Russ Consulting Ltd

Russ Consulting Ltd

Russ Consulting’s Smartsheet project management software offers a range of services to public and private sector organisations including strategy formulation, programme management, PMO development, project and programme turnaround, business case development and financial modelling, application of LEAN Methods, business intelligence and data analysis, procurement, and system development and deployment.

Features

• Remote access
• Fully tailorable
• Unlimited collaborators without the need for a full licence
• Real-time reporting via dashboards and dynamic reports
• Customisable automated workflows
• Integration with Office365 including MS Teams
• Multiple views, for example Gantt Grid or Card Calendar
• Use of a mobile app
• Use of forms for data entry
• Fully auditable; every change made is audited

Benefits

• Solutions designed to inform stakeholders what they need to know
• PMO teams can respond rapidly in mins/hours without change requests
• Solution is owned by the customer
• Reporting overhead is significantly reduced
• Alerting will tell you what is going well
• Sharing sheets, Dashboards and Data can be achieved in seconds
• Improved efficiency
• Rapid implementation and support allowing maximised benefit delivery.
• Open API and connectors allowing integration with third party applications.
• Scalable solution that grows to meet current and emerging needs.

£228 to £600 a licence a year

• Education pricing available
• Free trial available

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at chris.russ@russconsulting.co.uk. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

743949944747584

Contact

Chris Russ
07718658921
chris.russ@russconsulting.co.uk

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: No
• Cloud deployment model: Public cloud
• Service constraints: Russ Consulting do not envisage any constraints that would impact upon our service.
• System requirements: Web browser access, e.g., Edge, Chrome, Safari and Firefox.

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: Russ Consulting pride ourselves on delivering a 1st rate customer experience. Most queries are a straightforward “how do I” and are usually responded to within one working day.
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: No
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 9 to 5 (UK time), 7 days a week
• Web chat support: No
• Onsite support: Onsite support
• Support levels: We offer tailored support packages based on what the client needs. We will not oversell to our clients. Technical support is provided to clients by our partner affiliate (Smartsheet), with user support provided by Russ Consulting such as skill transfer and support in understanding the configuration of their final product.
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: Following the delivery of licenses, we hold project kick off meetings to deliver the PMO solution into their environment and set up premium applications such as the Control Centre. We then follow a structured approach to deployment looking at project intake and approvals (manual/automated), programme structures, automations required, and reporting needs to ensure we are configuring the solution to extract the data their need for Portfolio and Programme Level reporting whether internally or for their own clients.; ; We work jointly with the customer to build out the solution which helps with skill transfer. Documentation is not provided by Russ Consulting as each solution is unique to the customer. Some customers will produce their own documentation, and some record our MS Teams training sessions and make use of the library of documentation and videos that Smartsheet also provides. We offer end user training including PMO support and user level training, navigating around projects etc.
• Service documentation: No
• End-of-contract data extraction: Users can export data in a variety of forms including PDF and Excel, all made easy via simple menu structure.
• End-of-contract process: Users buy licences for Smartsheet annually. There are different plans, but typically Russ Consulting sell a per seat Enterprise Plan offering enhanced security, unlimited sheets and access to enhanced training. Additional premium products are also licensed annually. Upon contract expiry, we discuss with the client what they would like to achieve prior to their licence lapsing. This enables us to keep packages bespoke and prevent clients being charged for services they would not use, providing a flexible approach to contract renewal. Should the client decide they no longer require the service, we will assist them with offboarding and data extraction.

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Internet Explorer 11
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
• Application to install: Yes
• Compatible operating systems:
  • Android
  • IOS
  • MacOS
  • Windows
  • Windows Phone
• Designed for use on mobile devices: Yes
• Differences between the mobile and desktop service: Our app offers many features to allow users to view their dashboard and edit sheets on the go, and is specifically designed for that purpose. Solution development is clearly recommended to be conducted using a desktop or laptop computer.
• Service interface: Yes
• User support accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
• Description of service interface: Smartsheet incorporates an administration interface where all user access and control is managed, as well as the Control Centre where multiple workspaces can be managed from a central source. In addition to this, we use a standard API that integrates with third party systems such as ServiceNow so that users can report problems and issues with Smartsheet directly into customer service desks.
• Accessibility standards: WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
• Accessibility testing: N/A
• API: Yes
• What users can and can't do using the API: Smartsheet API 2.0 allows you to programmatically access and manage your organisation's Smartsheet data and account information. The API allows you to read and update sheets, manage folders and workspaces, and administer user accounts and organisation accounts. The Developer Reference section allows users to view code examples in the programming language of their choice by clicking a corresponding tab. Each tab corresponds to a Software Development Kit (SDK) that Smartsheet provides to make working in that programming language easier.
• API documentation: Yes
• API documentation formats: HTML
• API sandbox or test environment: No
• Customisation available: Yes
• Description of customisation: SMARTSHEET is a work management platform that allows users to build work management solutions and customise these. Russ Consulting has already created a PMO solution allowing our customers to hit the ground running. We work with our customers to tailor the solution to meet their specific requirements and build out acceptable solutions for their organisation and users.

