This article explains how to declare and manage cross-project scheduling dependencies between tasks in different projects. 

If you’re new to this feature, we recommend reading the Introduction to Cross-Project Scheduling first.

Declaring a dependency

To create a cross-project scheduling dependency:

1. Open the schedule for the project where the dependency is being declared (this is the declaring project).
   
   

2. Locate the task that depends on another project and open the task dialog.
   
   
   

3. Select the Project Scheduling link from the left hand side navigation menu and click on the Add Cross-Project Dependency button.
   
   
   

4. This will open the schedule dependency dialog.
   
   

   
   Give the dependency a title that explains its purpose. You can also add a description. Thenhoose the target project that the task is dependent on and set the dependency type:

   • Finish-to-Start (FS): Your task can only start after the target task finishes.

   • Start-to-Start (SS): Your task and the target task must start together.

   • Finish-to-Start (Reverse): Your task must finish before the target task can start.

            Optionally, enter a lag value in days to apply a delay or overlap between the tasks.

5. Save the dependency by clicking on the Create button. This will send a handshake request to the target project.

The Handshake

Once the dependency is saved, the target project will be notified by receiving a handshake request.

The project manager in that project must:

• Open the handshake request.

• Accept or reject the handshake.

If the project manager accepts the handshake, they will need to link the dependency to a task in their schedule.

When accepted, the dependency becomes active. If rejected, the declaring project will be notified and the dependency will be set to closed.