Four types of task dependencies

Four types of task dependencies


"Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs."
                                                                                                                 - Henry Ford

Projects, small or large, are driven by simple work units called tasks. Monitoring standalone tasks might look simple but as the workflow becomes elaborate, tasks may start relying on one another. In project management, this relationship between tasks is termed as "Task Dependencies".


Dependency between tasks arise due to resource constraints and logical factors. They are further classified into four types, namely, 

  • Finish-To-Start (FS) : The successor can't begin until the predecessor finishes. 
  • Start-To-Start (SS)  : The successor can't begin until the predecessor begins. 
  • Finish-To-Finish (FF)  : The successor can't finish until the predecessor finishes.
  • Start-To-Finish (SF)  : The successor can't finish until the predecessor begins.

Let us understand better by applying the types of dependencies in a real-time business scenario. Consider an industrial task, like coffee processing. It begins with the harvest of coffee beans. Once harvested, the coffee beans must be dried.

 

Drying the coffee beans cannot start until harvest is completed - Finish-to-Start

 

Once the harvested beans start to dry, grading can be initiated - Start-To-Start 

Later the beans are roasted to develop the flavor before being packaged into a final product.

 

Coffee packets cannot be filled until the roasting is done - Finish-To-Finish

 

Final packing cannot be completed until the packets are sealed - Start-To-Finish


We support all the four types of dependencies now. You can discover the dependent avenues in your business, connect them together, analyze the type of task dependency, and view their progress using Gantt charts.   


Hope you find our new feature helpful! For more information on task dependencies, take a look at our help guide. Learn more about our latest updates. For any suggestions or queries, reach us at support@zohoprojects.com .

    • Sticky Posts

    • Four types of task dependencies

      "Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs."                                                                                                                  - Henry Ford Projects, small or large, are driven by simple work units called tasks. Monitoring standalone tasks might look simple but as the workflow becomes elaborate, tasks may start relying on one another. In project management, this relationship between tasks is termed as "Task Dependencies". Dependency between tasks arise
    • Tip: How to print the Gantt View

      Though we move from the traditional project management system (using papers) to an online project management system, we still prefer to have a printed copy of the activities/tasks that are to be done in the project. This way, we can carry the to-do lists with us for the meetings and refer when we are offline. The print option, available at the right side of the page, allows the users to print the project information across all the modules. However, this option failed to print all the tasks & milestones
    • Task and Project numbering

      Zoho Projects now generates a unique number for each project, task, and issue added. The auto-generated ID is a combination of a prefix and a number which is assigned by Zoho Projects. The unique IDs for projects, tasks, and issues will be useful to track, identify, and search easily. You can modify the settings to enable or disable the Project and Task IDs.  Learn more on how to modify Prefix & ID settings for projects and tasks. Issue IDs cannot be disabled, only its prefix can be changed (tasks
    • Task Inline Editing Enhancement

      Hi All, Today, we have made an enhancement in task inline editing. In 4.0, task edit is moved in a single screen in a pop-up. We designed this in-order to make the task edit across the product to be the same. Let it be in Feeds, Tasks & My Tasks tab, Calendar & My Calendar tab, a click on the task title will open the popup and user can edit the values. Customers pointed us the inline editing was very useful to them & how much they miss that in 4.0. Based on the feedback, we have rolled out this enhancement.
    • Blueprint in Zoho Projects

      Often, we stumble upon tasks having the same status workflow. Repetitive task processes are tedious to handle, right? That’s why we have introduced Blueprint for task automation. Blueprint is a tool to organize tasks and automate them based on the workflow you design and the criteria you define.    How do I associate tasks with a blueprint? You can set the criteria while creating the blueprint such that when you publish a blueprint, the tasks that satisfy the criteria will be associated with the
    • Recent Topics

    • Expand Zoho Analytics Spatial Capabitlities

      Dear Analytics team Thanks for the great product - I'm a big fan on Analytics and the monthly release highlights is one of my favourite emails to receive. I'd like to request expansion and improvement of Zoho Analytics spatial data capabilities, namely:
    • Automate customer follow-ups with Sequences in Bigin

      Greetings, We hope you're all doing well! We're happy to announce a new feature that we've added to Bigin. Following up with every lead at the right time can be challenging, especially when your team is managing multiple conversations across emails, calls,
    • Displaying only unread tickets in ticket view

      Hello, I was wondering if someone might be able to help me with this one. We use filters to display our ticket list, typically using a saved filter which displays the tickets which are overdue or due today. What I'd really like is another filter that
    • Can we have an automated TDS Receivable Recon with Form 26AS of Income Tax Portal ?

