Task dependencies & critical path

A dependency links one item to another so the schedule shows the real order of work — "drywall can't start until framing finishes." Foreman supports all four standard dependency types plus lead/lag time, and highlights the critical path automatically.

Create a dependency

1. Open a project's Schedule tab in Gantt view.
2. Hover over an item's bar — small dots appear on its left and right edges.
3. Drag from an edge dot onto another bar and release.
4. The link is created as a Finish-to-Start dependency with no lag (the most common case). An arrow now connects the two bars.

Change the dependency type

1. Click the arrow between two bars.
2. In the popover, pick the relationship from the dropdown:
   • Finish-to-Start — the successor starts after the predecessor finishes.
   • Start-to-Start — both start together.
   • Finish-to-Finish — both finish together.
   • Start-to-Finish — the successor finishes after the predecessor starts.
3. The change applies immediately.

Arrows whose type or lag isn't the default show a small badge on the link (for example, SS+2).

Lead and lag time

Lag offsets a dependency in days. A positive lag delays the successor (a two-day cure before the next step); a negative value is lead time, letting work deliberately overlap. Non-zero lag shows in the arrow's badge.

Remove a dependency

1. Click the arrow.
2. In the popover, click Remove.

Read the critical path

Foreman runs a critical-path calculation across each project every time the schedule changes:

• Items on the critical path — the chain that determines the project's finish date — are outlined with a red ring, and arrows linking two critical items render in red.
• Items with slack show a faint slack tail extending past their end date, indicating how far they could slip without delaying the project.