As a new member of the Echo Team I am required to obtain the Smartsheet Foundation Project Training Badge, and the Core Product Certification. It was such a relief when I received my Smartsheet Foundation Project Training Badge last week. Having years of experience in the working world and software I didn’t think much of the requirement. Besides, I love Excel. How hard could it be? (Have you ever noticed in life when you put out questions to the Universe you will have an experience to answer the questions you ask?) This is what I learned from asking that question while pushing my way through the
Smartsheet Foundation Project Training Badge experience:
It took longer than I expected. It was no small task for me working on it 5 days a week - 3 or so hours a day. In total it was 15 business days.
It was harder than I expected. I worked my way through 8 lessons, 8 Knowledge Checks, 8 Activity Lessons, 3 Tests, and a Capstone eLearning exercise followed by a Capstone final exam based on the sheet I built.
Here is a list of hurdles and how I got through them:
Hurdles | Tips on "how to" Manage Hurdles |
System glitches when the lessons got “stuck” repeatedly. | I had to leave the lesson, and the website, and open a fresh browser. |
Curriculum issues such as a video that wouldn’t play or “Site Cannot be Reached” or “Page Unresponsive.” | I emailed Training and they were very good about helping me navigate. |
Nesting IF statements in an Activity Lesson. | Online resources:
And then, Echo Consulting Peers! |
The lack of repetition was a big one for me. I require practice as once is not enough. | Take good notes; I used OneNote and used the Snipping Tool to refer back to. Sign up for Brain Boosts when invited. |
Quizzes with questions you don’t remember learning. | I believe Smartsheet is looking for the most correct answer just like when we took our written driver’s test. Take a deep breath and know that Google is your friend. |
Failed test. You get three chances, and they don’t give you the answers so you can learn from your mistakes. You are expected to know it by test time. I failed my first test and had to do the whole module over. | While embarrassing, do not let it stop you. Failure is only when you stop trying. For the third test, I knew to reach out for help before taking it a third time. I used online resources or reached out to Echo team members if I couldn’t find the answer on my own. |
Discouragement | Determination Google defines determination as “firmness of purpose, resoluteness.” |
It’s ok to struggle. The baby chick if not allowed to struggle its way out of its shell will die. It’s in the struggle that we gain strength. I share my struggle with you here so you will know you are not alone in learning Smartsheet, and that the struggle is worth the effort. I remember learning Excel back in 1999 was hard too, but I did it and it has served me well. I believe Smartsheet will do even more for me because it does so much more than Excel ever could when it comes to organizing projects and people. The painful hurdles were temporary, and the gain permanent. My favorite thing to do is create a dashboard. It’s a culmination of entering all the tasks, creating all the different reports and summary sheets, and pulling it all together visually. Isn’t it ironic how a struggle can turn into joy?
Echo is a Smartsheet Aligned Partner that has implemented more than 100 Smartsheet Solutions, across dozens of organizations. We partner with growth-oriented teams that are looking for tech-enabled solutions with the right blend of tech, process, and people for the best results. Contact us or set up a meeting to discuss how Echo can help your team meet your goals.