Smartsheet Control Center glossary

Use the following glossary to better understand and work your way around Smartsheet Control Center.

Who can use this?

Plans:

  • Business
  • Enterprise
TermDescription
Additional LeadA user who can access Control Center and has permissions to delete blueprints and manage programs, but isn’t the Primary Lead.
Add New ColumnA type of global update used to introduce a new column to a sheet template and then roll it out to either all or only selected existing projects.

Learn more about global updates for columns
Add Profile Data

A type of global update used to add new profile data fields to templates and existing projects.

Learn more about profile data global updates.

Admin workspaceA dedicated workspace where key Control Center configuration items like the blueprint source folder, intake sheet, and blueprint summary sheet are stored.
Approval columnA column in the intake sheet that triggers the project to be provisioned when a specific value is entered.
Archiving

The process of removing a project from the active view to free up space on summary sheets and in program reports.

Refer to our archiving FAQ for more information.

Archive workflowA set of predefined actions within Project Archiving that a Program Lead can run to affect projects that meet the archive rule criteria.

Learn more about archiving workflows.
Automatic provisioning

A feature that automatically provisions projects once the approval logic is met in the intake sheet.

Learn more about the differences between automatic and manual provisioning.

Blueprint

A template used to configure projects, including source folders, intake sheets, and other settings.

Learn more about how to create a blueprint.

Blueprint builderThe user interface within Control Center used to create and customize blueprints.
Blueprint componentsThe various elements of a blueprint that can be turned on or off to configure a project, such as the Resource Management panel.
Blueprint source folder

A folder that contains all the template sheets, reports, and dashboards used for future projects.

Learn more about the blueprint source folder.

Case sensitiveA setting for the Find/Replace global update that determines whether the search differentiates between uppercase and lowercase letters.
Child blueprintA blueprint that is part of a multi-tier deployment and is linked to a parent blueprint.
Child projectA project created under a parent project in a multi-tier deployment.
Config sheetThe brain of your blueprint. Avoid editing or providing access to it. Best practice is to keep it in a separate workspace.
Control Center

The application itself, which is a project management tool for managing multiple projects at scale.

Refer to the Control Center learning track to learn more about how to use this premium application.

Dashboard templateA pre-designed dashboard that is copied and used as a starting point for new projects.
Dynamic report scope

A feature that automatically updates a report's scope to include specific project sheets, useful for programs where projects are provisioned in new workspaces.

Learn more about dynamic report scope.

This is available for Gov plans only. If you're not Gov, refer to program report.

Enhanced global updatesA more advanced version of global updates that provides additional features and capabilities for updating projects.

Refer to our enhanced global updates overview to learn more. 

Find/Replace

A type of global update that lets you update specific values and formulas across all existing project sheets and templates.

Learn more about Find/Replace global updates.
Global updates

A feature used to make and roll out changes to templates (sheets, dashboards, or reports) across all existing projects that were provisioned from a blueprint.

Learn more about global updates.

HierarchyThe organization of projects or rows in a parent-child structure, which can be configured in a blueprint for a summary sheet.
Intake sheet

A sheet used to collect data for new projects. It contains profile data and other information for provisioning.

Learn more about how to set up an intake sheet.

Modify Existing ColumnA type of global update used to make changes to an existing column in a template and apply those changes to all existing projects.
Multi-tierA type of Smartsheet Control Center deployment for structuring and managing complex projects with parent-child relationships.

Learn more about Control Center multi-tier.
One-time writeA behavior setting for profile data where the value is copied from the intake sheet to the project sheet only once during provisioning, without a cell link.
Parent blueprintThe top-level blueprint in a multi-tier deployment that generates workspaces for child projects.
Parent projectA top-level project in a multi-tier deployment that serves as a container for child projects.
Partial Find/ReplaceAn advanced option for the Find/Replace global update that allows you to match and replace only a specific part of a cell's content.
Portfolio WorkAppsA feature that extends Control Center to manage portfolios.
Primary ColumnThe only column in a Smartsheet sheet where you can create hierarchies. Also used to define the name or primary identifier for a row, such as the Summary row for profile data.
Primary Lead

Creator of the program that can perform everything an additional lead can perform along with these actions:

  • Transfer program ownership
  • Rename the program
  • Change the program description
  • Owns the config sheet and blueprint summary (if a blueprint summary is used in the solution).

Learn more about managing the Primary Lead.

Profile data

Standardized data points for every project. Create profile data using formulas or cell linking. Each project may have profile data in each sheet under a row called Summary and may also have one single sheet that consolidates all profile data.

Learn more about how to define and track your project with profile data.

Program

A collection of blueprints managed together within Control Center.

Learn more about how to create a program.

Program IDA unique identifier for a specific program in Control Center.
Program reports

Reports that can be created to show data from project items across a program, based on blueprint templates.

Learn more about program reports.

Program usersThe user who initiates the creation of a new project from Control Center.
Project

An individual instance created from a blueprint, often consisting of multiple sheets, reports, and dashboards.

Learn more about how to create a project.

Project ArchivingA feature that allows Program Leads to manage the archiving of completed projects, making Control Center a full project lifecycle management tool.
Project builderA wizard-like interface that guides users through the process of creating a new project.
Project logsA feature that allows users to view the status and history of project provisioning and other actions.
Provision

The automated process through which Control Center creates a new project based on information from the intake sheet.

Learn more about provisioning projects.

Publish

The action of syncing changes made to a blueprint source template to all active projects using enhanced global updates.

See our enhanced global updates FAQ for more information on publishing changes to your projects.

Publish historyA log that records information about when template changes were published, who published them, and any errors that occurred.
Report templateA pre-configured report that is copied to ensure the same reporting criteria are used for each project.
Service accountA dedicated, non-personal account used as the Primary Lead to ensure continuity and avoid issues with centralized access for a personal account.
Sheet summaryA feature in Smartsheet that allows you to summarize data from a sheet.
Source folderA folder containing all the templates (sheets, reports, and dashboards) that are used to create projects from a blueprint.
Static valueA fixed value, as opposed to a formula, that you can use when adding new data or updating column values via global updates.
Summary sheet

One or more sheets updated automatically by Control Center as soon as you've created a project. The data added to these sheets comes from your profile data. 

Learn more about how to set up a blueprint summary sheet.

Target columnThe column in a template sheet where the value for the profile data is written.
TemplateThe base sheet, report, or dashboard that is copied to create a new project.
Template settingsOptions within the blueprint builder that determine if an item in the source folder is included in a project and if it's required or optional.
Temporary copyA non-production version of a project created during a test to ensure a global update works as expected without affecting the live project.
Troubleshooting guide

A set of instructions for understanding and resolving common error messages in Smartsheet Control Center.

See our Control Center troubleshooting guide for more information.

WorkApps rolesA permission setting that defines the access level for team members in a Portfolio or Project WorkApp.

Learn more about building WorkApps.
Update ReportingAn action that rebuilds cell links and refreshes a project's data, particularly useful for fixing missing or incomplete information in summary sheets.