Project tasks in order but not date dependent

dolson · 10/09/18

I am trying to set up a sheet that uses a gantt chart to track the timeline for a project with multiple steps that must occur in order. My goal is that the tasks must be completed in order and nothing can be done on the task until the previous task is signed off as completed by the owner. Ideally there would be an alert to the owner of the next task.

I looked at dependency functions, and predecessors to do this, but I don't want the timeline to change based on changes to the previous task. If one task takes longer, the next task has less time, so an automatic adjustment that keeps the same duration won't work. Is there a way to do this?

Thank you.

Andrée Starå · 10/09/18

Hi Dolson,

I have an idea how it maybe could work, but I need to try it first. I'll get back to you with my result.

Best,

Andrée Starå - Workflow Consultant @ Get Done Consulting

J. Craig Williams · 10/09/18

... I'm curious on what you are going to come up with Andrée.

There is a way to get the duration of a task to change, but I find it overly cumbersome and prone to error. I'd rather do it with pencil and paper or MS Project.

From a PM's perspective, if there is a 5 day task that starts a day late, it either was planned to have slack or it will be late.

Craig

Andrée Starå · 10/10/18

This is just a proof of concept / Prototype.

Owner OK= Checked when the task is complete/approved

Row unlock= Is to tell Smartsheet Alerts & Actions to unlock the row

The formula for Row unlock: =[Owner OK]1 (1 is for the previous task)

Please see the attached link/screenshot.

Tasks in order but not by date

You could also use the % Complete column or a date column.

Best,

Andrée

Paul Newcome · 10/11/18

The formula for Row unlock: =[Owner OK]1 (1 is for the previous task)

Manually referencing predecessors can very quickly become tedious and time consuming. This will work for smaller projects, but larger projects or tasks that have numerous dependencies or dependencies that are something other than FS can become a headache really fast doing this manually. My project plans are 440 - 700 lines. Just thinking about even attempting this manually is giving me a headache. Haha.

I have put in an enhancement request already that would allow the use of predecessors in Alerts and Actions at the very least and preferably in Alerts and Actions AND in formulas in a much easier format similar to how you reference children/ancestors. Just give us a PREDECESSORS function.

Andrée Starå · 10/11/18

Paul,

I agree that it could be tedious but it's better than nothing

Paul Newcome · 10/11/18

Definitely better than nothing. I had actually started doing implementing your suggestion at one point and realize I was spending WAY too much time on it. I eventually cut it down to only the most absolutely critical tasks, but still had A LOT of manual entry. Fingers crossed they give us a PREDECESSORS function and soon.

Andrée Starå · 10/11/18

Would be a nice Christmas gift

Project tasks in order but not date dependent

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