Dependencies in Project Management 101: Types and Examples

Dependencies are a crucial part of project management as they define the relationship between activities and teams.

Without defined dependencies, it’s harder to plan the project’s development and organize the workload across teams.

Let’s see how dependencies in project management help managers structure the timeline and distribute tasks to their project team.

• Dependencies are relationships between tasks that determine their order in a project. 
• Identifying and recording dependencies is vital for organizing work and creating the project schedule.
• There are 5 main types of dependencies: logical, preferential, cross-team, resource, and external.
• It’s important to explain the dependencies between tasks to stakeholders, as well as how they can affect the project so that they’re aware of the connection between activities.

What are dependencies in project management? 

Dependencies in project management are relationships between tasks that determine their order in a project. 

When creating the project schedule, managers determine the sequence of activities required to accomplish the project goals. This way, they can distribute resources across the timeline of one or more projects and avoid bottlenecks.

The task sequence follows the project’s logical development. However, some activities are directly connected as predecessors and successors.

Dependencies between activities can be based on various factors that may or may not be under the control of the project team.

Identifying dependencies correctly is important because it maximizes resource efficiency, making sure that there are no delays, bottlenecks, or task duplication.

Types of dependencies in project management

Dependencies in project management are divided into 2 groups:

• Internal and
• External dependencies.

Internal dependencies are further categorized into 4 types:

• Logical,
• Preferential,
• Cross-team, and
• Resource dependencies.

Let’s define each type and explain it through a practical example so that you can make a clear distinction between these dependencies.

Logical dependencies

Logical dependencies are also known as mandatory or hard logic dependencies.

These dependencies are usually legally or contractually required. They can also be defined by company procedures or physical limitations.

Examples of logical dependencies in project management:

• Before starting a construction project, you must request building regulations approval.
• Before buying equipment for your factory, you first must sign legal documents with the equipment manufacturer.

Preferential dependencies 

Preferential dependencies are also called discretionary dependencies and are usually established based on best practices.

These dependencies reveal that there’s more than one path in a task sequence, and they are at the discretion of the project management team.

Examples of discretionary dependencies in project management:

• All electrical work should be done before wall painting so that the same job doesn’t have to be done twice.
• It is good practice to conduct keyword research before writing an article.

Cross-team dependencies

Cross-team dependencies are related to the sequence of some project activities that involve more than one team. Many outputs need to go through the hands of different experts in a certain order before they’re ready to be delivered to consumers.

Examples of team-based dependencies in project management:

• The quality control team can test a device only when the engineering team has finished the development process.
• A sales team can place an offer on e-commerce platforms only when the product’s pictures and description are ready.

Resource dependencies

Resource dependencies are actually project constraints as the availability of certain resources defines whether a task can be completed. Sometimes, more than one activity depends on one resource, so project managers have to define priorities and task sequences.

Examples of resource-based dependencies in project management:

• If more than one product is manufactured using the same machine, the products of the highest priority will be completed first. Alternatively, the managers will create a schedule so that different product teams don’t clash.
• When the entire blog production relies on a single designer for their images, articles will be published in the same sequence as they are written, unless the priorities shift.

External dependencies

External dependencies are the relationships between tasks and factors that aren’t under the project team’s control.

Examples of external dependencies in project management:

• The production process in the food industry may be dependent on the delivery of equipment from an external source.
• The building construction process depends on construction material suppliers.

4 types of task dependencies

Task dependencies are relationships between preceding and succeeding tasks that determine the order in which tasks should be performed.

There are 4 types of task dependencies:

• Finish to Start (FS),
• Finish to Finish (FF),
• Start to Start (SS), and
• Start to Finish (SF).

Let’s learn about these in more detail.

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#1 Finish to Start (FS)

To start task B, you have to complete task A first.

These are the most common dependencies in project management.

Examples:

• You have to subscribe to a company’s newsletter to receive updates.
• The design of a website’s page needs to be finished and approved before the developers can implement it.
• The road needs to be completely paved before it can be marked.

