A Dependency field records which tasks must finish before a task can start, and which tasks wait on it. Think of the arrows between bars on a project timeline.

Here is the test: does the date of this task depend on another task finishing? If yes, you want a Dependency field.

Example: an Audit Tasks table with a field called Dependencies. "Start fieldwork" lists "Collect evidence" as a predecessor. Move the evidence deadline and fieldwork moves with it.

The Dependencies field in the Start fieldwork record, showing Collect evidence as a predecessor and Draft report as a successor.

A Dependency field needs three fields in the table first: a Due Date field and an Assigned To field, both linked to the same Status field. Add those fields first, then come back.

The field settings panel opens. It has two tabs: Settings and Help Text. The rest of this article takes them in that order. Save with Add Field (or Update Field on a field that already exists).

A table can hold one Dependency field; with one in place, the add-field list refuses a second. Its type is locked: the panel shows a lock icon in place of the field type dropdown.

The field settings panel, Settings tab, with the Gantt Due Date Field dropdown, Auto-Scheduling and Dependency Mode.

The Settings tab holds the date field the chain runs on and the rules for moving dates. Top to bottom: Display Format, Gantt Due Date Field, Auto-Scheduling and Dependency Mode.

A picture of two tasks joined by an arrow. There is nothing to choose here; a Dependency field always shows as predecessor and successor pills.

The Due Date field that gives each task its start and end. A Due Date is a range with a start date and an end date, and that range is the task's bar in Gantt View. Pick the table's Due Date field. The dropdown offers only Due Date fields that are linked to the Status and Assigned To fields; with none in the table it reads "Missing fields".

For Audit Tasks, pick Task Dates, the Due Date field that holds each task's planned start and finish.

Two switches, both off to start.

Automatically schedule tasks based on their dependencies. On, a change to one task's dates moves the tasks that depend on it. Push Collect evidence back a week and Start fieldwork moves a week too. Off, the dates stay where they are and people move them by hand.

Apply backward scheduling. Available only when the first switch is on. Off, tasks are scheduled forward from the start date. On, they are scheduled backward from the end date. Turn it on when the end date is fixed and the earlier tasks have to fit before it. An audit report due to the committee on a set day is the usual case.

How much of the chain the field can express. Two options, chosen with a radio button.

The four types in Advanced Mode:

Lag adds a gap. A 3-day lag starts Task B 3 days after Task A finishes. Lead overlaps the tasks. A lead of -2 days starts Task B 2 days before Task A finishes. Use lag for buffer time, such as two days between evidence collection and fieldwork for review. Use lead to compress a timeline.

Audit Tasks uses Standard Mode. Most audit chains are Finish-to-Start, and Standard Mode keeps the picker simple.

The Dependency Mode section with its two radio buttons, Advanced Mode selected, and a dependency showing its type and lag value.

A note for the person filling in the record, up to 800 characters. Help Text Appearance shows it As A Tooltip (the default, behind an info icon next to the field name) or Below The Field Name (always visible).

Write it for someone who has never seen the field. For Dependencies: "Add the tasks that must finish before this one can start. Leave it empty for a task that can start any time."

Field Permissions. Every field can carry its own permissions, which control who can see the field and who can edit it. Open the column menu and select Edit Field Permissions. Use it when only the audit lead should change the order of tasks. See Field Permissions.

Dynamic Record Permissions. A Dependency field can also drive record-level rules: who can see or edit a record based on the value it holds. Every field type except Button can drive a rule. See Dynamic Record Permissions.

Once tasks are chained, the field shows the chain in every view.

In a record or a grid cell. The field opens as a popover with two sections: Predecessor (Waiting On), the tasks this task waits for, and Successor (Blocking), the tasks that wait for it. Select Add Predecessor Dependency + or Add Successor Dependency +, find the task with the search box or the Assigned to and Status filters, and select Add. + Create New Task makes the task on the spot. Each row shows the task's status dot, its title, assignee, due date and status, with a ... menu on hover for removing it.

In Grid View. Two pills per record show the counts, Predecessors and Successors. Select the cell and the expand icon at its right opens the popover. Predecessors and successors can also be shown as separate columns and edited like a Linked Record field.

In Kanban View. The same pills appear on each card once Dependency is added under Fields to Display.

In Gantt View. The full chain, with arrows between the task bars.

The field filters like a Linked Record field: pick tasks, match text in their titles, or use is empty and is not empty. "Dependencies is empty" lists every task that nothing waits on and that waits on nothing.

Group a view by the field and tasks are grouped by the tasks they depend on. A task that depends on several tasks appears in each group.

Sorting by a Dependency field is not available; the column menu has no sort entry. Sort by the start date, the due date or the status instead. Spotlight is not available either.

A Dependency field cannot be counted or rolled up.

A formula can read the field.

A Dependency field can start an automation as a trigger, and an action can set it. See Automation Actions explained.

A Dependency field cannot be placed on a form.

Add a predecessor or successor. Open the field's popover, select Add Predecessor Dependency + or Add Successor Dependency +, find the task and select Add.

Remove one. Hover over the task's row in the popover, open the ... menu and select the remove option. The task itself is not deleted.

Turn auto-scheduling on or off. Open Modify Field Settings, change the switch, then Update Field.

Switch modes. Open Modify Field Settings, change Dependency Mode, then Update Field. Switching from Advanced Mode back to Standard Mode turns every dependency into Finish-to-Start with no lag.

Change the field type. Not possible. To replace the field, delete it and add the field you need; deleted fields sit in the Recycle Bin for 30 days.

Last verified 30 Oct 2026.