Assembling Project Task Dependency Chains
A project manager needs to quickly create a visual representation of a sequence of dependent tasks for a project phase. They want to combine the task names into a single, easy-to-read string, separated by an arrow (e.g., ' -> '), to clearly show the workflow and dependencies to team members or stakeholders. Manually typing this out for many tasks is inefficient and prone to errors.
=TEXTJOIN(" -> ",TRUE,B2:B5) How it works: The `TEXTJOIN` function is used here to concatenate the task names. `" -> "` is the delimiter, creating a clear visual flow between tasks. `TRUE` ensures that if any task cell is empty, it will be ignored, preventing an orphaned arrow. `B2:B5` is the range containing the task names.
Data Setup
| Task ID | Task Name | Status |
|---|---|---|
| P101 | Initiate Project | Completed |
| P102 | Define Requirements | In Progress |
| P103 | Design Solution | Not Started |
| P104 | Develop Prototype | Not Started |
Step-by-Step Guide
Select the range of cells containing the task names you wish to link (e.g., B2:B5).
Choose an empty cell where the combined dependency chain will be displayed.
Input the formula `=TEXTJOIN(" -> ",TRUE,B2:B5)` into the chosen cell.
Press Enter to generate the task dependency string.
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