What is a predecessor and successor in project management?

A predecessor is an activity whose start or finish controls start or finish of another activity. And a successor is an activity whose start or finish is controlled by start or finish of another activity.

Moreover, what is a successor in project management?

In project management a successor is an activity that follows another activity – not in the chronological sense but according to their dependency to each other. A successor activity can have several direct predecessor activities.

Also Know, what is successor event? • A successor event : an event (or events) that immediately follows some other event without any other events intervening.

Moreover, what is a predecessor activity?

A predecessor activity refers specifically to the work schedule activity that is part of the project that determines or establishes when the activity that is determined by the project management team and or project management team leader to be the logical successor activity can begin or end.

What are the different types of dependencies?

There are three kinds of dependencies with respect to the reason for the existence of dependency:

Causal (logical) It is impossible to edit a text before it is written.
Resource constraints. It is logically possible to paint four walls in a room simultaneously but there is only one painter.
Discretionary (preferential)

26 Related Question Answers Found

What is a successor activity?

A successor activity is the descriptor to define a task which occurs following a predecessor activity. Order is very important in business. Successor activities will always come after predecessor tasks.

What is the difference between predecessor and successor?

Answer : "Predecessor" means an entity that is replaced by a successor and includes any predecessors of the predecessor. "Successor" means an entity that has replaced a predecessor by acquiring the assets and carrying out the affairs of the predecessor under a new name (often through acquisition or merger).

What are the four types of dependency relationships?

Like dependencies, there are 4 types of relationships – Finish to Start, Finish to Finish, Start to Start and Start to Finish. All 4 dependencies can be expressed for all 4 relationships.

How are project dependencies identified?

Determine whether the dependency is between tasks within the project or outside of it. List and sort all tasks and activities and determine their dependency to each other. Determine the critical path, i.e. the sequence of tasks that has to be completed before the project can be finished.

What is a start to finish relationship?

Based on more theoretical definition, "Start-to-Finish" refers to the relationship between two activities that the completion of successor is dependent on the initiation of its predecessor. So, the successor cannot be finished until the start of the predecessor.

What is the first step in planning a project schedule?

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Step 1: Identify & Meet with Stakeholders.
Step 2: Set & Prioritize Goals.
Step 3: Define Deliverables.
Step 4: Create the Project Schedule.
Step 5: Identify Issues and Complete a Risk Assessment.
Step 6: Present the Project Plan to Stakeholders.

What is critical path in project management?

In project management, a critical path is the sequence of project network activities which add up to the longest overall duration, regardless if that longest duration has float or not. This determines the shortest time possible to complete the project. There can be 'total float' (unused time) within the critical path.

How do you find predecessors?

Finish-to-start: The predecessor must finish before the successor can start. Finish-to-finish: The predecessor must finish before the successor can finish. Start-to-start: The predecessor must start before the successor can start. Start-to-finish: The predecessor must start before the successor can finish.

What is dummy activity?

A dummy activity is a simulated activity of sorts, one that is of a zero duration and is created for the sole purpose of demonstrating a specific relationship and path of action on the arrow diagramming method.

What does predecessor mean in a Gantt chart?

By definition, the predecessor is the first task; it controls the start or end date for all related successor tasks. The successor, by contrast, is the task whose start or end date is controlled by the predecessor. A dependency is the relationship between predecessor and successor tasks.

How do you manage dependencies?

Here are the steps you should take to manage task dependencies effectively:

List the Project Tasks.
Define Internal Dependencies.
Define External Dependencies.
Choose Dependency Types.
Nominate Owners.
Update Your Schedule.
When Dependencies Go Wrong.
Dealing with Changes.

How many predecessors can an activity have?

Every activity, except the start activity, has at least one predecessor.

What is the most common type of dependency between activities?

Dependencies are the relationships of the preceding tasks to the succeeding tasks. Tasks may have multiple preceding tasks and multiple succeeding tasks. The most common dependency relationship is a finish-to-start relationship. Task P (predecessor) must be finished before task S (successor) can start.

How do you find the critical path?

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In other words, critical path is the longest path in your project's schedule network diagram, and is the SHORTEST possible duration for the project.
Calculating Critical Path is a simple 4-step process.
A -> B -> C -> D -> G -> H —> 10+20+5+10+2+2 = 49 minutes.

What are concurrent activities?

The definition of Concurrent Activities is when the nature of the work allows for more than one activity to be accomplished at the same time, these activities are called concurrent, and parallel project paths are constructed through the network. (

When should you start and end a relationship?

Start To Finish is a Logical Relationship in which a Successor Activity cannot finish until a Predecessor Activity has started. In simple words we can say that, the Finish of a Successor Activity is Dependent on Start of the Predecessor Activity. The most common and natural relationship is Finish to Start (FS).

What is a critical activity?

A Critical Activity is a work element which must be properly managed to ensure the success of a project, and an organization, program, or an activity that is the critical path.