With task dependencies, you can easily mark if a task is waiting on another task or tasks and see how delayed tasks can affect multiple tasks down the road.
This article contains the following sections:
Task Dependency Overview
You and your project team can see what tasks they’re waiting on from others, and will know when to get started on their portion of work.
When a parent task is completed, Baton will notify the assignee of the next task that they can get started. If there are multiple parent tasks, this will go out when all parents are completed.
Creating Dependencies
To create a dependency, edit any task and navigate to the `Dependencies` tab. You can view dependencies here or click `Edit` to make modifications to that task's parent task(s).
Task Dependency Icon Legend
As you add parent/dependent relationships in Baton, you'll notice symbols added to your task row. Here is what each symbol means:
Task with a dependency
Parent task
Parent task with a dependency
Bulk Edit Tasks
If you select a task and its parent, then task dependency dateshift will not trigger for any of the selected tasks. All selected tasks should be updated with the dates selected in bulk edit regardless of their dependent relationships. In this case, dependency dateshift is not triggered. Bulk edit is only available for single parent relationships today.
E.g. If you have selected a parent with a start date of Sept 10 and a due date of Sept 15 and you have also selected that task's dependency, which has a start date of Sept 15 and a due date of Sept 20. If you update the start date to Sept 25 and the due date to Sept 30 in the bulk editor, then Both tasks will be updated to have a start date of Sept 25 and a due date of Sept 30.
Task Dependency Dateshift
With Task Dependency Dateshift, all your dependent tasks' due date will automatically shift as soon as the parent due date changes, showing you and your clients the downstream effects if a parent task is delayed! If a task has multiple parents, this will take the latest date for all parents. Dates will never be shifted to a non-working day but you can set a due date manually to any day of the year regardless of holiday/weekend.
However, Baton will not force a waterfall methodology to your project plan. This way, you will have control of your tasks. If dependencies can be worked in parallel, Baton will allow you to do that.
Here are some quick notes to get you oriented, more info in Task Dependency Dateshift Settings:
If you update a parent task due date, dependent task dates shift accordingly
If a parent task is completed early or late, dependent task dates shift accordingly
Dateshift applies in both directions, earlier and later.
e.g. if you update a parent task to be due 5 days earlier, then dependent task dates automatically shift to 5 days earlier.
Task Dependency Dateshift Settings
Head over to your individual project settings by clicking on the Settings tab in the Navigation Bar to enable and adjust specific settings for your dependencies. Dependency Dateshift is off by default. Turning Dependency Dateshift on will affect newly created tasks only. We won't override dependency customization that was done in existing tasks.
After selecting your desired dependency settings, when a parent task date is change, or the task is completed early/late, the dependent tasks can be adjusted accordingly.
Shift incomplete dependent task when:
Parent task is completed early
This setting will move up the start/due dates for all dependent tasks when a parent task is completed early. If enabled, your project timeline will be shortened automatically if the project team is running ahead of schedule. In doing so, it is important to communicate with your client project team proactively to be prepared for agreed-upon timelines potentially shortening.
TLDR:
If enabled:
Potentially shortens the project timeline (could put pressure on clients to finish their assigned tasks earlier than originally agreed upon)
Allows for accelerated task start/due dates to be automatically updated and easily visible to both internal and client team members from the project timeline view within Baton.
If disabled:
Will not accelerate dependent task start/due dates based on a parent task being completed early and will maintain original start/due dates unless manually adjusted.
Parent task is completed late
This setting will move back the start/due dates for all dependent tasks when a parent task is completed late. If enabled, your project timeline will be lengthened automatically in response to tasks being behind schedule. In doing so, it is important to communicate with your client project team proactively so they can be prepared for agreed-upon timelines potentially extending.
TLDR:
If enabled:
Potentially extends the project timeline (could delay original project timeline agreed upon with client)
Allows for delayed task start/due dates to be automatically updated and easily visible to both internal and client team members from the project timeline view within Baton
If disabled:
Will not extend dependent task start/due dates based on a parent task being completed late and will maintain original start/due dates unless manually adjusted.
Parent task due date is moved
This setting moves up/back the start/due dates for all dependent tasks when the due date of a parent task is adjusted. This setting enables you to quickly adjust and assess the impact on your project timeline when agreed-upon changes to a specific task are reflected in Baton (i.e. client project manager is unexpectedly out of the office, and all subsequent dependent project tasks should be shifted one week into the future).
TLDR:
If enabled:
Potentially accelerates/extends the project timeline (could advance/delay original project timeline agreed upon with client)
Allows for later/earlier task start/due dates to be automatically communicated to clients
If disabled:
Will not adjust dependent task start/due dates based on a parent task due date being changed and will maintain original start/due dates unless manually adjusted.
Dependent dates shifted:
These settings control which dates on the dependent tasks are shifted when dependency date shift is enabled.
Both start date and due date
The start & due dates of dependent tasks will shift forward/backward based on the latest parent task.
This setting will allow for your project timeline to compress or lengthen, based on the parent task date shift setting explained above.
Enabling this setting is recommended by Baton.
Only start date
Only the start date of dependent tasks will shift forward/backward based on the latest parent task.
This setting will allow for tasks to begin early or late, but will not impact the original due dates established on the task. A task's start date will shift forward up to the due date of the task, fully condensing the task duration down to one day, but will not shift past that due date.
Important Notes:
If a dependent task has multiple parent tasks, Baton will reference the latest parent due or completed date which causes the dependent task to shift.
When dependency date shift is enabled on the project level, you can manually disable date shifting on the task level from within the task drawer.