Dependencies
The four dependency types, lag, and how blocked work surfaces across the project and the portfolio.
A dependency records that one task's timing depends on another's. cadence. supports the four standard relationships, plus lag.
The four types
Each dependency links a predecessor to a successor:
| Type | Meaning | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Finish to start | The successor cannot start until the predecessor finishes | The default. Artwork cannot start until copy is approved. |
| Finish to finish | The successor cannot finish until the predecessor finishes | Documentation cannot be signed off before the product spec is. |
| Start to start | The successor cannot start until the predecessor starts | Line trials and QA sampling begin together. |
| Start to finish | The successor cannot finish until the predecessor starts | Rare. Usually a handover: the old process runs until the new one begins. |
Finish to start covers the overwhelming majority of real dependencies. If you find yourself reaching for start-to-finish, check whether you actually mean two separate tasks.
Lag
Every dependency carries a lag in days — the enforced gap after the predecessor's condition is met.
Lag is for real waiting, not padding. A 14-day lag between "submit dossier" and "expect response" describes a regulator's turnaround. A 3-day lag "to be safe" describes an estimate that should have been in the estimate.
Negative lag (lead time) lets a successor start before its predecessor completes.
Seeing dependencies
Dependencies are drawn as links on the Gantt view of a phase, which is where a chain that no longer fits between its dates becomes obvious. On the task itself, predecessors and successors are listed so you can see both directions without leaving the task.
Blocked work
A dependency describes a constraint. The blocked task status describes reality — that work has actually stopped. They are separate on purpose: a task can be waiting on a predecessor and perfectly on schedule, and a task with no dependencies at all can be blocked by something outside cadence. entirely.
Set the status to blocked when work has genuinely stopped. That is what feeds:
- the blockers panel on each tag's portfolio dashboard,
- the needs a decision list at the top of the project report,
- the AI weekly digest's what's blocked section.
Dependencies and gates
Dependencies do not affect gate progression. A phase completes when its criteria pass, regardless of what is linked to what. If a cross-phase dependency genuinely must hold before the gate, express it as a criterion.