Relationship
Scheduling Terms
Reviewed by forProject Technology - updated Sep 2026
Quick definition: A Relationship is the logical link between two schedule tasks that establishes the order in which they must occur, such as Finish-to-Start, Start-to-Start, Finish-to-Finish, or Start-to-Finish.
In scheduling, a Relationship defines how one task depends on another. The most common type, Finish-to-Start, means a task can't begin until its predecessor finishes, while Start-to-Start, Finish-to-Finish, and Start-to-Finish variants link tasks in other ways.
What this means for you
Relationships are what turn a list of tasks into an actual network schedule, letting early and late dates, Float, and the Critical Path be calculated.
Also known as
Logical Relationship; Dependency
Used in
Network Schedule; Critical Path Method calculations
FAQ
What's the most common type of relationship?
Finish-to-Start (FS) is by far the most common, where a task can't start until its predecessor is complete.
Can two tasks have more than one relationship between them?
It depends on the tool. Some scheduling tools allow more than one relationship between the same two tasks, but most allow only one.
Definition maintained by forProject Technology.
© 2026 forProject Technology, Inc.
© 2026 forProject Technology, Inc.
