Task Dependencies in a SharePoint Gantt Chart: How They Actually Work
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Dependencies are what turn a task list into a plan: this cannot start until that finishes. In the free, open-source Smart Gantt Chart web part you create them with one field, and the chart draws the arrows for you.
Link two tasks with Depends On
Click a task in the Gantt or List view to open the task panel, then set Depends On to the predecessor task. Save, and an arrow appears from the predecessor's bar to this task's bar.
How the scheduling links behave
Each arrow represents one of four dependency types. Lead and lag follow the working calendar configured in the web-part settings:
- Dates shift automatically. Moving a predecessor shifts dependent tasks to keep their links satisfied, and Undo restores the previous schedule.
- Four link types are available. Finish to Start, Start to Start, Finish to Finish, and Start to Finish can each include positive lag or negative lead in working days.
- Links stay inside one project. Cross-project dependencies are not supported.
- Baselines are separate. Set one from the menu to compare current dates with the approved start and finish dates and see finish variance.
Circular and duplicate links are rejected. Links remain inside one project; Portfolio is a rollup of project cards, not a cross-project scheduling engine.
Show the sequence clearly
Two display settings make the chain readable. Turn on dependency arrows so the links render, and turn on the critical path highlight to emphasize the longest chain of linked work. You can also color bars by status, priority, phase or health so a blocked chain stands out.
Structure work without dependencies
Not everything needs a link. Two other fields usually do the job better:
- Phase groups related tasks into a band on the timeline — useful for Discovery, Build, Rollout.
- Parent Task nests sub-tasks under a summary task so you can collapse detail.
- Milestone marks a zero-duration checkpoint, drawn as a diamond.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Do SharePoint Gantt dependencies move dates automatically?
Yes. Moving a task shifts dependent tasks to keep their links satisfied, using the configured working calendar. A message reports how many tasks moved and provides Undo.
Are there four dependency types like finish-to-start?
Yes. Smart Gantt Chart supports Finish to Start, Start to Start, Finish to Finish, and Start to Finish, with positive lag or negative lead in working days.
Can a task depend on a task in another project?
No. Dependencies work inside one project. The Portfolio view shows project cards side by side but does not link tasks across projects.
The SharePoint project management guides
Build the plan, run it week to week, then share it with the people who only ever see the summary.
Build the plan
Start a project, add tasks with dates, and get a timeline on a SharePoint page.
Bring a task list, Excel sheet or Microsoft Planner board in through the import wizard.
Group work into phases and mark the dates that people actually care about.
The SharePoint lists the web part creates, who needs which permission, and what that means for governance.
Export a proven plan to Excel, reset the dates, and start every similar project from it.
Two ways to give a long task list structure, and the roll-up behavior to plan around.
Run the project
A 20-minute routine straight from the SharePoint page, ending with a one-click deck.
On Track, At Risk, Overdue or Done, derived from dates and progress instead of typed in.
Assign tasks, filter by assignee, and find the person carrying too much of the plan.
Cut a 400-task timeline down to the slice you need for a single conversation.
Retire completed work without losing the record, and recover a project deleted by mistake.
The Portfolio view: a status card per project with automatic health and a mini timeline.
Save the agreed dates, then see each task's finish variance in working days.
How simultaneous edits are protected, and the quick edits that save instantly.
Share and compare
What clients and contractors can do in the plan, and the two things an internal owner handles.
Turn the live plan into a steering-committee deck, plus Excel and PNG output.
Where Calendar and Board views stop, and when dependencies and baselines make a Gantt worth it.
Smart Gantt Chart against Microsoft Project, Planner, Smartsheet, Monday and the rest.
The full picture of running projects from SharePoint, in one page.
The free, open-source Gantt web part that runs inside your own tenant.
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Keep reading
Filter a 200-Task SharePoint Project Plan Down to What Matters
Search, status, priority, assignee, phase and due-date filters that stay applied across the Gantt, List, Kanban and Dashboard views.
Show the Critical Path on a SharePoint Gantt Chart (Free)
Highlight the chain of linked tasks that drives your finish date, directly on a SharePoint page — no Microsoft Project license.
Import a Microsoft Planner Plan into a SharePoint Gantt Chart (Free)
Bring an existing Planner plan — or an Excel/CSV task list — into a SharePoint Gantt chart, with a column mapper and a one-time admin consent step.
Rolling this out to more teams?
Let our team set up project tracking in SharePoint
We design your project sites, lists, and Power Automate workflows, then train your team so project tracking actually sticks.
About the author
Sean Regan
SharePoint & Microsoft 365 consultant with 20+ years of hands-on experience building SPFx web parts, migration tooling and tenant-grade automation. Maintainer of the open-source SharePoint Smart Solutions suite.