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Task Dependencies

The document discusses task dependencies in project management. It defines task dependency as a relationship where one task relies on other tasks being completed before it can start. It describes four types of dependencies: finish-to-start, finish-to-finish, start-to-start, and start-to-finish. Each type of dependency specifies when the predecessor and successor tasks can start and/or finish in relation to each other.

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Muhammad Faisal Asif
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35 views

Task Dependencies

The document discusses task dependencies in project management. It defines task dependency as a relationship where one task relies on other tasks being completed before it can start. It describes four types of dependencies: finish-to-start, finish-to-finish, start-to-start, and start-to-finish. Each type of dependency specifies when the predecessor and successor tasks can start and/or finish in relation to each other.

Uploaded by

Muhammad Faisal Asif
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Task Dependencies:

Task Dependency is a relationship in which a task or milestone relies on other tasks to be


performed (completely or partially) before it can be performed. This is also referred to as a
logical relationship. A logical relationship can be a dependency between project tasks or
between tasks and milestones.

Types of Task Dependencies:


In project management, all tasks have dependencies. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be part of the
project, that is, a task that doesn’t need to be completed to finish the project is not part of the project.
It’s an orphan adrift at sea.

There are four types of task dependencies, and each one has its own specific reason you would use
it.

 Finish-to-Start
 Finish-to-Finish
 Start-to-Start
 Start-to-Finish

Four types of dependencies are used in establishing logical relationships. However, before
knowing what these dependencies are it is important to understand what are predecessor and
successor activities.

Predecessor Activity:
It is an activity that comes before a dependent activity in a project schedule.

Successor Activity:
It is an activity that comes after a dependent activity in a project schedule.

In the figure, activity P is predecessor activity of A and activity S is successor activity of A.


However, activity A is also the successor activity of P and predecessor activity for S
The four dependencies used to sequence activities are:

Finish-to-Start (FS)
It is a logical relationship in which a successor activity (Activity B) cannot start until a
predecessor activity (Activity A) has finished. It is the most commonly used dependency in
scheduling software to establish logical relationship.
For example,

 “Supper starts when the cooking is complete”


 “Concrete pouring starts after the forms are built”
 “Wind turbine assembly starts after the gear shaft is replaced”

Start-to-Start (SS)
It is a logical relationship in which a successor activity (Activity B) cannot start until a
predecessor activity (Activity A) has started.

For example,

 “Mixing of chemicals cannot start until air quality testing starts”


 “In-stream work cannot start until turbidity monitoring starts”
 “You can’t start up the machine until the pollution testing starts”
Start-to-Finish (SF)
It is a logical relationship in which a successor activity (Activity B) cannot finish until a
predecessor activity (Activity A) has started.

This is a rare relationship but it happens:

 “Concrete Pouring cannot finish until Heating has started”


 “Transportation of Materials cannot finish until Overnight Security starts”
 “Inspection cannot finish until Client Review starts”

Finish-to-Finish (FF)
It is a logical relationship in which a successor activity (Activity B) cannot finish until a
predecessor activity (Activity A) has finished.
For example,

 “Fracking cannot finish until pressure testing is complete”


 “Electrical work cannot finish until drywalling is complete.”
 “Design work cannot finish until environmental studies are complete”

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