Special Edition Using Microsoft® Project 2002

Understanding Dependency Links

Usually some tasks in a project cannot start until one or more other tasks have finished. One common reason for this requirement is that a task might need to use the output generated by another task. For example, in building a house, the foundation must be laid before you can frame the walls. Therefore, the start of the task Frame the Walls is determined by, and should be linked to, the finish of the task Lay the Foundation. The link expresses the dependency of the framing schedule on the schedule for the foundation.

An inexperienced scheduler in this building project might just list the tasks in Excel and type in start and finish dates for all the tasks. But what if the scheduler later finds out that for some ...