In Precursive you can set up Task Dependencies and assign a predecessor to each of your Tasks to create a timeline for your work.
Not only! If you are running on a version 21.0* or higher, you can also build Multiple Task Dependencies. That means that you can link multiple successors and predecessors to a single Task. As a result, Tasks won't necessarily have to be scheduled one after the other: they can also be scheduled to be carried out simultaneously by assigning multiple Tasks to a same predecessor. Also, Tasks can be set to start only after all their Predecessors are complete.
Note - In this case, the Lead/Lag Days between Tasks work as a minimum value, not a fixed number. If you set a Task to start 2 days after their Predecessor and the Predecessor is delayed, the Task is delayed by the lag days you set between them. If the Predecessor is completed earlier, you get to decide if you want to anticipate its successors and start working on them straight away or leave them as previously scheduled.
There are 2 ways you can set up your Task Dependencies:
Manually - you can create or edit Task Dependencies directly on your boards and this article will show you how below. That changes depending on what version of Precursive you are running (prior or after Version 21.0) so please double check with your Salesforce Admin what section below is relevant to you and your team.
From your Task Templates - only users with Precursive Super Users permission sets can create and edit Task Templates in Precursive. Please check your License & Permission Sets Types. If you have the correct permissions, please refer to our Task Template Cheat Sheet to create or modify Task dependencies on your Task Templates.
Managing Task Dependencies on Precursive version 21.0 or higher
You can easily visualize, review and manage your Task Dependencies directly from the Plan View of your Precursive Boards (Board, Plan and Table View). There, they are displayed as a line connecting Tasks to one another according to the set dependencies.
If a Parent Task is collapsed, a dotted line will indicate that a Task is dependent on one of its Subtasks. Please compare the image above with the following one:
To check the details of the dependencies set for a specific Task, you can click on the Task (from any Board view), open the pane on the right-hand side and click on the 'Task Dependencies' icon (see image below). There you will find a breakdown of all the Task's Predecessors and Successors, including scheduled Start Date, set lead/lag days and their Contributors' initials.
From there, you can edit the set Dependencies by using the drop-down arrow next the listed Tasks' names, or create new ones by clicking on the 'Add Predecessor' or 'Add Successor' Action Buttons.
A window will pop up where you can search and select the Task you would like to add as Predecessor or Successor and specify the number of Lead/Lag Days.
Note - Remember that Lead/Lag Days between Tasks work as a minimum value, not a fixed number. If you set a Task to start 2 days after their Predecessor and the Predecessor is delayed, the Task is delayed by the lag days you set between them. If the Predecessor is completed earlier, you get to decide if you want to anticipate its successors and start working on them straight away or leave them as previously scheduled.
A Quick Way to Create Task Dependencies
You can also create Task Dependencies directly from the Plan view. To do that:
Hover over what you want to become the Predecessor Task until a green plus icon is displayed
Drag that Task and drop it on what you want to become its Successor Task
Delete Task Dependencies
To delete a Dependency, simply select the line connecting the Tasks that you want to unlink and press the 'delete'/'cxl' button on your keyboard.
Edit Tasks Start Date and Duration
From the Plan View you can also easily edit the Start ate and Duration of your Tasks. Simply hover over a Task and:
When your cursor turns into a white hand, use it to Drag & Drop your Task to a new date to change its Start Date
Use the arrows that will appear on both sides of the Task line to edit its Duration
If you have set up Dependencies for your Tasks, you will see that editing their Start Date or Duration will automatically edit the Start Date if its successors respecting the Lead/Lag Days that have been set between them.
Managing Task Dependencies on Versions Prior to 21.0
In previous versions than version 21.0, you can only assign 1 predecessor to each Task, which makes it its only successor.
The best way to visualize your Tasks Dependencies is to switch to the Plan View on your Project Board (Board, Plan and Table View).
There you can clearly see your Parent Tasks (1) as umbrellas covering your Subtasks (Precursive Subtasks) and the blue timeline (2) that connects your Predecessor Tasks to their dependant ones.
In order to assign a Predecessor Task to one of your Precursive Tasks, all you need to do is adding or editing a Task (Add and Edit a Precursive Task) and selected the relevant Predecessor Task in the 'Advanced Options' section.
When you select a Predecessor Task, you can decide how many Lag Days there should be between the End Date of the Predecessor Task and the Task you have just added/edited.
Note - The Time Dependency between Tasks is always set as Finish to Start, from the End Date of a Predecessor Task to Start Date of the following Task. The task Complete Date is a separate field. If someone completes a Task any time before or after its End Date, the End Date does not change by default but the Task’s Complete Date will show the date and time when the task was marked as complete. You can however have the system automatically recalculate the Tasks' End Date to reflect the Complete Date and therefore the Start Date of any dependant Task. Please see Recalculate Tasks' End Date to reflect the Complete Date for more information.
