Purpose
This article explains how Dependencies link Tasks together to reflect the correct order of work.
Who Uses This
Project managers building and maintaining accurate project schedules.
How It Works
A Dependency defines the relationship between two tasks — for example, one task must finish before another can start.
To add a dependency, select a task and link it to another task it depends on (or that depends on it).
Dependencies directly affect the Critical Path calculation, so accurate dependencies are key to a reliable schedule (see Critical Path).
Best Practices
Only add dependencies that reflect real-world constraints — over-linking tasks can make the schedule harder to manage.
Review dependencies whenever a task's dates shift significantly.
Use dependencies to catch scheduling conflicts before they become real delays.
Troubleshooting
If the schedule shows unexpected date shifts, check for recently added or changed dependencies.