The Due Date field is one of many features designed to help work get done. Due Date fields must be linked to a Status field within a Table. At least one of the Status field values is flagged as the "Complete" value for SmartSuite to track when work is done.
Due Date fields differ from standard Date fields by tracking the length of time (days) until work is due, how long it is overdue, and how early or how long past due it is marked as "complete".
Adding a Due Date field
From Grid View
From Grid View
Click the + menu icon after the last column header or open the Column Menu by clicking on a column header's dropdown icon and then select "Add Field to the Right."
Select "Due Date" and a window will open to configure the field. You can search the name for a quick find.
From Record View
From Record View
The fastest way to add a field from an open Record View to is simply click the + sign next to a current field to add a new field below.
See a Text Area field being added in Edit Record View below:
Connecting Status fields
Every Due Date must be linked to a Status field. Make sure you’ve created one before moving further. This might sound like a limitation, but it does bring value, so stick with us. ✍️
Note:
This is the message SmartSuite displays when trying to create a Due Date field when no Status field is available.
Customizing the field
Let’s look through the field’s setting::
Name
If a default ‘Due Date’ doesn’t work for whatever reason, name it the way you like it.
Keep in mind that field name should be unique within a Table and it should make sense to other people who happen to use it.
Display format
Defines how values of this particular field will be displayed in an Table.
In case of Due Date there are three formats to choose from:
1. Compact: represents days and months as numbers
2. Standard: nice and readable
3. Long: same as Standard, but with a day’s name before the date
Note:
Time values are added for illustration purposes. You are not forced to use them all the time, only when you need to.
Note:
Time values and Compact dates will be displayed depending on the Locale set in your User profile. These will vary for different countries.
Linked Status Field
This dropdown is here for two reasons:
It lets pick a Status field to be linked to the current Due Date field
It shows which value of that Status field stands for “completed“ state.
Read more on this top here [Link to Status article]
Require an entry in this field
Allows to mark a field as required.
Working with Due Dates
The first thing you’d notice when opening a date picker is that it has two dates instead of just one.
Why would you need a range here?
Well, think of a case when a task needs to be finished during a particular week. You may set both a start and an end date for that task using just a single field.
You may also specify the exact time for both dates to add an extra level of precision.
Our goal was to keep it flexible and simple. When plain due date is what you need, just leave the Start Date empty. That’s it.
Let’s have a closer look at how Due Date and Status correlate.
Each Status field has at least one value that defines its completed state. It can be something like “Done”, “Complete”, “Closed” etc.
Due Date watches changes in Status field and instantly knows if it’s completed or not. 👀
When the Status is anything but completed, the following happens:
If a due date is far ahead and the future is bright, you’ll see a smily face next to the date itself.
As time gets shorter, smiley face turns into an orange counter, showing exact number of days left before the due date.
If due date has passed by, counter would turn red displaying number of days overdue.
If this number gets too high, you’ll see a very, very sad face.
However, as soon as the Status is set to completed, Due Date will display a satisfying green checkmark, congrats!
See that little red dot, however? It indicates that a task was completed after the due date.
Multiple Complete Statuses
We have recently added the ability to define multiple complete statuses! Now whether the opportunity is Lost or Won, SmartSuite will still see both of those outcomes as complete when evaluating the Due Date field.
How They're Used
Visualize Due Dates
SmartSuite tracks:
How long until work is due to be completed
How early work is completed before the due date
How long after the due date work is completed
Visually, each scenario is represented as below, with details displaying on hover.
Remember to avoid the angry sad face that displays when items are extremely overdue.
Due Dates & Reporting/ Views
Filter and Spotlight controls allow to use “Is overdue“/ ”Is not overdue” criteria. For example, you can build a report to display overdue records only. Easy!
This is a very powerful tool to visualize your tasks
Take advantage of dragging and resizing features to adjust dates as needed
Due Dates can also be assigned in the Checklist field
