Delivery & Dependencies
Household items have a delivery-focused scheduling model. Unlike work items which have start and end dates with durations, household items are treated as zero-duration terminal nodes -- they represent a single delivery event that depends on other work being completed first.
Delivery Dates
Each household item can track several dates:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Order Date | When the item was or will be ordered |
| Earliest Delivery Date | Start of the expected delivery window |
| Latest Delivery Date | End of the expected delivery window |
| Target Delivery Date | Computed from dependencies -- the earliest date the item could arrive based on predecessor completion |
| Actual Delivery Date | When the item actually arrived |
The target delivery date is automatically calculated by the scheduling engine based on the item's dependencies. If a household item depends on a work item that finishes on March 15, the target delivery date will be March 15 or later.
Late Detection
A household item is flagged as late when its target delivery date has passed but the item has not yet arrived (no actual delivery date recorded). Late items are visually indicated in the list and detail views.
Timeline Dependencies
Household items can depend on work items and milestones. All dependencies are treated as finish-to-start with zero lag -- the household item's delivery cannot happen until the predecessor is complete.
Adding Dependencies
On the household item detail page, use the Dependencies section to add predecessors:
- Click Add Dependency
- Choose the predecessor type -- Work Item or Milestone
- Select the specific work item or milestone
- The target delivery date recalculates automatically
Viewing on the Gantt Chart
Household items with dependencies appear on the Gantt chart as diamond markers (similar to milestones). Dependency arrows connect predecessors to the household item, and the scheduling engine includes them in critical path calculations.
Example
A typical dependency chain might look like:
- Work item: "Install kitchen cabinets" (ends March 10)
- Household item: "Kitchen countertop" (depends on cabinets, target delivery March 10)
- Work item: "Install countertop" (depends on countertop delivery)
This ensures the countertop is not scheduled for delivery until the cabinets are installed, and the installation work does not start until the countertop arrives.