> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://collabase.ch/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

> ## Agent Instructions
> Collabase documentation. Interface labels are quoted in English, as they appear in the product.
> Features marked Enterprise need the Collabase Enterprise Edition licence.

# Dependencies between work items

> Record which work item blocks which, within a project or across projects, and see the dependencies on the timeline and in the relation graph.

A dependency records that one work item has to finish before another can proceed. In Collabase a dependency is a **Blocks** relation between two work items. It can connect work items in the same project or in different projects and Spaces.

<h2 id="types">
  Dependency types
</h2>

```mermaid theme={"dark"}
flowchart LR
  A["Work item A"] -- "Blocks" --> B["Work item B"]
  B -. "Is blocked by" .-> A
  C["Work item C"] -- "Relates to" --- D["Work item D"]
```

| Relation | Is a dependency | Drawn on the Timeline |
| - | - | - |
| **Blocks** / **Is blocked by** | Yes | Always, as an arrow |
| **Relates to** | No | Only with **Show related links** switched on |
| **Duplicates** / **Is duplicated by** | No | No |

Dependencies created in Collabase are **Finish to start**: the blocked work starts when the blocking work is done.

<h2 id="create">
  Create a dependency
</h2>

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="On the Timeline">
    Drag from the dot at the end of one bar to another bar. See [Timeline dependencies](/docs/projects/roadmap#dependencies).
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="In the work item">
    Open the work item, click **Add** under **Relations**, choose **Blocks** or **Is blocked by** as the **Relation type**, find the other work item and confirm with **Link work item**. The other work item can be in any project you can see.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

Both ways need the **Link task** permission.

<h2 id="see">
  See dependencies
</h2>

| Where | What you see |
| - | - |
| **Relations** in the work item | Every relation, in both directions |
| **Graph** in the work item | The **Relation Graph** with relations up to four steps deep, across projects |
| Project **Timeline** | Arrows between bars of the same timeline |
| [Portfolio Gantt](/docs/planning/portfolios#gantt) | No arrows |

<Note>
  An arrow is drawn only when both work items are on the same timeline. A dependency on a work item in another project shows in **Relations** and in the **Relation Graph**, not as an arrow.
</Note>

<h2 id="limits">
  What Collabase does not do
</h2>

* It does not move dependent work items when you reschedule the blocking one.
* It does not warn when a blocked work item starts before its blocker ends.
* It has no critical path.

Check dependencies yourself after moving dates, for example with the **Relation Graph**.

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Timeline" icon="calendar" href="/docs/projects/roadmap">
    Draw and see dependencies in one project.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Work items" icon="circle-check" href="/docs/projects/tasks#relations">
    Relations and the relation graph.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


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