If a user cannot edit their status on a project sheet due to it being read-only, what might be the issue?

The issue with a user being unable to edit their status on a project sheet categorized as read-only could indeed be linked to the situation where the previous owner of that project sheet was deleted from the system and the ownership of the items was not reallocated to another user. When an owner of a sheet is removed, the access rights and management capabilities associated with that owner can disappear or become undefined, leading to the read-only status for other users.

In a collaborative environment like Smartsheet, ownership is crucial for permissions. If a sheet lacks an active owner or if ownership has not been transferred correctly, users may find themselves restricted in their ability to make any edits, including updating status, despite them having had the ability to do so prior to the change. This highlights the importance of proper management and transfer of ownership to ensure continuous access and editing capabilities within shared projects.

The other options touch on different scenarios that may impact a user's ability to edit or update their information, but they do not address the specific ownership issue that directly relates to the problem of a project sheet being read-only.