Introduction

The WORKDAY function in Smartsheet is a powerful tool that simplifies date calculations by automatically skipping weekends and, optionally, holidays. This makes it incredibly helpful for scheduling project timelines, managing deadlines, and streamlining workflows. By removing the hassle of manually calculating workdays, it ensures precision and helps you deliver results on time.

Practical Uses

The WORKDAY function is highly versatile and can be used in various scenarios:

• Calculating a project’s due date by excluding weekends and holidays.
• Scheduling staff availability or work shifts without counting non-working days.
• This function is especially useful for construction projects, manufacturing schedules, and HR tasks like calculating employee onboarding dates.

Sample Example

Let’s assume that your project starts on March 1, 2023, and you need to calculate the end date, which is 10 working days later, excluding weekends.

    Example Formula: =WORKDAY("3/1/2023", 10)
    Result: March 15, 2023
  

The WORKDAY function calculates and excludes weekends so that March 15, 2023, is the 10th working day from the start date of March 1, 2023.

Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these simple steps to use the WORKDAY function in Smartsheet:

1. Open your Smartsheet project or create a new one.
2. Insert a new column for “Start Date” and add the initial project start date (e.g., March 1, 2023).
3. Insert another column for “Working Days” and specify how many workdays you want to add (e.g., 10).
4. In the final column, enter the WORKDAY formula: =WORKDAY([Start Date]@row, [Working Days]@row).
5. Press Enter, and you’ll see the calculated end date precisely omitting weekends.
6. Optional: If you have a list of holidays, add them as a range and include them in the formula using an additional parameter.

Tips and Tricks

Here are a few best practices to keep in mind:

• Always double-check the holidays list if you’re using one to ensure accuracy in your calculations.
• Use cell references for your start date and working days to make the formula dynamic and reusable.
• Be mindful of time zones and regional non-working days, which may vary for international projects.

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