New SmartSuite Feature: Gantt Chart

Hey there, project planners and organization enthusiasts! Last week brought some thrilling updates from our pals at Smartsuite with the rollout of their latest feature: Gantt Charts! And guess what, they're not coming alone—they're bringing along a new friend called the Dependency field. If you've been itching to explore what the buzz is all about, or just want a glimpse into Smartsuite's fresh offerings, you're in the right place.

Today, we are super excited to walk you through their shiny new Gantt chart view, coupled with the Dependency field—a nifty addition that's the lifeline of the Gantt chart feature.

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Understanding the Gantt Chart Magic at SmartSuite

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Before we unfold the magic of the Gantt chart, let's set the stage with the data schema we're working with. Imagine we're running a marketing campaign—it's a great example to illustrate our point. Here's how it goes down in SmartSuite:

• Campaigns: This is our launching pad. Every new campaign kicks off here, we give it a name, hook it up with a client, and voila—it's ready to navigate through its journey of stages.

• Stages: Our campaign now passes through five distinct stages. It's like watching your favorite actor through scenes of a movie—from planning to evaluating, then zooming onto the target market, working the delivery magic, and finally stepping back for a campaign post-mortem. Just as movies have genres, your stages might have their own flavors, tailored to the task at hand.
• Tasks: Here's where we dive into the nitty-gritty. Every task is linked to a stage and, by extension, to the overall campaign. It's like assigning the script lines to our actor—they know exactly when and where to deliver their best.

Now, to whip up a Gantt chart, we're going to lounge at the task level, where SmartSuite allows us up to three levels deep. Tag along, we'll need some additional data field companions:

• Assigned To: Who's on deck for the task?
• Status and Priority: Where's the task at and how important is it?

But our MVP here is the Due Date field—the real deal. With SmartSuite's cool feature, we're not just talking a single date, but a whole date range in a single field!

Alrighty, now for the main event! Wander over to the new view creation section, spot the Gantt View, and let's roll it out. Heads up, though: this beauty is for the premium folks. Free account users, you're going to need an upgrade to get on this ride. And hey, if you're signing up for SmartSuite, show some love and use our affiliate link. Appreciate the support!

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Crafting Your Gantt with Dependencies

Here's where the just-introduced Dependency field rises to the occasion. It's the brain that links all your tasks in a smart, logical flow. Fire it up and you'll find amazing toggles like auto-scheduling, deciding if tasks should jiggle around based on their relationships, or letting you play the time-travel game with backward scheduling.

Opt for the simple 'Standard mode' for your dependencies unless you're thirsting for a challenge—then, the 'Advanced mode' caters to you project managing warriors, armed with more dependency types and time-tuning options.

We've walked through the exciting Gantt tour, grouped our tasks by stages and campaigns, and watched our work bloom into a clear visual timeline. It's like having a bird's-eye view of the process narrative, where tasks shift and slide into their destined slots, building upon each other like a well-orchestrated symphony.

One little wishlist item, though: a simple click-and-collapse for these groupings. Right now, it's an all-or-nothing game. Fingers crossed, it's a tweak our friends at SmartSuite will make soon.

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Your Take on the New Gantt Feature

So, what do you think? Does the spanking new Gantt chart sweep away your SmartSuite hurdles? Toss your thoughts in the comments. And hey, we blitzed quite a stretch in this walkthrough—got questions? Drop them below.

And remember, friends, until next time—keep building, keep automating, and keep streamlining your way to impressive productivity. 🚀

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