How to set task dependencies
Record what must finish first and see the real impact of a slip.
A dependency records that one task cannot start until another finishes. Used sparingly it shows which delay actually threatens a date.
Open the dependent task
Start from the task that is blocked, not the one doing the blocking. Recording it from the dependent side keeps the relationship reading in the direction people ask about, which is what is holding this up.
Find dependencies or blocking task
Add the relationship on the task itself so it travels with the work. A dependency held only in someone's head is the most common cause of a plan that looks fine until the week it fails.
Choose the task that must finish first
Pick genuine blockers only. Work that is merely preferable to do first is a sequencing preference, not a dependency, and marking it as one makes the schedule look more fragile than it is.
Confirm both tasks show the relationship
Check the link appears from both sides. A one-sided dependency is easy to miss when the blocking task is reassigned or rescheduled by someone who never sees the dependent work.
Use Gantt or Flow to review the impact
Gantt shows what a slip does to the sequence, and Flow shows whether dependencies are where work actually idles. Reviewing after you add dependencies is what turns them from decoration into planning.
What success looks like
- Blocked work is visibly blocked, the blocking task is named, and Gantt shows which delays move the finish date and which do not.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Marking preferences as dependencies, which makes everything look critical.
- Recording the relationship in a comment rather than as a dependency, so no view knows about it.
- Adding dependencies and never opening Gantt, which is where they pay off.
Questions about this workflow
They record and surface the relationship so the impact is visible in planning views. Judgment about moving anyway stays with the team.
Yes. Tasks, subtasks, and dependencies are available on every plan.
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