Which widget type is best for displaying a live, updating budget number of a project on a dashboard?

The Metric widget is best suited for displaying a live, updating budget number on a dashboard because it is specifically designed to showcase key performance indicators or metrics in a clear and concise format. This widget allows users to present a single, significant number, like a budget figure, which can change in real-time as the underlying data is updated in Smartsheet.

The Metric widget not only highlights the current value prominently but also enables users to set up conditional formatting and trends, making it easier to track a project's financial health at a glance. It is intuitive and provides quick visual feedback on the project's budget status, which is crucial for stakeholders.

In contrast, other widget types, such as charts and text widgets, do not serve the same purpose as effectively. Charts are better used for visualizing trends and comparisons across multiple data points rather than displaying a single live figure. Report widgets are meant to aggregate and present data from multiple sheets but are not designed for real-time display of specific budget metrics. Text widgets primarily display static text and don’t offer the dynamic updating capability needed for a live budget number.