The Dependency That Wasn't Real
A software release project has 40 tasks. The scheduler has linked 'write user documentation' as a finish-to-start predecessor of 'system integration testing', because the documentation lead said testing 'shouldn't start until docs are done.' The documentation task is 3 weeks and sits on the critical path; integration testing is 4 weeks. In reality, testing only needs the test environment and the build, both of which are ready in week 2. The PM also has a hard constraint: the external penetration-testing vendor is booked for a fixed window in week 10 and cannot be moved. A separate task, 'procure test data licence,' has a 5-week lead time and no predecessor links at all.
1. Evaluate the documentation-to-testing link and explain the scheduling consequence of keeping it.
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The link is a soft, preference-based dependency (discretionary), not a mandatory one. Testing needs the environment and build, not the docs. Keeping the FS link artificially lengthens the critical path by up to 3 weeks and hides the true float. The PM should challenge the link, confirm with the testing lead what the real inputs are, and either remove it or convert it to a start-to-start with lag if some overlap matters. Removing false dependencies is one of the highest-leverage schedule fixes because it can shorten the project without spending anything.
2. What should the PM do about the unlinked licence task and the fixed vendor window?
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The licence task has a 5-week lead and no links, which means the schedule is silently assuming it will happen on time. It must be linked to the task that needs the licence and given a latest-start date derived from that successor. The fixed penetration-testing window in week 10 is a hard constraint: the PM should schedule backward from it, confirm the predecessor chain (build, environment, test data) can deliver by week 10, and treat any slippage in that chain as a direct threat to a non-movable commitment. The PM should also check whether the licence lead time forces it to start before the project's current start - a common surprise.