template with placeholders (like {{ActionItem}}, {{DueDate}}), and Zapier will make a copy of that template for the new action item, populating those fields. This might be overkill for every single action item (it would create many documents), but it could be useful for certain workflows (like generating an individual task briefing or ticket).
• Scheduled syncs or summaries: With Make.com (or even Zapier’s scheduling), you could set up a scenario that runs every day or week, pulls all “open” action items from Smartsheet via its API, and then writes them into a Google Doc (either replacing the content or appending). Make tends to allow more complex logic (like clearing a doc then adding a fresh list each time).

Tip: When using these integrations, ensure you have the proper access tokens/API connections set up for Smartsheet and Google. Zapier and Make provide a no-code interface: you authenticate both accounts, then define triggers and actions. Keep in mind Zapier’s free plan checks for new data every 15 minutes (which is usually fine for action items). Make can run scenarios on schedules or triggers as well.

The result of an integration is a near-real-time reflection of Smartsheet data in Google Docs. For example, as soon as an action item is added or marked done in Smartsheet, the linked Google Doc could update to add or update that item (depending on how the Zap is configured). This is great for dynamic documentation or for stakeholders who prefer Google Docs over Smartsheet.

Option 3: Using the Smartsheet API (Custom Solution)

For those with technical resources, the Smartsheet API gives full access to read sheet data and even update Google Docs via Google’s API. A custom script (in Python, JavaScript, etc.) could extract action items and push them to a Google Doc. This approach is highly customizable:

• You might write a Google Apps Script that periodically pulls data from Smartsheet (using Smartsheet’s API and an API token) and writes to a Google Doc or Google Sheet.
• Or use a scripting environment (AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Function, or a simple script on a schedule) to generate a Google Doc report from Smartsheet data.

This method is powerful but requires coding. It may be unnecessary if Zapier or the Google Docs add-on covers your needs, but it's good to know it's possible. (For example, an API script could compile all open action items, sort them by project or owner, and format a Google Doc with tables or lists exactly as you want.)

Learn more HERE

Option 4: Export/Manual Methods (for completeness):

If an automated sync is not critical, you can always export your Smartsheet data and use it in Google Docs:

• Simply export the Action Items sheet to Excel or Google Sheets (Smartsheet has a “Export to Google Sheet” option if you have linked your Google account). Once in Google Sheets, you can copy/paste or use the Google Sheets → Google Docs linking (e.g., copy a table from Sheets to Docs with a link for updating).
• Or copy rows from Smartsheet and paste into a Google Doc table. This is manual but quick for one-off needs.
  These manual methods work for static reports or one-time documentation (like an end-of-month report that lists all action items closed this month).

Summary of Integrations: The native Smartsheet for Google Docs add-on is excellent for generating polished documents from Smartsheet data using templates (similar to mail merge). Zapier and Make provide automated, ongoing syncing – for instance, appending each new Smartsheet row to a Google Doc is a straightforward Zapier workflow. When choosing an approach, consider how often you need the sync and who the audience is. For collaborative, real-time needs, a live Smartsheet or a published Smartsheet report might even suffice. But if the audience lives in Google Workspace, the above methods will bridge Smartsheet to Google Docs effectively.

Conclusion

Bringing multiple Smartsheet trackers into one workspace is a foundational step to better manage projects – it centralizes resources and simplifies sharing. Each project tracker can be paired with sub-sheets (like action logs) for detailed tracking, either kept separate per project or consolidated in a master log, depending on your workflow. Smartsheet’s automation capabilities then ensure nothing falls through the cracks by sending timely reminders to owners about upcoming or overdue action items. Finally, while Smartsheet excels at tracking internally, you have options to push or pull that data into Google Docs for reporting or collaboration outside of Smartsheet. Using the Smartsheet for Google Docs add-on or integration tools like Zapier/Make, you can automate the extraction of action items into documents, saving time and reducing manual effort.

By following these structured steps and best practices, you’ll set up a robust system where project information is organized, actionable, and easily shareable, leveraging the strengths of Smartsheet’s native features alongside the flexibility of external integrations. Good luck with your setup, and enjoy a more streamlined project tracking experience!

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1. Create the Grid (Sheet)

• Go to Smartsheet and create a new Grid.
• Add columns like:
• Employee Name
• Department/Team
• Start Date (Date column)
• End Date (Date column)
• Type of PTO (Vacation, Sick, etc.)
• Status (Pending, Approved, Denied)
• Notes/Comments

·         How To Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgvtNUSVrQM

2. Create the Form

• In the grid, click Forms > Create Form.
• Add the fields you want employees to fill out (e.g., Name, Start/End Dates, PTO Type).
• Make sure Start Date and End Date are required.
• Customize the form title and description as needed.
• Share the form link with your team.
• How To Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtZcglXeyKQ

3. Enable Calendar View

• In the same sheet, click the Calendar View tab.
• Smartsheet will ask which date column to use — choose Start Date and optionally End Date.
• Now, PTO entries will appear on a calendar.
• How To Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PCCntAM0M8

4. Share the Calendar

• You can share the sheet with Viewer access so others can see the calendar but not edit the grid.
• Or, publish the calendar view (via File > Publish) and share the link.
• How To Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWNn8BMwkIs

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