If a nonzero lag is present, it is added to the Start date otherwise the task starts immediately after the predecessor is completed. Finish-to-start is the most common dependency type. A link can also have a "lag" value specified. Finish - Start (FS) - the default link, forces a task to start only when/after its predecessor has finished predecessor finishes and the other starts. The link types supported in Project Plan 365 are summarized below:ġ. To enter lead time, type a negative value in the Lag column, such as –2 for two days of lead time. For example, if a task can start when its predecessor is half finished, you can specify a finish-to-start dependency with a lead time for the successor task. Lead time is overlap between tasks that have a dependency. For example, if you need a two-day delay between the finish of one task and the start of another, you can establish a finish-to-start dependency and specify two days of lag time. Lag time is a delay between tasks that have a dependency. Also you can quickly add lead or lag time to a successor task by typing value in the Predecessors column. You enter lead time or lag time on the Predecessors tab in the Task Information dialog box. You can enter lead time or lag time as a duration. By linking tasks Project Plan 365 adjusts the schedule whenever there are changes that affect duration of other tasks.Ī task that needs to be completed before is called a predecessor task and the linked tasks are its successors.īesides specifying the type of dependency between two tasks, you can also indicate a lag value, which can be either positive (lag time) or negative (lead time). Such constraints that involve two tasks and condition the start/finish date of one task on the start/finish date of the other task, are imposed in Project Plan 365 by creating links between tasks. This corresponds to a Start-Start constraint. for building a foundation you may start levelling the concrete once the concrete started to be poured. Other constraints can be imposed in Project Plan 365 as well.
The constraint in the example above (furnishing after painting), corresponds in Project Plan 365 to a Finish-Start constraint. Tasks scheduling is performed based on duration estimates of each individual task and tasks interdependencies that constrain a task to start only after other tasks in the project have been completed.Īfter introducing the WBS and duration estimates for each task, you have to introduce the interdependencies among tasks. I.e., you want to furnish the room only after the walls are completely painted. While building a project plan, you may encounter situations when a task can start only after another one is completed. The relationships between the tasks are called "dependencies." Typically after the tasks were inserted in the project and the WBS structure was created, the next step is to link the tasks among each other, to show relationships between them. In most cases, the tasks in a project are related to each other, and the relationships between them drive the schedule for the project.