Gallery
Share
Explore

Instructions for using this Coda template

FIRST: Make a copy of this page and save it. Then follow these steps:
1. Entering Tasks and Durations: - Enter each task and its duration in days. - Add a row by clicking the blue "+" at the bottom left of the table. - For tasks with no duration (e.g., milestones like "Project Start"), enter the task name and "0" for "Duration." These will be shown as diamonds on the Gantt Chart.
Here are the tasks for preparing a dinner (along with the normal completion times) for homework for EML sections 2 and 3:
Wash and cut vegetables for the salad (15 days).
Toss the salad (2 days).
Set the table (8 days).
Start the rice cooking (2 days).
Cook rice (25 days).
Place the rice in a serving dish (1 minute).
Mix casserole ingredients (10 days).
Bake the casserole (25 days).
2. Setting Dependencies and Dates: - After entering all tasks, select dependencies for each task using the dropdown button. - You can have more than one dependency per task. - Remove dependencies by clicking the "x" in the dropdown. - For the first task and any other task without dependencies, enter a "Forced Start Date." - Use the “Forced Start Date” column to specify any tasks that need to start on specific calendar dates. - Calculated start and end dates populate automatically. Do not enter anything in these columns. - The Gantt Chart updates based on your entries in the table.
3. Editing and Clearing Data: - Hit Backspace to clear a cell. If you have trouble, click a nearby cell, use arrow keys to navigate, then hit Backspace. - Do not enter anything in the yellow highlighted cells; they are automatically calculated.
4. Adjusting the Gantt Chart: - Task bars in the Gantt Chart cannot change start dates; change values in the table instead. - You can change task duration (affecting the critical path) by stretching task bars in the Gantt Chart. - The Gantt Chart scale resolution goes down to hours, so for very short tasks, enter the duration and units, e.g., “4 days.”
5. Additional Notes: - If the chart or a date doesn't update, reload the page to force an update. - Tasks on the critical path are highlighted in red and calculated automatically. - The “Assignee” and “Cost” columns are for convenience and are not used in calculations. - Make a copy of the document (click the down-arrow after the title above the menu bar) if you want to experiment with it.
Tasks for homework (see Canvas for rubric):
Create a GANTT for the tasks listed assuming 1 person prepares dinner in 39 days (I know, that's weird, sorry! -- Coda.io will not work in minutes and anyway we want the practice to more closely replicate a real project, so I converted everything to days). Enter a shared view-only link in the Canvas homework box.
Make another copy of this page and create a second GANTT for the tasks assuming 2 people prepare dinner in 35 days. Enter a shared view-only link in the Canvas homework box.
What strategies could you employ to prepare dinner more quickly? Type your answer into the homework box.
What did you learn from these exercises that you can apply to your current or future work? Type your answer into the homework box.
Task Entry Table
1
Task
Assignee
Cost
Duration
Dependencies
Forced Start Date
Calculated start date
Calculated end date
Tasks Dependant on this task
Latest completion
Slack
On critical path
1
Start
​
​
-
​
5/1/2024
5/1/2024
5/1/2024
[  ]
5/1/2024
0
Critical
2
Wash and cut vegetables for the salad
​
​
15 days
​
5/11/2024
5/11/2024
5/26/2024
Toss the salad
5/26/2024
0
Critical
3
Toss the salad
​
​
2 days
Wash and cut vegetables for the salad
5/26/2024
5/28/2024
[  ]
5/28/2024
0
Critical
4
Set the table
​
​
8 days
​
5/29/2024
5/29/2024
6/6/2024
[  ]
6/6/2024
0
Critical
5
Start the rice cooker
​
​
2 days
​
5/1/2024
5/1/2024
5/3/2024
Cook rice
Place the rice in a serving dish
5/3/2024
0
Critical
6
Cook rice
​
​
25 days
Start the rice cooker
5/3/2024
5/28/2024
Place the rice in a serving dish
5/28/2024
0
Critical
7
Place the rice in a serving dish
​
​
1 day
Start the rice cooker
Cook rice
5/28/2024
5/29/2024
[  ]
5/29/2024
0
Critical
8
Mix casserole ingredients
​
​
10 days
​
5/1/2024
5/1/2024
5/11/2024
Bake the casserole
5/11/2024
0
Critical
9
Bake the casserole
​
​
25 days
Mix casserole ingredients
5/11/2024
6/5/2024
[  ]
6/5/2024
0
Critical
10
end
​
​
-
​
6/5/2024
6/5/2024
6/5/2024
[  ]
6/5/2024
0
Critical
There are no rows in this table
10
Count
⁠

The chart below will automatically adjust as you fill in the input table:
Gantt Chart
1
Start
Wash and cut vegetables for the salad
Toss the salad
Set the table
Start the rice cooker
Cook rice
Place the rice in a serving dish
Mix casserole ingredients
Bake the casserole
end
May 2024
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Jun 2024
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Jul 2024
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Aug 2024
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Sep 2024
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Oct 2024
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Nov 2024
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Dec 2024
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Jan 2025
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Wash and cut vegetables for the salad
Toss the salad
Set the table
Start the rice cooker
Cook rice
Place the rice in a serving dish
Mix casserole ingredients
Bake the casserole
end
Month
TodayFit
⁠
Task overall duration:
⁠
36 days
⁠
⁠

Want to print your doc?
This is not the way.
Try clicking the ⋯ next to your doc name or using a keyboard shortcut (
CtrlP
) instead.