Use Dependency Types

When a project file is imported into dspTrack™, the predecessor tasks and dependency types are also imported.

Refer to Import Project Files into dspTrack™ for more information.

Use a dependency type (Start to Finish, Finish to Start, Finish to Finish, or Start to Start) to set when work on a dependent Plan task can start or finish based on when work on the predecessor task starts or finishes.

NOTE: If a project is imported into dspTrack™, the dependency types are automatically added in dspTrack™ and do not need to be set.

NOTE: If a project is imported into dspTrack™, and the slack value is in the form of a percent in Microsoft Project, that value will be displayed as number of days in the Slack and Slack UOM fields on the Plan Task Dependency page.

Refer to Add a Predecessor Task and Import Project Files into dspTrack™ for more information.

NOTE: Work List Items, added on the Work List Setup page, do not have predecessor tasks and do not use dependency types.

A dependent task is in the status Waiting on Dependency on the Work List until its predecessor task has started or finished based on the dependency type. Once a predecessor task has started or finished, the dependent task moves to Ready status on the Work List.

If a task on the Work List is in a status of Waiting on Dependency, when the user clicks the Next Action button, the task(s) and the dependency/dependencies that prevent the selected task from moving to the next status display.

A Plan task has started when a user clicks the Next Action button on the Work List to move the task status from Ready to In Process.

A Plan task has finished when a user clicks Next Action on the Work List to move the task status from In Progress to Completed. 

Until the predecessor task is in the appropriate status based on the dependency type, the dependent task will remain in Waiting on Dependency status and work cannot start or finish for the dependent task. For example, Task A has a predecessor that has not finished, with a dependency of Finish to Finish. Work on Task A could start, but could not finish until its predecessor task has finished. In this case, if a user clicks Next Action on the Work List for a Plan task that is in Waiting on Dependency status, an error message displays.

Based on the dependency type, if work on a dependent task begins late, the dependent task will show as late on the Work List. If the dependent task is part of the critical path used by the Schedule Status feature, the critical path will show as late.

Refer to Calculate the Critical Path for a Plan for more information.

There are four dependency types.