Chapter 4

The Codependent Nature of Tasks

In This Chapter

arrow Identifying the different kinds of dependency relationships

arrow Creating dependency links

arrow Discovering how dependency links affect timing

arrow Allowing for lag and lead time

arrow Reflecting the timing of external tasks in your project

Imagine this: If you create a hundred tasks and leave their default constraints so that they start as soon as possible and have no dependencies, all those tasks start on the project start date and occur simultaneously. The project consisting of a hundred tasks takes exactly as long to complete as the longest task.

Wander back over here to reality for a moment. When was the last time every task in your project could be performed at the same time? When did you last have enough resources to even begin to make that feat feasible? When did you ever have a set of tasks in which not a single task had to be completed before another one could start? Imagine what would happen if you poured a building’s foundation before ...

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