In project management, the sequence of tasks and their interdependencies play a crucial role in ensuring that projects are executed efficiently and within deadlines. The Task Dependency feature in the Odoo 18 Project module, allows the determination of the order in which tasks should be completed based on their relationships to one another. Understanding and utilizing task dependencies can significantly enhance project workflow, help allocate resources better, and prevent delays that might otherwise occur if tasks are not performed in the right sequence.
This blog discusses how task dependencies can be managed in Odoo 18, and how the task order can be determined with the task dependency feature.
What is Task Dependency?
Task Dependency refers to the relationship between tasks, where the completion of one task is necessary for starting or completing another task. In simple terms, if Task A needs to be completed before Task B can begin, Task B is dependent on Task A. Task dependencies are a common practice in project management, as they ensure that tasks are executed in the proper order and prevent unnecessary delays.
To set up task dependencies in Odoo 18, navigate to Project > Configuration > Settings.
Under the Tasks Management section, ensure that the Task Dependencies feature is enabled. And make sure to Save the settings if any changes are made.
After enabling task dependencies, go back to the dashboard and select a project to create tasks under the project or click on the New button to create a new project.
In the selected project, add the tasks by clicking on the New button so that the tasks are added in the first stage in the pipeline or to add a task to a specific stage, click on the + icon next to the stage name.
Provide the Task Title and Assignees for the task that is being created. Click on the Add button.
Add all the tasks that are required to complete the project.
After the tasks have been added the task dependencies can be set; for that, select a task, and since the task dependencies feature has been enabled a Blocked By tab appears for the task under which the task that needs to be completed before this task can begin can be provided. It indicates that this task has been blocked by the task that is given under the Blocked By tab.
Here, click on Add a line, and all the tasks under that project appear since the filter has been provided by the project name. when it is removed all the tasks appear.
Also, the tasks that are shown here are all open tasks as the filter has been applied for open tasks.
From here, click on the box to the left of the task name and click on the Select button or click on the New button to create a new task that needs to be added to the blocked list.
The ‘Gather Requirements’ task has been added over here, so according to this configuration the task ‘Design Wireframes’ has been blocked by the task ‘Gather Requirements’, that is ‘Design Wireframes’ task is dependent on the ‘Gather Requirements’ task and only when it is completed the task ‘Design Wireframes’ can be started. Until then it is in the waiting stage and a waiting symbol is provided at the top. Also, the blocked by task can be viewed from here by clicking on View.
In that task, a smart tab called Blocked Tasks appears which shows the tasks that have been blocked by it.
Now to view the visual representation of the task view go to the Gantt chart view of the tasks.
From the view since the assignee has been set as ‘Marc Demo’ click on a cell corresponding to the assignee and also consider the date on which the task has to be done. When a cell has been clicked a wizard appears that shows all the tasks in that project and the required task that needs to be viewed in the Gantt chart can be selected and click on the Select button.
Once the tasks are added the task dependency is shown using an arrow.
Also, the task dependency can be created from the Gantt chart view for that select the tasks and when the mouse is hovered upon the task a dot appears and drag it to the task that needs to be blocked. The arrow is shown indicating that the task can only be in progress once the predecessor task has been completed.
Now since the dependency has been added the task which is dependent cannot be changed to in progress till the task on which it is dependent is done or cancelled.
Now go to the predecessor which is ‘Gather Requirements’ and mark it as done.
Once the task has been completed and marked as done the dependent task can now be executed.
As shown the task has moved from the waiting state to in progress and the blocked by task has been marked as done. Also when the sub-task has been added it can also be selected to set the task dependency. To add a sub-task go to the Sub-tasks tab and click on Add a line, a new line appears where the task title can be provided
Once the sub-task for a task has been added go to the task for which it has to be set as Blocked By. Go to the Blocked by tab and click on Add a line to add the task.
So, as seen, task dependency management is a vital feature in Odoo 18 that allows project managers to determine the order of tasks, ensuring that projects are completed in a logical and efficient sequence. By using task dependencies, projects can be better organized, resources can be optimized, deadlines can be met, and the overall execution of the project can be streamlined. The Gantt chart view further enhances this feature by providing a visual representation of tasks and their dependencies, making it easier to track progress and adjust the project timeline.
To read more about How the Task Dependencies Work in Odoo 16 Project App, refer to our blog How the Task Dependencies Work in Odoo 16 Project App.