I have been using AirTable for about six months now to manage a variety of projects for my team. We handle everything from content creation to client deliverables; and I have really enjoyed the flexibility and customization AirTable offers. Although; I am starting to run into challenges when managing more complex; multi phase projects with many stakeholders involved.
For instance; we have a project right now that requires input from five different departments. Each department has its own tasks and timelines; but we need to maintain visibility on the project as a whole.
I have set up a base that includes separate tables for each departments tasks; but I am struggling with how to best track dependencies between these tasks; how to avoid duplicating work; and how to keep everyone on the same page without the base becoming overwhelming.
How do you effectively manage task dependencies across different teams and tables in AirTable? Is there a recommended way to organize multiple views so that different stakeholders only see the information relevant to them without losing sight of the bigger picture?
It’s not easy to answer as you have yourself admitted that a setup you thought it’s working well may not work for more complex situations. Have you dome a process review with your team?
If this is a startup where new needs evolve as the company grows, that’s understandable but if it is a company that has been around, maybe there are other areas you need to consider so you avoid having to do the work twice yourself when setting this up.
I would approach it perhaps by setting up another configuration table that would manage dependencies, listing relationships for different types of tasks, conditions etc, to keep everything easy to manage if you need to do changes to the process in the future.
multiple tables for the same type of “thing” is usually a sign of redundancies. you only need one table of tasks. represent tasks for different departments using additional fields in a single Tasks table. you will be forced to consolidate fields across multiple tables into one, but dependencies will be easy to represent (along with so much more e.g. automations and interfaces).
have your team use Airtable from an Interface you customize, instead of the Data layer. the Data layer is complex and designed for technical users. you will be able to create customized pages with filtered data for various departments with ease, while not overwhelming your team with data they don’t care about.
having worked with many clients in a similar position, i anticipate that you may be over complicating your set up which is creating complexity in your workflow.
Is there a recommended way to organize multiple views so that different stakeholders only see the information relevant to them without losing sight of the bigger picture? 