Dependencies between tasks
One task can depend on another: until the first is complete, the system refuses to complete the second and explains why. It enforces the order of a process, such as not sending a proposal before gathering requirements, without relying on anybody's memory.
A checklist does not enforce order: someone in a hurry checks the last line first. When order genuinely matters, a dependency settles it, because it is not a reminder, it is a lock. The dependent task simply refuses to be completed ahead of time, and the system says why.
Creating a task that depends on another
- Open Activities, or a record's Activities tab.
- In the new activity form, fill in Subject, Type, Due date and Assigned to as usual.
- In the Depends on field, pick the task that has to be completed first. The list offers the open tasks currently in view.
- Click Add.
The field comes preset to no dependency, which is the normal case: most tasks depend on nothing. Each task points to a single prior task; for a longer chain, link them two at a time.
How the lock behaves
- When you try to complete the blocked task, the system refuses and shows the warning: This task depends on another that has not been completed yet.
- The lock holds on all three paths: checking it complete in the list, editing the task and changing its status, or creating the task already complete.
- As soon as the task it depends on is completed, the task is freed and can be completed normally.
- If you reopen the prior task, the dependent one is blocked again.
- Completing the prior task does not complete the dependent one and does not notify it; it simply stops being locked.
Example: At Vector Engineering, proposals follow a fixed script. The analyst created Gather requirements due Tuesday and then Build the proposal with Depends on set to Gather requirements and a Thursday due date. On Wednesday the intern tried to mark Build the proposal complete and the system refused, saying it depends on another task that is still open. He completed the requirements first, and only then did the proposal accept being closed.
Combining it with the rest
- After applying a project template to a record, link the tasks it created with Depends on to turn the list into a mandatory sequence.
- The Timeline shows those same tasks spread across their due dates, which helps you see whether the logical order matches the order of the dates.
- If what you need is a project with many dependencies between items, subitems and owners, the Projects module is the right place.
Permissions and limits
- Creating and editing tasks requires write access to Activities.
- The Depends on list shows the open tasks loaded on screen at that moment. If the task you want is not there, adjust the list filter before creating.
- A task points to a single prior task; there are no multiple dependencies on this screen.
- The dependency locks completion, not editing: you can change the due date, the owner and the notes at any time.
- Deleting the task another one depends on unlocks the dependent task.
Common questions
- Do I really have to complete them in order? If the dependency no longer makes sense, open the task and set the Depends on field back to no dependency.
- Does the blocked task notify its owner when it unlocks? There is no automatic unlock notification. Coordinate through the due dates.
- Can a task depend on two others? Not in this field. Chain them in series, or use the Projects module.