Scaling

• Independence of resources: Smartsheet manages system level resources and has millions of users globally. Performance is consistently high. Performance testing takes place on a regular basis, together with a regimented performance monitoring process.

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: Smartsheet offers an Administration centre that provides a wealth of data on user activity/inactivity such as which sheets they have access to and have accessed. This is available to anyone with system admin access on the account. At sheet level there is a full activity and individual cell report showing who changed what and when, showing both the historic data and new data.
• Reporting types: Real-time dashboards

Resellers

• Supplier type: Reseller providing extra support
• Organisation whose services are being resold: Smartsheet

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Conforms to BS7858:2019
• Government security clearance: Up to Security Clearance (SC)

Asset protection

• Knowledge of data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Data storage and processing locations:
  • European Economic Area (EEA)
  • Other locations
• User control over data storage and processing locations: No
• Datacentre security standards: Managed by a third party
• Penetration testing frequency: At least every 6 months
• Penetration testing approach: ‘IT Health Check’ performed by a CHECK service provider
• Protecting data at rest: Physical access control, complying with CSA CCM v3.0
• Data sanitisation process: Yes
• Data sanitisation type: Explicit overwriting of storage before reallocation
• Equipment disposal approach: A third-party destruction service

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: Data is exported via PDF, Excel, and Google Sheets.
• Data export formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data export formats: PDF
• Data import formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data import formats:
  • MS Projects
  • Google Sheets
  • Trello

Data-in-transit protection

• Data protection between buyer and supplier networks: TLS (version 1.2 or above)
• Data protection within supplier network: IPsec or TLS VPN gateway

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: Smartsheet currently targets a 99.9% uptime for our core platform. More information on SLAs can be found here: https://www.smartsheet.com/legal/sla
• Approach to resilience: Our Data Centre resilience information is available on request.
• Outage reporting: Any service reports are posted on the Smartsheet website and specific direct messages via the application.

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication:
  • Username or password
  • Other
• Other user authentication: Authentication with Active directory can also be achieved.
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: Access is restricted to an administrator via the admin interface, with admin access is assigned by the user.
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least every 6 months
• Management access authentication: Username or password

Audit information for users

• Access to user activity audit information: Users have access to real-time audit information
• How long user audit data is stored for: User-defined
• Access to supplier activity audit information: Users have access to real-time audit information
• How long supplier audit data is stored for: User-defined
• How long system logs are stored for: At least 12 months

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: Yes
• Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001: EY Certifypoint
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: 27/02/2024
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: The ISO 27001 policy covers the platform provider, Smartsheet. The policy covers the platform through which our service operates.
• ISO 28000:2007 certification: No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: Yes
• Cyber essentials plus: No
• Other security certifications: No

Security governance

• Named board-level person responsible for service security: Yes
• Security governance certified: Yes
• Security governance standards: ISO/IEC 27001
• Information security policies and processes: Smartsheet maintains SOC 2 Type ll and ISO 27001 certifications.; Our current leadership team is outlined on our website at https://www.smartsheet.com/about/management. You can also learn about Smartsheet's Board of Directors by going to https://www.smartsheet.com/about/board-of-directors.; Anyone who violates the standards in Smartsheet’s code of conduct will be subject to disciplinary action, which, in appropriate circumstances, may include termination of employment for cause, legal action, or referral for criminal prosecution.

