Adding a Dependency to a Project

Once SmartTasks have been created and assigned, and durations have been entered, dependencies should be added where necessary to connect SmartTasks. A dependency in Moovila is what it sounds like—one task whose start or completion is dependent on another’s. Building in dependencies allows the Critical Path to be established, which dictates how long it will take to complete the project. It also ties SmartTasks that are related together so that if the completion of one SmartTask is necessary before the next starts, Moovila will flag the risk to the second SmartTask when the first starts running behind.

Dependencies can be added via Critical Path, Power Grid, or Timeline (Gantt Chart) views.

1. To add dependencies in Power Grid (note that the process is the same in the Timeline view):

   a.	Select Power Grid view from the upper left navigation.
   b.	Click the Dependencies icon in the upper right. From this point there are two ways to apply dependencies to the project--either by typing them directly into the Successor field, or by clicking on row numbers to assign dependencies. We'll walk through typing in dependencies first.
   c.	To Type in Dependencies: Click twice on the cell in the Successor column for the first task to be assigned dependencies. The cell activates and is now ready for text entry.
   d.	Multiple tasks may be entered as predecessors or successors by adding a comma between line numbers. The following dependency types are available by entering the short code alongside the task's line number.  Start-to-Start: SS (e.g. a start-to-start dependency on a task in row 87 would be entered as 87SS) Finish-to-Finish: FF (e.g. a finish-to-finish dependency on a task in row 87 would be entered as 87FF) Lag: +x"unit of time" where time units are abbreviated as "y" "m" "w" "d" (e.g. a lag of 3 days on a task in row 87 would be entered as 87+3d) Lead: -x"unit of time" where time units are abbreviated as "y" "m" "w" "d" (e.g. a lead of 3 months on a task in row 87 would be entered as 87-3m)
   e.	To Apply Dependencies by Clicking on Rows: Click the Successor field for the first desired SmartTask and select the row number of the SmartTask that should be completed after the first SmartTask. As shown below, the second SmartTask (Document + Feedback Gathering) is scheduled to start after the first (Review Corporate Process Handbook) has completed. When selecting the second SmartTask as the successor, the first SmartTask is automatically populated as the predecessor to the second SmartTask.
   f.	Continue to assign predecessors and successors throughout the remaining SmartTasks.
   g.	To remove existing dependencies, click the Predecessor or Successor field and de-select the previously chosen row.
   h.	When satisfied with any modifications, click Save. The Save Dependencies screen appears. Click Yes to update SmartTasks with the proposed dates and indicate whether or not change notifications should be sent to the team. Additionally, if there are dates you do not wish to update they can be deselected before saving by clicking on their line.
   g.	Click Save.

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3. To add dependencies in Critical Path view:
   

   a.	Select Critical Path view from the upper left navigation.
   b.	SmartTasks without dependencies appear at the bottom of the screen. To define dependencies, drag the SmartTask that must be completed first to the top frame.
   c.	Drag the SmartTask that is dependent on the first into the Drag 2nd SmartTask here space. Note that dates have populated within the thumbnails in the Critical Path indicating start dates and end dates. These are based upon Durations established within each SmartTask. For example, the first SmartTask below will start on 10/15 and finish on 11/30, so Moovila has set up the next SmartTask in the sequence to begin on 12/1 (the next work day), because that second SmartTask is dependent on the first being complete to start. The second SmartTask is set to last for three days, so the dates reflect a start date of 12/1 and an end date of 12/3.
   d.	Continue to drag and drop SmartTask thumbnails in order of dependency.
   e.	Click Save. The Save Dependencies screen appears.
   f.	Click Yes to update SmartTasks with the proposed dates and indicate whether or not change notifications should be sent to the team.
   g.	Click Save.
   h.	To modify dependencies in Critical Path mode, click the Dependencies icon in the upper right navigation. Note that if SmartTasks are cancelled, they will remain in the Critical Path but will no longer impact any dates in the timeline.