The 4 Dependencies in Project Management

• What are dependencies?
• Types of dependencies in project management
• How to work with dependencies
• Dependencies & visibility

What are dependencies?

Dependencies are what makes the sequence of a workflow run smoothly and effectively. 

You can’t build a wall until you’ve laid the foundation, and you can’t finish a project without completing the quotidian tasks along the way.

That’s where setting up dependencies in your Gantt charts and client work management platforms come into play. There are four types of dependencies.

Types of dependencies in project management:

• Finish to Start: Most common. A task can’t start until its predecessors have finished.

• Start to Start: A task can’t start until its predecessors have started.

• Finish to Finish: A task can’t finish until its predecessors have finished.

• Start to Finish: A task can’t finish until its predecessor tasks have started.

How to work with dependencies

Working with dependencies in a client work management platform drives home how helpful it is to work with Team Scheduling and Project Collaboration. using a Gantt chart and dependencies creates an easy, straightforward structure with a lot of visibility into progress and efficiency.

For example, with project collaboration, there are tasks assigned to one person that has a relationship to the work that precedes and succeeds them. That work may be assigned to another team member, and sequencing is vital. The timeline of when things get done is just as important as the project itself, and successor tasks are dependent on predecessor tasks!

What are the relationships between preceding and succeeding tasks? If your project is to update packaging there are a number of steps to get there. The first might be to find a graphic designer, second to re-do the logo, third to approve the logo, etc. The most common dependency is a relationship that is finish-to-start where Task A must be finished before Task B can start.

Dependencies & Visibility

Creating project plans with dependencies in place provides visibility into team workload and scheduling; it allows you to see if there are any conflicts with time and availability.

Accelo’s drag and drop Gantt charts facilitate project structuring and planning. They’re easy-to-use and great for planning workflows using dependencies, deadlines, and budgets. In any project, there’s an order in which tasks must be completed. When you define dependencies you’ll have more information on if you will hit your deadline on time and when certain parts of the project are completed. 

Get started with Project Planning and dependencies by starting your free trial today.