You can set reminders for due dates in Smartsheet with Alerts and Reminders.

Never Miss a Due Date Again—Digging into Smartsheet’s Alerts and Reminders

If you manage any project—whether you’re coordinating a campus club, a marketing sprint, or a software release—you know deadlines can feel like that friend who always arrives late to the party: you’re glad they showed up, but you’d love a heads-up first. That’s where Smartsheet’s Alerts and Reminders come in. They’re the practical tool you reach for when you want notifications to pop up right before a task’s due date or on the big day itself. No drama, just dependable nudges that keep the workflow moving.

What are Alerts and Reminders, exactly?

Let’s break it down in plain terms. Alerts and Reminders is Smartsheet’s built-in notification system tailored to due dates. Here’s the core idea: you set up a notification rule, pick who should receive it, and choose when to send it. The result? People get an alert at a time you specify—think a few days before a deadline or on the due date itself. It’s like having a personal assistant who knows when a task is about to slip through the cracks and rings a bell just in time.

Now, how is this different from other notification ideas you might stumble upon?

• Conditional Alerts: These are powerful, but they’re triggered by specific changes or data conditions, not exclusively tied to due dates. If a status suddenly flips to “Blocked” or a value hits a threshold, a conditional alert can fire. It’s great for catching important changes, but it’s not the same as a reminder about a looming deadline.

• Due Date Tagging: Don’t look for a standalone feature called “Due Date Tagging.” In Smartsheet, tags help categorize tasks, not automatically remind people about due dates. If you want reminders tied to due dates, you’ll lean on Alerts and Reminders rather than tagging alone.

• Notification Settings: These control how notifications behave at a broad level (e.g., who gets notified about what kinds of updates). They’re important, but they don’t automatically target due dates with time-based nudges the way Alerts and Reminders do.

In short, if your goal is timely awareness around deadlines, Alerts and Reminders is the direct route.

How to set it up without the drama

You don’t need a head full of technical gobbledygook to use this well. Here’s a straightforward way to get started, with a few practical touches that keep things sane for your team.

1. Identify the dependable deadline fields

Most Smartsheet sheets have a due date column. If your project uses milestones, those can serve as trigger points too. The important thing is to have a clear, consistently used date field that you want reminders to reference.

2. Create a simple reminder rule

• Pick the Alerts and Reminders option (often visible as a workflow step).

• Choose the recipients. This can be specific people or a dynamic group based on who is assigned a task.

• Set the timing. You can specify something like “3 days before due date” or “on the due date.” You can even stack multiple reminders if you want a nudge a few days before plus one on the day itself.

3. Keep the message surface-friendly

In the notification body, include the task name, due date, and a quick action—like “Open task” or a direct link to the sheet. A concise subject line helps: “Reminder: [Task Name] due [Date].”

4. Test the flow

Before you rely on it for real work, run a quick test with a dummy task. Adjust wording, timing, and recipients if needed. A couple of tweaks now save a lot of back-and-forth later.

A few real-world uses that actually work

• Project launches: Set reminders for critical milestones so teammates aren’t blindsided as launch dates approach. A three-days-before nudge can help ensure the content, QA, and approvals line up.

• Customer deliverables: If your team ships artifacts on a fixed date, reminders help keep everyone aligned—from the design crew to QA to the client relations folks who share updates.

• Recurring sprints or campaigns: For teams operating in cycles, a reminder a day or two before the sprint’s end keeps the backlog in sight and helps with final polish.

• Cross-functional handoffs: When work moves from one team to another, a reminder can cue the successor to pick up the baton—preventing that “hand-off falls through” moment.

Tips that maximize value without turning into notification fatigue

Reminders are fantastic, but like any tool, they work best when used thoughtfully. Here are some pragmatic tips to keep things helpful, not noisy.

• Be selective about recipients

If you blast reminders to everyone on every task, you’ll teach your team to ignore them. Target only the people who need to act. Consider a group that includes the assignees and key stakeholders.

• Balance timing and quantity

Two well-timed reminders beat a dozen random alerts. Start with a single reminder a few days before the due date, then add a second closer to the deadline only if needed.

• Make reminders actionable

Include a short, concrete instruction in the message: “Review and approve by [date],” or “Submit the draft to QA now.” The clearer the action, the faster someone responds.

• Use a consistent format

People skim notifications. If every alert looks the same, you’ll catch the important details faster. Use a predictable subject line and a compact body that states the task, due date, and one action.

• Combine with other signals

Reminders don’t live in a vacuum. If a task slips, a follow-up conditional alert can flag the change in status. Pairing reminders with status updates helps you spot risk before it becomes a problem.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

Even good ideas can backfire if you’re not careful. Here are a few common snags and simple fixes.

• Alert overload: If you trigger too many reminders, your team will start muting them. Keep it tight—one or two reminders max per task, unless there’s a real risk of delay.

• Missing context: A reminder that says “due soon” but leaves out the task name or date isn’t very helpful. Always include the task name, the due date, and a direct link to the sheet.

• Inconsistent data: If due dates aren’t filled consistently, reminders go wonky. Make sure your team follows a single convention for date fields, and consider a quick data validation rule to catch blanks.

• Overreliance on reminders: Reminders are great, but they don’t fix process gaps. Pair reminders with clear ownership and a transparent schedule so people know who will do what and when.

A few questions you might still have

• Can I tailor alerts by project type or department?

Yes. Smartsheet workflows let you segment by sheet, project, or even row values. If you have different teams with distinct timelines, you can tailor who gets which reminders accordingly.

• Can reminders be sent via email only, or also inside Smartsheet?

Most setups push as email notifications, but you can also configure alerts to appear in-app if your team uses Smartsheet’s mobile or desktop apps. That can be handy when people aren’t checking emails constantly.

• Is there a limit to how many reminders I can send?

There isn’t a hard cap you’ll hit quickly, but the practical limit is how you want to manage notification fatigue. Start small, adjust based on feedback, and you’ll land on a rhythm that fits your team.

Making the most of Smartsheet’s reminder culture

If you’ve ever watched a project wobble on the edge of delay, you know the difference a well-timed nudge can make. Alerts and Reminders aren’t about nagging people; they’re about clarity and momentum. They give teams a predictable cadence: what’s due, when, and who needs to act. It’s a small setup with a big payoff—fewer last-minute scrambles, better accountability, and a smoother path from task creation to completion.

A quick mental model to keep in mind: think of reminders as the cockpit instruments you glance at as you fly toward a deadline. The alarms don’t do the piloting for you, but they keep you aware of your altitude and speed. When used with good process—clear ownership, consistent data, and a reasonable reminder cadence—Alerts and Reminders become a steady, dependable companion on a busy day.

Closing thought—small habits, big impact

The beauty of Smartsheet’s Alerts and Reminders is in their simplicity. You don’t need flashy configurations to reap value; you need thoughtful timing, targeted recipients, and crisp messages. Start with one well-timed reminder for a couple of critical tasks. Observe how your team responds, then scale thoughtfully. If a project runs like clockwork, you’ve got your answer: reminders that respect the workflow rather than disrupt it.

If you’re mapping out how your teams stay on course, this feature is worth a closer look. It’s the practical nudge that helps everyone stay aligned, accountable, and on track—without turning the day into a constant ping-pong of alerts. And isn’t that the kind of clarity most teams crave?