Subtasks and Dependencies
- Click the dependent task(s) while holding the Shift key; for this example, click the Approval Meeting task bar
- As you continue holding the Shift key, click the independent task; for this example, click the Designing Process task bar
- Click Add Dependency in SmartPanel and observe what happens next
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SmartDraw draws a dependency line from the dependent tasks to the independent one, automatically shifts your date, and changes the color of the start date cell. You can remove dependencies by selecting the dependent task and clicking Remove Dependency.
In contrast, a Start-to-Start dependency exists when a task cannot begin until another also begins. In this case, "Adjustment" cannot begin unless "Testing" also begins; thus, this relationship has a Start-to-Start dependency.
You can easily express a Start-to-Start task dependency by using the Shape Connector line within the Tools group of the Home tab in SmartPanel.
You can draw a Start-to-Start task dependency by clicking the Shape Connector line, clicking the start point of a taskbar, and dragging the line out to the start point of the next taskbar to where you see the cursor become an anchor.
Releasing the mouse while in this state links the line to the shape.
Once you have adjusted dependency lines, this chart will be near completion. Since this is a simple Gantt chart, all tasks connect to one another, causing a cascade appearance.
Complex projects that involve many tasks and periods and are longer than the current timeframe may not require dependency lines. If tasks had gone beyond the end of June, more time would be needed. To do this, simply click Add Time in the Set Time Frame group of SmartPanel.
Clicking Add Time adds one unit of time. In this case, we add a quarter (three months).