      Can we have an automated TDS Receivable Recon with Form 26AS of Income Tax Portal ?
    • Customers would like to add tips when paying in Client Portal

      I am happy with the clean interface of the Client Portal. However, I am running into a challenge: my customers would like to be able to add tips/gratuities when making payments. Currently, this is very clunky because they have to 1) manually over-pay,
    • Tag Limi?

      is there any way to create more than 20 tags? 
    • prefill_data for Creator + Merge & Sign

      Hello, Is there an option to use prefill_data for signer fields from creator? I see the option for CRM but it will not work with creator? I have tried passing the value in the signer data, and that also does not work. Alternatively, is there a way to
    • Can I Build a Gaming Website Using Zoho? Need a Quick Roadmap

      Hi Dear Members, I want to create a gaming website using Zoho. Is it possible? My goal is to build a sleek, unique, easy-to-navigate, and fast-loading website for a gaming project. I want the site to look professional, user-friendly, and optimized for
    • Remove Due Date from Statements

      Is it possible to remove the Due Date on the Invoice transation line on statements? I have figured work arounds to get the Invoice detail on the Statement but cannot work out haw to simplify the stament by removing the "- due on xx/xx/2026" - it really
    • What Should an Agent-Native Project Workspace Look Like

      AI is moving beyond assistants that simply answer questions. With tools like MCP, agents can now interact directly with project data and perform actions. That makes me wonder: what should an agent-native project workspace actually look like? For me, it
    • unable to join meeting due to speaker issue

      unable to join meeting due to speaker issue
    • How to add formatting in zoho.cliq.postToUser(...) message?

      In a CRM Deluge function, I'm trying to use the message formatting guidelines given here: https://www.zoho.com/deluge/help/cliq/posting-to-zoho-cliq.html#message-formats My message is: message: #Title text. The result in Cliq is: #Title text. (no large
    • Marketing Tip #50: Sell digital products and use them to grow your store

      Physical products need packaging, shipping, and stock management. Digital products need none of that. Once created, they can be sold an unlimited number of times, delivered instantly, and never go out of stock. What counts as a digital product? A digital
    • Can I import customer data from Zoho Invoice to Zoho CRM?

      I have been using zoho invoice for a couple of years and have built up my client list here. I am now giving Zoho CRM a shot and am hoping I can get a lot of my already established data (financial trading records) over to zoho crm?  Can anyone tell me if this is possible and how can I do it? 
    • Turn off Mobile Optimize

      Hello is it possible to stop the automatic mobile optimization of my site as it looks much better on a mobile in full site format rather than mobile format. Thanks
    • How to select from pricebook when creating a salesorder or quote

      I am creating a sales order and when selecting the Products I do not see any where to select from pricebooks. How do i associate this to my orders?
    • API - Available Stock Definitions

      Okay, Zoho team... your copywriters fell down on the job for this one :) I think these warrant a bit more explanation as to what they include and what they don't.
    • Cross-application Deluge calls fail when application link name starts with a number

      I encountered an issue when calling a custom function in another Zoho Creator application within the same account. The target application’s URL/application link name began with a number, similar to: 27_example_application The following cross-application
    • Transformez vos webinaires en opérations automatisées

      Organiser un webinaire, c’est bien plus que passer en direct. Il faut gérer les inscriptions, suivre les participants, envoyer les enregistrements, mettre à jour le CRM… et s’assurer que chaque étape se déroule au bon moment. L’automatisation des workflows
    • Cash Basis VAT RETURN REPORT Required in Saudi Arabia

      Zoho Books in Saudi Arabia not showing TAX RETURNS report on CASH Basis.. It only showing accrual basis. Oforur requirement is both reports (Cash Basis and Accrual Basis ) , same like indian Edition of Zoho Books showing. CASH BASIS RETURN is our Basic
    • Marketing Tip #1: Optimize item titles for SEO

      Your item title is the first thing both Google and shoppers notice. Instead of a generic “Leather Bag,” go for something detailed like “Handcrafted Leather Laptop Bag – Durable & Stylish.” This helps your items rank better in search results and instantly
    • How can I filter inactive/disable agent tickets?

      Hello, We have an user-agent that left the company and we inactive/disabled his agent. So, now I can no longer filter or search tickets that he is the current owner, or even create a rule to reassign tickets to another person when the ticket is reopen.
    • How do i move multiple tickets to a different department?

