Smartsheet Training & Courses

From absolute beginner to advanced workflow architect. How to learn Smartsheet the right way.

Step 1: Start With Smartsheet University

If you’re new to Smartsheet, the best first stop is Smartsheet University. It covers the fundamentals such as creating sheets, building forms, setting up automations, and understanding the core structure of the platform. It’s directly maintained by Smartsheet.

The Smartsheet University will take you from zero to functional.

Once you’ve completed the fundamentals and you’re starting to tackle real problems at work, that’s when the limitations start to show up. Not Smartsheet’s limitations. The limitations of self-directed learning.

Step 2: Understand What You Actually Need to Learn

Most Smartsheet users plateau at the same stage. They can build a basic sheet, set up a simple automation, maybe create a report. But then the requirements get more complex and the usual answers stop working.

They search the Smartsheet Community. They ask AI. They watch YouTube videos for hours. Sometimes they get lucky. More often they spend a day chasing a solution that an experienced Smartsheet builder could have pointed to in five minutes.

The plateau typically involves one or more of these challenges:

• Formula complexity — INDEX/COLLECT, multi-condition logic, cross-sheet references, 2D matrix lookups
• Automation gaps — things Smartsheet’s native automations can’t do, which require Bridge, Power Automate, or the API
• Solution architecture — knowing how to structure sheets, reports, and workspaces so a solution doesn’t collapse under its own weight
• Integrations — connecting Smartsheet to other platforms in ways that are reliable and maintainable
• Dashboard design — building dashboards that actually communicate what stakeholders need to see

A general Smartsheet course won’t solve these problems. They require hands-on experience building real solutions — and ideally, someone who has already built them and can show you how.

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Step 3: Choose the Right Type of Smartsheet Training

There are broadly four types of Smartsheet training available. Each has its place depending on where you are in your journey.

Self-Paced Video Courses

Good for structured, foundational learning at your own pace. Smartsheet University and third-party course platforms offer courses covering beginner to intermediate topics. These work well if you’re learning Smartsheet from scratch or need to fill specific knowledge gaps. The limitation is that they’re static and you can’t ask the course a question about your specific problem.

Smartsheet Certification

Smartsheet offers a certification program that validates your knowledge of the platform. It’s worth pursuing if your employer values it or if you’re positioning yourself as a Smartsheet consultant (yet, I haven’t personally found value in it). Be aware that certification tests your knowledge of Smartsheet features, so it doesn’t teach you how to architect complex solutions. You can pass the exam and still get stuck building something non-trivial.

Group Coaching & Community Learning

This is where the real learning happens for advanced users. Working through real problems alongside others, with an experienced guide running the sessions, accelerates your development faster than any course. You’re exposed to use cases and solutions you wouldn’t have thought to search for, and you build pattern recognition that only comes from repetition and variety.

This is the model behind the Smartsheet Guru Elite. Live sessions, a deep library of recorded content, and a community where you can get answers between sessions.

1:1 Coaching & Consulting

When you have a specific, urgent problem and you need it solved, 1:1 coaching is the most efficient path. A single session with someone who has seen your problem before can save days of frustration. Smart Workflow Guru offers 1:1 Smartsheet coaching sessions for exactly this situation. Elite members receive a discounted rate on 1:1 sessions.

Smartsheet Training Resources Worth Knowing About

These are resources Darren genuinely recommends, regardless of whether they’re affiliated with Smart Workflow Guru.

Official Smartsheet Resources

• Smartsheet University — Structured courses and the official certification path. Good for validating your skills formally.
• Smartsheet Community — A useful forum for common questions. Quality varies, but it’s a solid first stop for simple problems.
• Smartsheet Help & Documentation — The official function reference and feature documentation. Bookmark it.

Smart Workflow Guru Resources

• Blog & How-To Guides — Practical, specific articles on Smartsheet formulas, automations, and solution design. Written from real consulting experience.
• Course Catalog — Focused courses on specific Smartsheet topics including Power Automate integrations, Data Shuttle, and more.
• YouTube Channel — Free video content covering Smartsheet tips, walkthroughs, and solution breakdowns.

Ready to Go Beyond the Basics?

If you’ve worked through the fundamentals and you’re ready to tackle the problems that courses and search engines can’t solve, then the Smartsheet Guru Elite is built for you.

It’s a live group coaching program led by Darren Mullen, who has spent years helping Smartsheet users and consultants break through the artificial limits they keep hitting. Three live sessions every month, hours of recorded sessions you can access immediately, a members-only community for between-session questions, and a discounted rate on 1:1 coaching when you need it.