Smartsheet Project Portfolio Management Training Course

Course overview

Project and operations teams often run portfolios through disconnected spreadsheets, status meetings and manually assembled executive reports. This makes it difficult to see which initiatives are at risk, where capacity is constrained, whether project data follows a consistent structure, or how changes in one programme affect priorities elsewhere. This course shows participants how to use Smartsheet as a practical project portfolio management environment for governing projects, standardising delivery information and producing decision-ready portfolio views.

Participants build the skills to configure project sheets, work breakdown structures, dependencies, baselines, milestones, reports and dashboards in Smartsheet. They learn how to create intake processes, establish portfolio-level KPIs, use cross-sheet formulas and cell linking, manage risks and issues, and consolidate project data into portfolio reports. The course also covers resource planning with Resource Management by Smartsheet, scalable project provisioning with Control Center, and workflow automation using Smartsheet automation rules and Bridge concepts.

Teaching combines instructor demonstrations with guided configuration work in a realistic multi-project portfolio scenario. Participants progressively build a portfolio workspace containing project plans, an intake register, risk and issue logs, portfolio reports, an executive dashboard and governance workflows. They leave with a documented Smartsheet portfolio management design and a practical implementation plan that can be adapted to their own PMO, operations team or change portfolio.

The course is suited to professionals responsible for coordinating multiple projects, establishing PMO controls or improving portfolio visibility. It is valuable both for practitioners who need to build reliable Smartsheet solutions and for managers who need consistent evidence for prioritisation, resourcing and escalation decisions.

Course objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Configure Smartsheet project plans using work breakdown structures, dependencies, milestones, baselines and critical-path settings
• Build a standardised project intake sheet with validation fields, approval stages and portfolio classification criteria
• Create cross-sheet formulas and cell links that consolidate schedule, budget, risk and delivery data across projects
• Design portfolio reports that filter, group and summarise project health, milestones, risks and exceptions
• Produce an executive Smartsheet dashboard with KPI widgets, report widgets, charts and drill-down links
• Set up automated alerts, update requests, approval workflows and escalation rules for portfolio governance
• Apply Resource Management by Smartsheet to identify allocation conflicts, capacity gaps and utilisation trends
• Develop a documented Smartsheet portfolio workspace design and phased implementation plan

Benefits of attending

Target competencies

Who should attend

• PMO Managers — who need standard project controls and reliable portfolio reporting across multiple initiatives
• Project Managers — who must maintain connected plans, risk records and status data for portfolio oversight
• Portfolio Managers — who prioritise investments and require current evidence on delivery health, capacity and dependencies
• Operations Managers — who coordinate improvement programmes and need visibility of work across teams
• Programme Managers — who manage interdependent projects and must escalate schedule, resource and risk issues
• Smartsheet Administrators — who support governed workspace structures, automation and scalable templates

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should be comfortable using a web browser, spreadsheets and basic project-management terms such as task, milestone, dependency, owner, status and risk. Prior experience creating or updating a Smartsheet sheet is useful but not essential; the course begins with core sheet structure and navigation before moving into portfolio design. Participants should bring a laptop capable of accessing Smartsheet in a modern browser and, where possible, access to a Smartsheet account or training environment. No coding, database administration, PMO qualification or prior experience with Control Center, Bridge or Resource Management is required.

Training methodology

Each day combines instructor-led explanation of portfolio management practice with live Smartsheet demonstrations and guided build activities. Participants work through a continuing case involving a growing change portfolio, configuring sheets, reports, dashboards, forms, automations and governance controls rather than only reviewing examples. Small-group design reviews test how data structures and KPI definitions support executive decisions. The final day includes a portfolio build workshop and application-planning session, where participants document the first use case, stakeholders, data sources, governance rules and rollout actions for their own organisation.

Course outline

Day 1: Smartsheet foundations for project portfolio control

• Smartsheet navigation, workspaces, sheets, reports and dashboard architecture
• Portfolio management roles, governance cadence and information requirements
• Project sheet design using columns, row hierarchy and work breakdown structures
• Task dependencies, predecessors, durations, milestones and critical-path logic
• Baselines, planned-versus-actual tracking and schedule variance fields
• Standard project health indicators for scope, schedule, budget, risk and benefits
• Workspace permissions, sharing models and controlled access to portfolio data

Workshop: Build a governed project plan for a portfolio initiative, including dependencies, milestones, baseline dates and agreed status fields.

Day 2: Standardising project intake and portfolio data

• Project intake criteria, demand categories and portfolio classification fields
• Smartsheet forms for structured project requests and change submissions
• Data validation using dropdowns, contact lists, symbols and required fields
• Project template design for consistent schedules, risks, actions and status reporting
• Cross-sheet references and cell linking for shared portfolio data
• Risk, issue, assumption and dependency registers in Smartsheet
• Update requests and approval workflows for data collection and governance gates

Workshop: Create a project intake form, triage register and reusable project template with linked risk and status data.

Day 3: Portfolio reporting and executive dashboards

• Row reports and sheet summary reports for multi-project portfolio views
• Report filters, groups, summaries and sorting for management exceptions
• Sheet summary fields for project-level KPIs and health calculations
• Cross-sheet formulas using COUNTIFS, SUMIFS, INDEX and MATCH functions
• Portfolio metrics for milestone performance, risk exposure, delivery confidence and demand
• Dashboard widgets including metrics, charts, reports, shortcuts and rich text
• Dashboard design principles for executives, sponsors and delivery teams

Workshop: Produce an executive portfolio dashboard with KPI tiles, an at-risk project report, milestone analysis and drill-down links.

Day 4: Resource, automation and scalable portfolio delivery

• Resource Management by Smartsheet concepts for assignments, availability and utilisation
• Capacity planning and allocation conflict analysis across concurrent projects
• Smartsheet automation rules for alerts, reminders, approvals and update requests
• Workflow escalation design for overdue tasks, red status and unapproved intake requests
• Control Center concepts for blueprints, templates, project provisioning and portfolio roll-up
• Bridge workflow concepts for cross-sheet actions and process orchestration
• Data governance, naming conventions, archive rules and portfolio workspace maintenance

Workshop: Configure an escalation workflow and resource review process that identifies overallocated team members and overdue governance actions.

Day 5: Portfolio implementation workshop and operating model

• Portfolio operating model design for intake, prioritisation, delivery assurance and closure
• KPI definitions, status thresholds and portfolio reporting calendar
• Stakeholder roles for project owners, PMO analysts, sponsors and Smartsheet administrators
• Phased Smartsheet implementation planning from pilot portfolio to scaled adoption
• Data migration considerations for spreadsheet-based project registers
• User adoption, training, template governance and continuous improvement measures
• Portfolio solution assurance using test scenarios, permission checks and reporting validation

Workshop: Present a completed Smartsheet portfolio management design and a 90-day implementation plan for a selected workplace portfolio.

Tools & standards covered

Smartsheet, Resource Management by Smartsheet, Smartsheet Control Center, Smartsheet Bridge

A typical training day

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in the East Africa Time zone, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

How you can take this course

Certification

Participants who complete the full five days receive the Skillset Development Certificate of Completion, stating the course title, course code, dates and delivery format — suitable for professional-development records and employer reimbursement.

Frequently asked questions