Is Coda Brain consulting different?

Becoming a Coda Consultant 2.0

Christiaan Huizer
6 min readNov 29, 2024

This blog post explores how Coda brain will fundamentally reshape the Coda consulting landscape, empowering users of all levels and unlocking unprecedented levels of productivity.

It is my understanding that Coda Brain will democratize Coda, making its full potential accessible even without expert knowledge. By leveraging AI, users can ask questions in plain language and receive intelligent, actionable answers, eliminating the need for complex prompts or specialized skills.

As such Coda Brain eliminates the data anxieties discussed in this blog by seamlessly managing data integration and table creation. If you’re unhappy with the results or make a mistake, simply request a new version, and the AI will promptly generate it. This user-friendly approach will make it easier to get more value out of Coda. More about this in my previous blog post.

But this is just the beginning. The future holds even more exciting possibilities with AI agents that not only provide intelligent answers but also anticipate your next steps and automate your workflows. Imagine an AI that drafts emails based on your requests and notifies it waits for your confirmation to send it.

This isn’t to say Coda experts become obsolete. Their expertise will remain crucial in areas like structuring the workspace, building Packs and crafting intricate tools (like the complex PTO logic I wrote about earlier this year).

Changing the concept of the Coda maker

When you step into the world of Coda, you’ll quickly realize it’s a place buzzing with technically-minded individuals. Coda makers, by their very nature, are drawn to the platform’s ability to build custom applications and automate workflows, often involving formulas and data manipulation. This inherent technical focus is mirrored in the Coda community, where discussions and solutions tend to dive into the intricacies of the platform. While the community is incredibly supportive and welcoming, the path to becoming a proficient Coda maker requires embracing this technical aspect. No matter how helpful the community is, it’s ultimately up to the individual to develop the necessary skills in handling data and utilizing Coda’s formula language.

The knowledge gap between technically proficient makers and less technical users, creates a dependency where makers become indispensable for building and maintaining complex docs, while other users struggle to fully leverage Coda’s potential. This dynamic can inadvertently lead to a “maker priesthood,” where a select few hold the keys to the kingdom, hindering widespread adoption and limiting the organization’s ability to truly benefit from Coda.

However, Coda Brain has the potential to disrupt this status quo. In essence, Coda Brain promises to bridge the knowledge gap, flatten the organizational structure, and unleash the full potential of Coda across the entire organization. This not only reduces reliance on individual makers but also fosters a more collaborative and empowered environment where everyone can participate in transforming how work gets done.

This is why I spoke earlier about Coda as an engagement portal. That vision truly comes alive when everyone has access to the right data, empowering them to participate and contribute meaningfully. In this vision packs play a crucial role.

Coda packs & Coda Brain: bridging platforms & empowering users

Packs supercharge Coda by seamlessly connecting it to your favorite platforms. Think of them as bridges that bring in data or let you control those platforms right from your doc. For example, the Gmail Pack lets you send emails without leaving Coda, while the Typeform Pack automatically imports your survey results. Coda provides a growing library of Packs, constantly expanding what’s possible.

Previously, navigating Coda Packs could feel like venturing into uncharted territory. Deciphering their logic, understanding their limitations, and grappling with sometimes limited documentation often left users feeling lost. However, Coda Brain is poised to revolutionize this experience. Acting as an intelligent guide, it anticipates user needs, translates natural language into action, and bridges the knowledge gap between pack makers and users. Due to Coda Brain, Coda Packs transform from potentially perplexing puzzles into intuitive and empowering tools, accessible to everyone regardless of their technical expertise.

Coda Makers & Coda Packs

In the future, Coda makers will play a crucial role in bridging the gap between different systems by building custom Packs that seamlessly connect Coda to external data sources. This will involve identifying organizational needs, analyzing existing Packs, and creating new ones from scratch when necessary. These Packs will need to not only import data but also allow users to update that data within the external system, ensuring a bi-directional flow of information. This elevated role for Coda makers demands a deep understanding of both Coda and the external systems they’re connecting. They’ll need to be adept at translating business needs into efficient Packs, ensuring data integrity and security. Coda makers will become indispensable in shaping how organizations leverage data and automate processes across various platforms.

Coda makers will become Coda consultants 2.0

Coda consulting 2.0

Coda Consulting 2.0

Traditional Coda consulting often focuses on: Building solutions within Coda: This involves creating custom docs, automating tasks with formulas and buttons, and integrating with external tools through packs. Coda Brain consulting, however, demands a broader perspective.

To prepare the organisation for an AI-powered future you have to understand the data flow inside the organisation and how to improve it using AI.

Coda Brain implementation is not merely a technical upgrade; it’s a strategic initiative that requires careful planning, organizational alignment, and a forward-thinking approach. By understanding this, consultants can effectively guide organizations towards a successful Coda Brain deployment and unlock its transformative potential.

This is the process that comes to to mind:

1. Fresh start:

  • Begin with a brand new workspace to avoid inheriting outdated permissions and document structures that could confuse the AI. This ensures a clean slate for Coda Brain to learn and operate effectively.
  • Establish clear billing and ownership for the new workspace to maintain control and accountability. The enterprise plan offers this. End 2024 and enterprise is the condition to get started anyway, but in case you could have Coda Brain on Team plan, don’t do it. You need strong admin tools to handle your permissions well.

2. Connect and organize:

  • Integrate all necessary packs to connect Coda with relevant data sources. Prioritize those systems crucial for your core workflows and decision-making. Again in an enterprise plan you have tools helping you.
  • Meticulously review and configure permissions within each connected software. Ensure access rights are accurately defined and documented to avoid any ambiguity for the AI.

3. Structure your workspace:

Implement a clear document hierarchy:

  • “My Docs”: Personal folder for only unshared private docs.
  • Team Folders: Shared spaces for departmental collaboration, organized by function or project.
  • Company-wide access: Centralized repositories for information accessible to the entire organization (e.g., HR policies, company-wide announcements). Some of this may be solved by Coda brain as well.

4. Showcase and engage:

  • Gather real-world examples: Identify common tasks or challenges within your organization that Coda Brain can address.
  • Develop compelling demos: Showcase how Coda Brain solves these problems, highlighting its efficiency, accuracy, and user-friendliness.
  • Conduct interactive sessions: Involve employees in hands-on workshops or presentations to demonstrate Coda Brain’s capabilities and answer questions.
  • Encourage experimentation: Provide a safe space for employees to explore Coda Brain and discover its potential within their own workflows. Show employees you cannot make irreversible mistakes. Don’t you like the outcome, ask Coda brain again differently.

5. Embrace the engagement portal:

  • With Coda Brain handling data retrieval and analysis, Coda’s role shifts towards knowledge sharing and collaborative decision-making.
  • Encourage users to leverage Coda Brain’s insights to fuel discussions, inform strategies, and drive action.

I believe that by following this structured approach, you can lay a solid foundation for a successful Coda Brain implementation, maximizing its potential to transform your organization’s information flow and decision-making processes. Coda becomes your engagement portal.

I hope this article was informative and helpful. Did it help you to solve a problem you unlike would have solved other ways? What about a donation?

My name is Christiaan, and I regularly blog about Coda. While this article is free, my professional services (including consultations) are not, but I’m always happy to chat and explore potential solutions. You can find my free contributions in the Coda Community and on X. The Coda Community is a fantastic resource for free insights, especially when you share a sample doc.

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Christiaan Huizer
Christiaan Huizer

Written by Christiaan Huizer

I write about how to Coda . You find blogs for beginners and experienced makers. I publish about 1 / week. Welcome!

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