.png)
Should You Use One Project Management System or Separate Solutions for Each Project in SmartSuite?
Hello and welcome back to another episode of SmartTips. My name is Gavin Brennen. I'm a Product Specialist here at SmartSuite, and today we're gonna be talking about project management.
A common question we get from new users is whether they should have one centralized project management system that manages all of their major projects, or if they should use separate solutions for each project. Today, I’ll walk you through the pros and cons of both options to help you decide which setup fits your workflow best.
Option 1: Separate Solutions for Each Project
Many people opt to have one SmartSuite solution per project. In my own workspace, I have separate solutions like Project Keith, Project Isaac, Project Emma, Nate, and Megan.
Each of these individual solutions includes:
- A project overview (typically just one record)
- Project tasks
- Milestones
- Deliverables
- Status reports
So instead of having a system where one solution lists all projects in one place, this method creates a dedicated space for each project.
Key Benefit: Permission Control
If you want airtight permissions—say, one team only needs access to one project—you can set permissions specifically for that solution.
Permissions in SmartSuite can be set at:
- Workspace level
- Solution level
- Table and field level (on certain plan types)
To set permissions:
- Go to your solution
- Click on Permissions
- Set up Advanced Permissions and invite your specific team
Pros:
- Better control over who can see what
- Laser-focused environments—everything in the solution relates to one project
Cons:
- Not ideal for scaling
- Projects become siloed
- No cross-project insights or shared metrics
To be honest, while this method has its uses, it’s my least favorite option.
Option 2: One Centralized Project Management System
This is my go-to method. One solution that encapsulates all of your different projects.
In my setup, we have:
- A Projects table (listing all projects)
- Linked tables for Tasks, Deliverables, and more
Right now, my solution includes eight different projects, all connected to their respective tasks and deliverables.
Organizing Tasks by Project
A common question: If all tasks are in one place, how do you keep them organized by project?
Answer: Views.
Example:
- We created a view that groups tasks by project
- You can instantly see which tasks belong to which project
You can also:
- Create a new grid view
- Filter it by a specific project (e.g. Allon Product Line Launch)
- Name the view accordingly
- Organize views into folders
And yes, we support folder permissions (on specific plan types), so you can:
- Go to the folder settings
- Set visibility to selected members
- Choose only the team members who need access
So even though it's one solution, you can still control visibility at the view or folder level.
Pros:
- Consistent structure across all projects
- Powerful cross-project reporting
- Easier to manage and scale
- Cleaner, more professional build
Real-World Use Case:
If you have task tables spread out across multiple solutions, you can’t:
- Compare tasks side by side
- Run reports like “What tasks are overdue across all projects?”
Only the My Work section would give you that insight—otherwise, you'd be stuck managing in silos.
As your workspace grows, more projects mean more clutter if you go with the separate solutions approach. The centralized system keeps things organized and scalable.
Gavin’s Take:
Even if you're starting with just a few projects, I recommend using the centralized project management system from the start.
Start with SmartSuite’s Project Management template. It’s designed for exactly this type of setup. Use views, folders, and permissions to stay organized and secure.
If this was helpful, drop a like or comment. If you’ve got questions, leave them below or reach out to our support team. We check comments often and are here to help.
Until next week—keep enjoying SmartSuite!
.png)