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: Both infrastructure-level and code changes (SDLC) practices are reviewed during our annual SOC2 Type II assessment.
• Vulnerability management type: Conforms to a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v3.0 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
• Vulnerability management approach: We continually test our solutions for vulnerabilities and apply appropriate patches at will providing they do not affect users’ ability to access or use Smartsheet. Other fixes will be introduced on a scheduled basis, usually at times where they will not affect system performance.; ; Smartsheet's security team maintains subscriptions to relevant industry bulletins and alerts. This activity is validated during our annual SOC2 Type II assessment with our third-party assessor.
• Protective monitoring type: Conforms to a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v3.0 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
• Protective monitoring approach: System monitoring is reviewed during our annual SOC2 Type II assessment.; Incident Response details are communicated in Security Schedule 1 of our User Agreement.
• Incident management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Incident management approach: Service and client support is covered in our Master Licence Agreement. We offer 3 levels of support via the web interface and data on incidents reported can be provided as requested.

Secure development

• Approach to secure software development best practice: Independent review of processes (for example CESG CPA Build Standard, ISO/IEC 27034, ISO/IEC 27001 or CSA CCM v3.0)

Public sector networks

• Connection to public sector networks: No

Social Value

• Social Value:

  Social Value

  • Fighting climate change
  • Tackling economic inequality
  • Equal opportunity
  • Wellbeing

  Fighting climate change

  We are committed to continually improving our energy consumption, waste, and recycling methods. We currently: Encourage recycling of paper, glass, hard plastic, aluminium, tin cans, and cardboard in all offices and partner with vendors to address more difficult-to-dispose-of items, such as batteries; Recycle all IT equipment through 3R Technology, a certified and trusted ITAD provider and electronics recycler; Provide reusable dishware and cutlery in all office locations; Work with Amazon Web Services (AWS) as our cloud services platform partner to further reduce our carbon footprint; Provide a stipend to employees and encourage alternative modes of transportation. Our offices are located near public transportation hubs and provide end-of-trip amenities including bike storage, locker rooms, and showers. Building on established efforts, we are looking to positively contribute to environmental sustainability by eliminating single-use plastic cups and utensils from all Smartsheet offices, implementing composting programs, and putting policies and best practices in place that minimise carbon-intensive travel.

  Tackling economic inequality

  Each year, Russ Consulting’s partner Smartsheet contribute donations to non-profit organisations which focus on causes that are meaningful to our business, customers, employees, and communities. In 2019, employees chose to opt out of the traditional company holiday party, and instead donated $100,000 to employee-selected non-profits which empower children, families, and people in vulnerable situations to get back on their feet in order to achieve their potential. Thousands of non-profit organisations rely on Smartsheet to improve visibility and accountability, help run mission-oriented organisations, and achieve more. ; ; In 2019, the inaugural Hack-for-Good at the Smartsheet ENGAGE global customer conference was held, supporting leading non-profits focused on child welfare and enablement. The goal was to elevate our certified users to support non-profits that make a positive impact on the communities they serve. At the event, non-profits were supported by Smartsheet employees and customers who are Smartsheet Certified. Together, we addressed a variety of challenges, including developing a dashboard to provide a national board with real-time updates on hundreds of projects, a scheduling solution to help plan and execute nearly 1,000 training courses across the nation, and a solution for scheduling annual professional development sessions for more than 70,000 teachers.

  Equal opportunity

  We strive to build an inclusive environment that encourages, supports, and celebrates the diverse voices of our team members, who also represent the diverse needs of our customers. To meet our commitment, we: Host awareness events and workshops on mental health and wellbeing; Observe and support cultural diversity through various initiatives and community awareness groups; Facilitate team effectiveness training (Insights Discovery) to increase understanding of diverse communication and work styles; Require mandatory training to recognise bias during the interview process; Introduced bias mitigation techniques for hiring and promotion processes; Established a framework to continually assess gender pay; Use diverse channels to recruit and hire staff, including PowerToFly and YearUp; Championed a Values in Action playbook that describes the specific behaviour and actions that we aspire to live up to; Capture feedback on the extent to which employees feel that we foster a diverse and inclusive workplace; Promote work/life integration through flexible working options.

  Wellbeing

  Approximately 1 in 5 adults — 18.5% of the population — experience mental illness each year. By supporting mental health awareness, we have an opportunity to help all people achieve their potential and to be the best versions of themselves, in and out of the workplace.

Pricing

• Price: £228 to £600 a licence a year
• Discount for educational organisations: Yes
• Free trial available: Yes
• Description of free trial: Situation dependent, users can get a free Smartsheet licence for 30 days. Access to premium applications cannot be given as these have to be configured.
• Link to free trial: https://russconsulting.co.uk/#8f11ce66-8055-48e2-8734-7fc1608ec10f

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at chris.russ@russconsulting.co.uk. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.