Create a predecessor relationship on the task list

Last update: January 12, 2024

CREATED FOR:

  • User

You can use predecessor tasks (or just predecessors) to link tasks that depend on other tasks to start or complete. For example, you would not want to host a party (dependent task) before you send out the invitations (predecessor task).

This article shows you how to create predecessors on the task list.

You can view the predecessors of tasks in the following areas of Adobe Workfront:

  • In the task list in the Predecessors column.
  • In the Gantt chart
  • In the Predecessors section of a dependent task

For more information, see Overview of task predecessors.

Access requirements

You must have the following access to perform the steps in this article:

Adobe Workfront planAny
Adobe Workfront license*

New: Standard

Current: Plan

Access level configurations*

Edit access to Tasks and Projects

NOTE

If you still don’t have access, ask your Workfront administrator if they set additional restrictions in your access level.

Object permissionsManage permissions to the tasks and the project

*To find out what plan, license type, or access you have, contact your Workfront administrator. For more information about access requirements, see Access requirements in Workfront documentation.

Create a predecessor

  1. Go to a project.

  2. Click Tasks in the left panel.

  3. Ensure that your current view displays the Predecessor column.

    If the view doesn’t display the Predecessors column, change to a view that does, or add the column to your view.

  4. Select the task that you want to designate as the dependent task.

  5. Click inside the Predecessors column.

  6. Type the task number that you want to designate as the predecessor of the selected task, then press Enter.

    TIP
    To add a cross-project predecessor, do the following:

    1. Click the Plan Mode icon and choose Autosave.

    2. Type the Reference Number of the project of the predecessor followed by colon and the number of the task. For example, type: 765021:12. This indicates that the Reference Number of the predecessor’s project is 765021 and the predecessor is task number 12 on the project.

    3. Add the dependency type for this predecessor. For more information, see Create cross-project predecessors.

    Press Enter.
    IMPORTANT
    You cannot add cross-project predecessor when the task list displays in Manual save mode.

    The predecessor icon turns green when the predecessor task is marked complete. This signals that the dependent task is ready for work.

    For more information about the relationship types available in the Predecessors column, see Overview of task predecessors in Overview of task predecessors.

View predecessor details

You can quickly view details about the predecessor from the task list.

  1. On the task list, hover over the predecessor number in the Predecessors column.

    A box with the details of the predecessor displays.

    Predecessor details

    The following details are displayed:

    Predecessor name: The name of the predecessor that is being referenced. The task number of the predecessor is included. Click the task name to open it. In the above example, the predecessor is Production/Execution/Delivery.

    Project name: The name of the project where the predecessor resides. The project is identified as the current project if the predecessor belongs to the same projects as the task, or as a cross project, if the predecessor belongs to a different project. In the above example, the project name is Digital Asset Production (Integrated) - Project. For more information about cross-project predecessors, see Create cross-project predecessors.

    You can expand the project details to see the project’s planned start and end dates, condition, status, percent complete, and owner. For a cross project, you can then click See Project to open the project.

    ID: The Reference number of the project where the predecessor is located.

    Planned Start: The Planned Start Date of the predecessor task.

    Planned End: The Planned Completion Date of the predecessor task.

    Number of predecessors: The number of predecessors for the predecessor being referenced. In the above example, the predecessor being referenced has 1 predecessor.

    Number of successors: The number of successor (or dependent) tasks for the predecessor being referenced. In the above example, the predecessor being referenced has 1 successor.

Previous pageOverview of task predecessors
Next pageCreate a predecessor relationship using the Predecessors area

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