      Hello, i have several tickets that have been assigned to the wrong department.  I am talking about hundreds of automatically generated ones that come from a separate system. How can i select them all at once to move them to another department in one go? I can select them in "unsassigned open tickets view" but i can't find a "move to another department" option. I also can't seem to assign multiple tickets to the same agent in that same view. Could somebody advice?
    • Add Reauthentication Option for Zoho Bug Tracker Integration in Zoho Desk

      Hello Zoho Desk Team, We hope you're doing well. We would like to request an enhancement to the Zoho Bug Tracker integration within Zoho Desk. Current Limitation: At the moment, there is no option to reauthenticate the Zoho Bug Tracker integration in
    • Create Package From A Picklist

      Dear Zoho, Can it be made possible to create a package from a picklist? The reason our company makes a picklist is for that to become a package Our sales orders have 600-1000 items I hope that makes it clear that it's hard to delete 990 items when we
    • Migrating from Zoho Checkout to Zoho Billing

      I have an active Zoho Checkout account where I'm charging customers for subscriptions. Now I'm looking to upgrade and only use Zoho BIlling, in which my account in on read only mode at the moment. I can see is also tracking the customers and its payments.
    • Step up your lead generation game with online forms

      Hello fellow form builders,   Generating leads for your sales team gets easier when you integrate your CRM with online forms. To help show you how to use forms as part of your lead generation strategy, we have exclusive tips and tricks on how to collect, update and prioritize lead information in Zoho CRM based on form responses.  1. Create new leads If CRM software is designed to help you handle your business easily, that means getting data into it should also be easy. Check out the article on how
    • API - Bank Accounts | Reconciliation Discrepancy

      Unless I'm reading it wrong, the documentation for the Bank Reconciliations API is inconsistent with itself. https://www.zoho.com/books/api/v3/bank-accounts/#create-a-bank-reconciliation The text definition says that the transaction_id should be a string,
    • another little issue

      So to get over showing prices with VAT we used the price lists and made the prices inclusive. The problem is now on the items it wants to show the orginal retail value which makes no sense. Ideas please
    • Request to update VAT registration date for Brikz And Bolt Technical Services L.L.C S.O.C

      Dear Zoho Books Support Team, I am writing to request assistance with updating the VAT registration date to 01 June 2026 in our Zoho Books account (Organization: Brikz And Bolt Technical Services L.L.C S.O.C, TRN: 105420963800003). Currently, the system
    • Handle Leading Zeros in a Number Field

      Hi, If I use a Number Field, set with Min 7 Digits and Max 7 Digits, and enter 0000001, it will result in 1 and an error as it removes the leading zeros, the same with entering 0012340 will result in 12340 and error. So I have to use a Text Field and
    • HTML PDF Templates / Build From Scratch option not visible for Custom Modules

      Hi everyone, I am working with Zoho Books Custom Modules and trying to create a custom 4x4 package label PDF template using HTML/CSS. According to the official Zoho Books documentation for HTML PDF Templates, there should be an option like: Settings →
    • Virtual Option for Fields

      Hi, I would like to be able to choose another option other than Read-Only or Disabled, such as Virtual. And with Virtual, the field is shown on the form and avilable in rules, but NOT saved to the Database. A use case is having multiple Large Lists of
    • Prefix & Suffix on Single Line, Number, etc.

      Hi, I would like to have the same Prefix and Suffix that was added to the Unique ID on Text and Number Fields. Use case could be as basic as temperature, as per another Idea I have to use Single Line (Text) for a number that might have leading zeros today,
    • Customer User Fields for use in Rules

      Hi, I would like to be able to add custom fields to the users, such as Department or Role, which can then be used in Rules, Reports, etc. as a condition. A use case is limiting Global lists or Choices based on the users Custom Field, so one form can be
    • Locked out of MFA due to changing phones

      I have been locked out of my Zoho Books account since i changed my mobile phone over. I can get the OTP through the ZOHO Books software but i cant confirm using my phone app as nothing appears to authorise. I need to know how to register/set up my new
    • All new Address Field in Zoho CRM: maintain structured and accurate address inputs

      Availability Update: 29 September 2025: It's currently available for all new sign-ups and for existing Zoho CRM orgs which are in the Professional edition exclusively for IN DC users. 2 March 2026: Available to users in all DCs except US and EU DC. 24
    • Zoho books and venmo

      Hi, Is there a way to hook Venmo into zoho books? I have a Venmo business account and want to be able to sync that. I know you can do it with the paypal integration but I dont want to use paypal for the fees and that doesnt allow me use/integrate my current
    • Payroll needs to automatically remit taxes, not just give me the calculations

      Wagepoint, PayEvo, Waveapps, etc... All your competitors deposit employee payroll, but they ALSO remit taxes automatically. Get with the program, your Payroll app is extremely sparse.
    • Creating new Teams meeting from CRM doesn't enable Team functions in the meeting

      Hi I'm trying to set up the meeting integration and I've seen that when I create a Meeting in the CRM and set the location to Online and the Provider to Teams, and complete the boxes, add a participant etc, whilst the meeting is created in Teams, the
    • Next Page