In project management, what role do dependencies play?

Dependencies in project management are crucial because they define the relationships between tasks, indicating how one task is related to another. This relationship can come in various forms, such as finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish, and others, and they are essential for scheduling and project planning.

Understanding the dependencies allows project managers to visualize the sequence of tasks, making it easier to determine the order in which activities should be executed. This aids in identifying critical paths, managing risk, and ensuring that teams work efficiently. By recognizing how tasks impact one another, project managers can also anticipate potential delays and adjust timelines accordingly, leading to more realistic planning and execution of the project.

While dependencies certainly influence timelines, they encompass more than just timing alone; they involve the interconnections of tasks that dictate how the project unfolds. Other aspects like market conditions or resource availability are relevant to project management but do not directly relate to the fundamental structure of task interdependencies, which is what is being examined in this context.