Short answer: Smartsheet’s Gantt view is on Pro, Business and Enterprise and needs two date columns; Timeline view is on Business and Enterprise. Clients can view for free as Contributors or, on Business and Enterprise, as Guests, and Business and Enterprise can publish a read-only link. For a visual summary clients understand at a glance, export the sheet to Excel and share it as a live Waypoint link.
Smartsheet’s Gantt and Timeline views
| View | What it shows | Smartsheet plans |
|---|---|---|
| Gantt | Rows as bars from two date columns, with optional dependencies and critical path | Pro, Business, Enterprise |
| Timeline | Rows on a horizontal timeline, grouped as you like | Business and Enterprise |
| Board and Calendar | Cards by status, or items on a calendar | Pro, Business, Enterprise |
| Dashboards | Widgets with charts, metrics and reports | Pro, Business, Enterprise |
How to open the Gantt view
- Open the sheet and check it has two date columns (start and end) that aren’t formulas.
- Select Gantt in the view buttons on the toolbar.
- Turn on dependencies in Project Settings if you want predecessors and durations to drive the dates.
Sharing a Smartsheet with clients
| Option | Client needs an account | Uses a paid seat | What the client sees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contributor | Yes | No | Items shared with them; they can view and comment, not edit |
| Guest (Business and Enterprise) | Yes | No | Only items shared directly with them, at the permission you choose |
| Publish (Business and Enterprise) | No | No | A read-only link to the sheet, report or dashboard. Smartsheet notes it can expose sensitive data. |
| Live Waypoint link | No | No | Progress, stops and blockers, with task names and dates only if you choose |
Smartsheet’s free Contributor seat replaced the older Viewer seat in 2026.
Why a Gantt chart is hard for clients
- Detail first. Dozens of rows, dependencies and durations answer the team’s questions. The client’s question is “are we on track?”
- Everything in the sheet comes along. Owners, notes and internal columns are visible unless you build a separate report.
- Accounts and settings. Contributors and Guests need accounts, and publishing is a per-item setting on higher plans.
Turn a Smartsheet into a live client view
- Export from Smartsheet. Open the sheet and choose File → Export → Export to Microsoft Excel (you need Owner, Admin or Editor access). If you use parent rows for phases, add a Phase column so Waypoint can use it for stops.
- Upload it to Waypoint. Start a journey, choose Upload a file and drop in the export. Waypoint finds the task, status, due date and owner columns, suggests a phase or milestone column for the stops along the route, and maps statuses like “In Progress”, “At Risk” and “Complete” to four states: not started, in progress, blocked and done. A live preview updates as you adjust.
- Name the destination. The outcome your client cares about, like “Checkout 2.0 live for every customer”, and the target date.
- Choose what clients see, then share the link. Stop names, task names and dates are each on or off. Owners and internal notes are never shown. Clients open the link in any browser, with no account, and tap a stop to see its tasks.
- Keep it current. Upload a fresh export to the same journey (journey settings → Change source or columns); Waypoint remembers your columns and the link stays the same. Or keep the tasks in a Google Sheet: Waypoint re-checks a shared sheet every 15 minutes, so the journey moves on its own.
Frequently asked questions
Which Smartsheet plans include the Gantt chart?
Gantt view is on Pro, Business and Enterprise. Timeline view is on Business and Enterprise.
Can clients view a Smartsheet for free?
Yes. Contributors are free and can view and comment on items shared with them. Business and Enterprise also include free Guests for people outside your company.
Can I share a Smartsheet without a login?
On Business and Enterprise you can publish a sheet, report or dashboard as a read-only link. Anyone with the link can see it.
Can Smartsheet export to CSV?
Smartsheet exports to Excel, Google Sheets and PDF. Waypoint reads the Excel file directly, so you don’t need a CSV.