Migration guide
Migrate from Smartsheet to Planoda
Smartsheet wraps project management around a familiar spreadsheet grid, but software work modeled as rows and formulas breaks down as you scale. This guide moves your sheets into Planoda's purpose-built tracker so each row becomes a real issue with priority, estimates, and cycles.
Updated
Migration in short
- Migrating from Smartsheet to Planoda is a 7-step path: export, map, import, verify, then cut over.
- Start by exporting from Smartsheet — Export from Smartsheet, then map every field to its Planoda equivalent.
- 9 Smartsheet concepts map onto Planoda fields (issues, workflow states, cycles, estimates, labels, and more), previewed before anything is written.
- Run both tools in parallel for a short overlap, reconcile the counts, then make Planoda the system of record — no work is left behind.
Step by step
How to move from Smartsheet
Export from Smartsheet
Export each sheet to Microsoft Excel or CSV (File → Export → Microsoft Excel / CSV), which pulls every row with its column values. Export one sheet at a time so each column→field mapping stays unambiguous.
Map sheets, rows, and columns
A Smartsheet workspace or sheet group maps to a Planoda team, each sheet maps to a project, and rows become issues. Indented child rows map to sub-issues so your hierarchy isn't flattened into a single list.
Translate status, dropdown, and symbol columns
Map status columns to Planoda workflow states, dropdown and symbol (RYG/flag) columns to labels or priority, and assigned-to and date columns straight across. Formula-driven columns can be summarized into the issue description since their values, not the formulas, are what carries over.
Import into Planoda
Drop your cleaned export into the CSV importer, or push records through the public REST API for large or incremental loads. The importer previews the mapping and flags any rows that need attention before anything is written.
Verify the imported data
Spot-check a sample of issues against the source: titles, assignees, states, priorities, comments, and links. Run a count reconciliation so the totals match before you trust the new workspace.
Run both tools in parallel
Keep the old tool read-only for a short overlap window while your team learns the new workflows. Route all new work into Planoda so nothing is created in two places.
Cut over and archive the source
Once the team is comfortable and open work is in sync, freeze the source tool, export a final backup, and make Planoda the system of record. Update bookmarks, integrations, and team docs.
Field mapping
What maps to what
How Smartsheet concepts map onto Planoda.
| Smartsheet | Planoda |
|---|---|
| Workspace / Sheet group | Team |
| Sheet | Project |
| Row | Issue |
| Child (indented) row | Sub-issue |
| Status column | Workflow state |
| Dropdown / Symbol column | Label / Priority |
| Duration / Effort column | Estimate |
| Assigned To column | Assignee |
| Start/End (Gantt) dates | Due date / Cycle |
Pro tips
Make the move smoother
Export to Excel rather than CSV when sheets use multi-value or symbol columns — it preserves more of the cell detail.
Decide which columns are real workflow states versus simple groupings before mapping them, so your board reflects actual stages.
Use the indented-row structure: it becomes your sub-issue hierarchy for free on import.
FAQ
Migrating from Smartsheet — FAQ
A note from the founder
“I'm building Planoda in the open and putting my name on it. No borrowed logos, no invented stats — just the work, shipped and auditable. If it doesn't earn your trust, tell me.”
Dmitrii Selikhov is the founder of Planoda and a lead full-stack engineer with 15+ years building developer tools and leading teams as a technical lead, software architect, and CTO.
Still deciding?
Make the switch
Leave Smartsheet behind this weekend.
Bring your Smartsheet export — we'll match every workflow, field by field.