Smartsheet launches vsActual AI planning tool for firms

Smartsheet has launched vsActual, an AI-based product for strategic planning and execution designed to link business strategy with work taking place across multiple enterprise systems.

The launch was announced alongside broader AI updates, including a new Execution Graph, additional AI agents and workflow tools, and governance features intended to support oversight of AI use in large organisations.

vsActual is designed to give executives and programme leaders a live view of whether work across a business is tracking against strategic priorities. It draws data from systems including Smartsheet, Oracle, SAP, Workday, Jira and ServiceNow to highlight schedule, budget and staffing risks before they grow.

Smartsheet says the software addresses a common problem in large organisations, where planning sits in one set of tools while operational work is spread across others. It reads across those systems and compares current activity with agreed plans, allowing leaders to see where work is drifting from targets.

One function converts strategy documents, spreadsheets and budget plans into what Smartsheet describes as a single live plan with goals, timelines, and budget and capacity limits. Another lets leaders model different scenarios against current budget and resource data before deciding on a course of action.

A further feature is intended to automate executive reporting. AI agents can gather project data, reconcile information and prepare summaries in the background, while approval and final decision-making remain with human managers.

Context layer

Behind the product is the Execution Graph, a data layer that maps links between tasks, projects, programmes and strategic goals. Smartsheet says the graph has been built using 20 years of workflow data drawn from millions of projects and nine petabytes of information.

The graph is intended to provide business context for both workers and software agents, including visibility into roles, permissions, approvals and standards. That context is meant to reduce the risk of AI systems producing responses without a clear understanding of how a company operates.

"Every company has a strategy. The ones that win are the ones whose work actually delivers on that strategy," said Rajeev Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Smartsheet.

"AI has made people faster, but it's pulled work further apart, and leaders find out too late that the plan and reality have split. We're building the Execution Hub, where strategy and execution meet. Our Execution Graph holds 20 years of context on how work really gets done, context others are trying to recreate, and we already have. vsActual puts that context to work, closing the distance between plan and actual so every team, leader and agent is pointed at the outcomes that matter most," said Singh.

Smartsheet is also adding what it calls agentic workflows for routine tasks such as status reporting, project setup, data-quality checks and follow-ups. The tools use live project data and existing user permissions.

The governance package includes ISO/IEC 42001 certification, Security Event Streaming and Data Classification controls. These measures are intended to help organisations expand their use of AI while maintaining auditability and control over data and system behaviour.

Market issue

The launch comes as software suppliers seek to move beyond personal productivity assistants and into tools that claim to improve organisational performance. In this market, vendors are increasingly focused on whether AI can connect planning, financial management and day-to-day work, rather than simply helping individuals complete tasks more quickly.

Keith Kirkpatrick of The Futurum Group said the challenge for businesses is that strategy often sits in one place while execution data is scattered across many systems.

"AI has exposed a gap that many organizations have lived with for years. Strategy lives in one place, while the work lives in dozens of others," said Keith Kirkpatrick, Vice President of Research, The Futurum Group.

"As work spreads across teams, systems, partners and agents, leaders need one place to see whether it's all still headed in the same direction. Smartsheet is addressing this challenge head-on by bringing work, data and strategic priorities into a single hub with a new AI-native planning layer that gives leaders a real-time view of execution, underpinned with the context required to ensure confident decisioning," said Kirkpatrick.

Customer interest in the product is likely to centre on planning, budgeting and portfolio management. Smartsheet also included support from Bealls, which uses the company's software for project portfolio management and resource alignment.

"At Bealls, Smartsheet provides the foundation for how we manage our project portfolio, align resources and drive strategic execution," said Elizabeth Dandola, Senior Director of PMO & QA, Bealls.

"vsActual has the potential to take that value even further by bringing long-range planning, budgeting and portfolio management together in a more connected and adaptive way. We're particularly interested in its ability to support scenario planning, provide greater visibility into capacity and tradeoffs, and help organizations more effectively align investment decisions with evolving business priorities," said Dandola.