Use the workload schedule directly in sheets to view who is available and address resource over-allocations.
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Activate workload tracking in your sheets to calculate the availability of the resources assigned to work on projects. It's best practice to enable workload tracking for all committed work so project managers have the most accurate picture of a person's availability. A project sheet typically includes a start date, end date, duration, % complete, and predecessors column.
You must be a Member (or licensed Smartsheet user in the legacy model) to activate and view workload tracking. You can only track workload for users who are on your plan. Users' permissions have the following capabilities:
- Users with Admin or higher permissions can enable workload tracking.
- Users with Editor and higher permissions can view the workload heatmap (in Grid View) and edit the workload schedule.
- Users with Viewers and higher permissions can view the workload heatmap and schedule.
If you have a Resource Management account, you must activate Smartsheet Authentication to use the Workload Tracking features.
If you have a Resource Management plan and use workload tracking, your project data is visible in Resource Management to admins and other users with plan-wide access.
Set up workload tracking
From Table View
You can set up workload tracking from Workloads 
Workload setup panel
- Select Workloads
- Select the columns for mapping. Refer to the Project columns section below for column descriptions.
- Select Apply.
Workload tracking from the Settings panel
- Select Settings
- Select a Start date and an End date column. This must be done so the Workload toggle can be turned on.
- Select the columns for mapping. Refer to the Project columns section below for column descriptions.
If you have multiple Resource Management instances, there is going to appear an option to select which one you want to connect the sheet to.
- Select Apply.
From Grid View
- Open the Resource Management panel
- Select the columns for mapping. Refer to the Project columns section below for column descriptions.
- Select Track workload.
Project columns
Regardless of your chosen setup method from above, the project columns that you need to select or create are the following:
- Start date and End date are required and must be date type.
- Assigned resource is required and must be a contact column.
- Allocation % is an optional column and must be a text/number type column. It specifies how much of a person's (or placeholder’s) time can be allotted to the project assignment. The allocation column ranges from 0% to 100%, it defaults to 100% on rows with a start date, end date, and assigned to a contact, but you can update it as needed on the sheet or in the workload schedule. If you delete the allocation amount, the task no longer appears on the workload heatmap or schedule.
Default allocation isn’t applied to parent rows or rows that have a column formula in the allocation column.
- Phase is optional and must be a single select drop-down type column. It can be added during setup or later, in Project Settings. Learn more about integrating project phases between Smartsheet and Resource Management.
Workload schedule
After turning on workload tracking for your project, you can use the workload schedule to see over-allocation conditions in detail.
To see the workload schedule:
- From Table view: Select Workloads in the toolbar.
- From Grid view: Expand the workload heatmap into a full-screen workload schedule
Here, you can see which other projects are contributing to over-allocation and can either modify project assignments to resolve the issue or collaborate with other project owners to change assignments for their projects. You can only edit assignments on the workload schedule that pertain to the sheet you have open. You can use the expand/collapse button next to each resource name to view the resource allocation heatmap.
In Grid View, you must save the sheet before assignment changes are reflected in the workload schedule. In Table View, this is done automatically. In both views, changes on the workload schedule are automatically synced to the sheet.
Use the caret to expand the assignment details for an individual, or use Expand all to view additional assignment details for everyone.
The workload schedule view consolidates assignments across all sheets where workload tracking is enabled, and the resources assigned on your sheet also have assignments on other sheets.
Workload schedule colors
| Color | Meaning |
|---|---|
Red | Over allocated |
Medium Gray | Assignments related to other projects |
Light Gray | Available |
Blue | Assignments related to the current project sheet |
Workload heatmap
After turning on workload tracking for your project, the Resource Management panel shows a workload heatmap that highlights over-allocation.
You must be in Grid View to see the Workload heatmap.
A red bar indicates when resources are over-allocated, prompting you to take action to resolve any staffing issues.
Availability, over-allocation, and the allocation heatmap are only shown for up to 60 days in the past.
Workload heatmap colors
| Color | Meaning |
|---|---|
Red | Over allocated |
Dark Gray | Fully allocated (100%) |
Medium Gray | Partially allocated (1-99%) |
Light Gray | Available, 0% allocated |
Blue | Assignments related to the current project sheet |
Turn off workload tracking
In Table View: Open Settings and turn off Workloads.
- In Grid View: In the Resource Management Panel, select the ellipses menu, then select Turn off workload tracking.
Archived projects are hidden from the workload schedule. If you have a Resource Management account, sign in to view archived projects on the Resource Management schedule.
Delete a sheet with workload tracking
When you delete a sheet in Smartsheet that is connected to a Resource Management project, then the project in Resource Management is either deleted or archived.
- If there are no associated time entries, then the project is deleted.
- If there are associated time entries, then the project is archived.
If you delete the project in Resource Management, no changes are made to the sheet.
Switch Resource Management accounts
If you have multiple Resource Management accounts, you can switch the project to a different account if needed.
In Table View:
- Select Settings.
- Toggle Off Workloads.
- Toggle On Workloads. Follow the steps in the Set up workload tracking section, and select the new desired organization when asked.
In Grid View:
- Select the kebab menu
- Select Turn off workload tracking.
- In the Resource Management Panel, select Track workload.
- Select the account you want to use for the project.
View your project in Resource Management
This applies to users with a Resource Management account. For more information on purchasing Resource Management by Smartsheet, reach out to your account team or contact support.
Users with a Resource Management license who are shared to the sheet can view the project in Resource Management. In Grid View, from the workload heatmap, select the project name to open it in Resource Management. You can see additional information about budgets, timeline, location, and more.
Your Resource Management permission level determines how much information you can see in Resource Management for the project. Learn more about what users can do and see with their permission levels.
Upgrade to Resource Management capabilities
Smartsheet's Resource Management capabilities provide enhanced, expanded profiles for capturing a person's skills, roles, disciplines, part-time availability, and more. This information enables Resource Management to surface skill-based staffing recommendations, plan around people's schedules, and more.
Resource Management automatically creates user profiles (Unmanaged Resources) when they are assigned to a project that utilizes workload tracking. Resource Management is working behind the scenes to power workload tracking. If you choose to upgrade to the Resource Management capabilities, this data becomes available. Learn more about Unmanaged Resource profiles.
If you are already using Resource Management by Smartsheet, then the data from the workload tracking will automatically sync to your Resource Management instance.
Activate workload tracking during your Smartsheet free trial
If you don’t have a Smartsheet account but want to explore workload tracking, you can start a Smartsheet free trial. To activate workload tracking once the trial is started:
Select your profile icon, then select User Management.
The User Management option is only available to the person who started the free trial.
- Select Add User.
- In the Account Setup window, fill in the account name.
- Save your changes.
- Now the Resource Management icon appears in the right rail. Select the icon to begin workload tracking.