Setting Up the Contact and Reporting Line Matrices
The two reference sheets that drive approval routing and task assignment.
Two reference sheets sit behind almost every automation in Smartsheet. If either is out of date, approval requests route to the wrong person — or don't send at all.
Set these up before testing anything else. Automations depend on them.
Contact Matrix
The Contact Matrix holds the email addresses that automations route to.
To update it:
Step 1. Open the Contact Matrix sheet.
Step 2. Enter the relevant email addresses against each role.
Step 3. For the Smartsheet Admins row, include your own email in the Emails column.
When testing: put your own email address — or the address of someone who can confirm receipt — against the roles you're testing. Otherwise approval requests and alerts go to real recipients, or nowhere.
Reporting Line Matrix
The Reporting Line Matrix holds the reporting structure. It drives:
- Auto-assignment of tasks to the right person
- Approval escalation to the correct manager or GM
- The "Assigned To (Auto)" logic across the Project Plan
Keep the list current. There is no automated sync from any HR system — this is maintained by hand.
When to review these
Check both sheets whenever:
- Someone joins, leaves, or changes role
- A reporting line changes
- Approvals start going to the wrong person, or stop arriving
Related articles
- Creating a New Cluster and Cluster Dashboard
- Intake Automations and Approval Routing