Linking Tasks In Microsoft Project

Link Tasks In A Project

In Microsoft Project, we often need to link  the tasks we had done together. This is how we can define and display the relationships and dependencies between different tasks. The default link type is Finish to Start Link but there are 3 additional types, in total 4 different link types; google, ad, section, and end.

1. Finish to start (FS)

Fro example, we have two tasks; Lay foundation (Task A) and Raise Walls (Task B); and we are not able to start Task B before we have finish the foundation. The link between these two tasks is therefore a Finish to Start Link. 

2. Start to Start (SS)

Let’s say that we and one of our friends are going to put up a new fence. We are putting down the poles and our friend are attaching the net. This is two different tasks; Putting down poles (Task A) and Attaching net (Task B). These two tasks are of Start to Start Link type because our friend needs to wait until we have started our activity but he/she does not need to wait until when we are finished with our task. The SS link type does not require that both task starts simultaneously.

3. Finish to Finish (FF)

Using the same example as above, we can also say that we need to be finished with putting down the poles before (Task A) before our friend is able to finish his/her task of attaching the net (Task B). This is a Finish to Finish Link type.

4. Start to Finish (SF)

For example, when we lay a foundation to a house with concrete, we could have two tasks, Lay foundation (Task A) and Deliver Concrete (Task B). Task A is not possible to to completed before Task B.

To create a Finish to Start link between two tasks;

1. Click on the Finish-date of the first task.

2. Press CTRL and click on the Start-date of the second task.

3. Click on the Link Task button in the Toolbar.

Link Manually Scheduled Tasks

When we link a manually scheduled task to another task, Project places the manually scheduled task relative to the other task. We can configure Project so that a manually scheduled task does not move when we link it to another task:

1 Click File > Options.

2 In the Project Options dialog box, click Schedule and scroll to the Scheduling options in this project section.

3 Uncheck the Update manually scheduled tasks when editing links check box.