#2 Finish to Finish (FF)

You can’t finish task B until you complete task A.

You can work on task B, but you won’t be able to complete it without finishing task A first.

Examples:

• Software developers can’t declare a feature as developed and ready for production until the QA team has finished testing it and given their final approval.
• A marketing intern can compose the newsletter but can’t send it before the designer has finished all the necessary illustrations.
• The project can’t be formally declared as finished until the stakeholders approve all deliverables.

#3 Start to Start (SS)

Task B can’t start until task A has started.

Examples:

• A designer can’t begin preparing a text illustration before a writer prepares the copy for it.
• A project manager cannot assign tasks before assembling at least a few people for the project team.
• The foundation construction process cannot begin before the excavation of the foundation starts.
• You cannot paint the house before assembling at least a part of the scaffolding.

#4 Start to Finish (SF)

You must start task A before you can finish task B. This means the second activity is dependent on the start of the first one.

Examples:

• The building construction must start before the investor can sell the apartments.
• The replacement shift worker has to arrive and clock in to start their shift before the currently present employee can clock off and end their shift. 
• If a clinic is moving to a new location, it can only stop admitting patients at the old location after the clinic at the new location has been opened.

How to manage dependencies in project management

To properly manage dependencies, you should:

• Identify and record all dependencies, 
• Determine the critical path,
• Keep stakeholders informed, and
• Monitor risks.

Let’s take a look at what each step entails.

#1 Identify and record all dependencies

To identify dependencies, you need to determine the following:

• Are there tasks that need to end for other tasks to be able to start?
• Are there tasks that need to start or finish simultaneously?
• Do you need to begin working on some tasks before completing other tasks?

Brainstorm all possibilities with your team and remember to record them.

Creating a dependency diagram to visualize the data comes in handy. For example, Gantt charts are convenient for scheduling and prioritizing your project activities.

Essentially, identifying dependencies helps you:

• Estimate project duration accurately, which is vital for managing stakeholder expectations,
• Manage project resources, and
• Create a realistic project timeline.

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#2 Determine the critical path

You can use the critical path method to identify all the tasks your team must complete to finish a project on time. The critical path is the longest sequence of dependent project activities.

In the above example, the sequence of activities C1-C2-C3 represents the critical path since it takes the longest to complete.

CPM is only one of the many interesting project management concepts! If you’d like to keep exploring them, check out our Project Management Glossary of Terms. 

#3 Keep the stakeholders informed

As a project manager, you must ensure the stakeholders understand the dependencies between tasks and activities and how they can affect the project.

Using a dedicated project management tool like Plaky lets you communicate through comments and share documents related to the task at hand.

You can also invite them to join Pumble for daily communication as it has a guest access option. Invite vendors, contractors, clients, or any other stakeholders to join discussions via limited access to your channels.

#4 Monitor risks

Finally, keep in mind that the project needs to remain on track even when something goes wrong. 

If all the activities are closely intertwined, one delay or unforeseen circumstance can derail the whole chain of tasks. So, it’s necessary to understand how dependencies can affect your project and your overall project risks if something unexpected occurs.

Ultimately, project risk management helps you deal with any threats and control the damage.

Meanwhile, knowing how to identify and manage dependencies lets you focus on getting things done.

Organize your projects with Plaky

Organizing projects is so much easier when you can rely on a specialized project management tool like Plaky. Having all the information you may need in one place lets you avoid misunderstandings and missing deadlines.

Here’s how Plaky can help you stay on top of your project:

• Define activities and include all the necessary information for the project team and stakeholders within items.
• Visualize your project in the Gantt chart view and adjust the timeline accordingly.
• Keep the team up to date by sharing files.
• Break down complex tasks into more manageable pieces with subitems.
• Keep everyone notified whenever there’s a new development.

A platform where you can organize your entire workflow and keep all stakeholders in the loop is what every project manager dreams of. After all, when your team knows what to work on and when, your projects are bound to go without a hitch!

Tired of losing control over schedules and task priorities? Take your project management to the next level with Plaky! 

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