Open-source alternative to Smartsheet resource management

Which Smartsheet capacity features map to OpenProject

This table maps each capacity feature a Smartsheet resource planner relies on to the OpenProject capability that covers it, with the edition that holds it. Use the last column as a checklist of items to test in a trial before you commit. The main takeaway is that assignments, time entry and dashboards are in Community, while resource management and user provisioning sit in paid Enterprise plans, and that budgets, allocation views and formulas need hands-on checks.

Which OpenProject edition holds resource management

Four open-source options for people and capacity planning

Smartsheet teams planning people and capacity usually need three things: assignments tied to dated work, a way to see load across people, and time records to check plans against. The four options below cover different shapes of that need, from a full planner with Enterprise resource management to a custom grid built on a no-code database. Each card names the fit and the gap to confirm before you commit.

Which capacity planning setup fits your team

Keeping the rest of the suite running alongside OpenProject

Moving resource planning does not have to happen all at once. The four points below cover how OpenProject can sit next to Smartsheet, your directory, your file storage and your finance and HR systems during a staged move. Each one depends on your own environment, so confirm the details with your team before you commit to a design.

Moving assignments, hours and capacity data out of Smartsheet

This sequence moves people, dates, assignments and logged hours from Smartsheet sheets into OpenProject work packages and resource views, with each total checked against the source before the Smartsheet copies are retired.

1. Export and inventory the Smartsheet backup

   Start by downloading the account backup, which on Business and Enterprise plans arrives as a zip of Excel files with comments and attachments. Then inventory what the backup leaves out: reports, dashboards, formulas, workflows, cross-sheet references and formatting. The people who build capacity views in Smartsheet should list every report and formula they rely on, because those must be rebuilt by hand. The step is complete when each sheet has an owner and every missing element has a line in a written inventory. Confirm current backup availability and file contents with Smartsheet before you rely on them.

2. Map users, roles and groups

   Match every Smartsheet collaborator to an OpenProject user, then assign roles that reflect who may view, edit or plan each project. Capacity data usually depends on a shared resource list, so decide whether that list becomes a group, a set of users or a custom field. Single sign-on and LDAP group synchronization are Enterprise features on OpenProject's pricing page, so confirm before the mapping whether your organization needs them. The step closes when a sign-off sheet lists each person, their OpenProject role and the data owner who approved it.

3. Rebuild the project and work package structure

   Recreate each Smartsheet program or sheet as an OpenProject project with a parent-child hierarchy of work packages. Section headers, parent rows and dependency lines in the sheet map to parent work packages, child items and relations. Decide early which sheets stay separate projects and which become subprojects, since that choice drives how resource planning reads across teams. The output is a hierarchy that a data owner has reviewed against the original sheet, with the mapping recorded for each row.

4. Load assignments, dates and effort

   Import or enter start dates, due dates, assignees and planned effort into the rebuilt work packages. Where volumes are large, a scripted import from the exported Excel files is typically faster than manual entry, and the migration team should confirm which import route fits the data. Capacity plans rely on consistent effort units, so convert each Smartsheet column to one unit before loading. The step ends when a test subset of rows matches the source line for line, including assignee, dates and effort.

5. Reconcile time entries and budgets

   Move logged hours and budget figures into OpenProject's time tracking and budget fields, then compare them with the Smartsheet totals. Time tracking is included in the OpenProject Community edition, so confirm whether budgets and any portfolio-level roll-ups need an Enterprise plan. Formulas that calculated totals in Smartsheet must be recreated as checks, not copied as values. The step is complete when each project's hours and budget totals match a signed reconciliation report prepared by the data owner.

6. Rebuild capacity views and reports

   Recreate the spreadsheet-style capacity views the team uses to see who is overallocated. OpenProject's team planner and work package assignments cover many planning questions, but a grid that totals hours per person across projects may need reports or another tool. List each Smartsheet view in the inventory from the first step and mark it as native, reported or out of scope. The output is a short register of views with their owner and the check that proves each one matches the legacy figures.

7. Validate totals against the source sheets

   Compare record counts, assignee counts, date ranges, effort sums and budget totals between Smartsheet and OpenProject for every migrated project. Differences are logged with a cause and a decision: fix, accept or defer. Your team's data owners sign off on each project, because they know which numbers are authoritative. The step is complete when every project has a validation record with no open differences that the owner has not accepted in writing.

8. Run in parallel and retire Smartsheet copies

   Run both systems side by side for an agreed period, with planners updating OpenProject as the working record while Smartsheet stays read-only for reference. Track any mismatch found during the parallel run and fix it in the migrated data. Retire Smartsheet only after the data owners confirm in writing that OpenProject is the system of record, and keep a final backup of the Smartsheet files for your records. The migration is planned in writing within a fixed scope, and your team supplies the data owners and sign-off at each stage.

What does replacing Smartsheet resource management cost and take?

Where the cost of a self-hosted resource planner sits