Using predecessors to dictate duration

Hello,

I have a line in a sheet that I would like to start when another line starts and end when a different line ends. For example, I have 4 lines in a sheet: Line A, Line B, Line C, Line D. I want Line A to begin when Line B begins and end when Line D ends. I want the duration to be malleable and change automatically if the other dates change.

When I try to set this up in Smartsheet using predecessors, the dates always populate based on the duration. The duration seems to be taking precedence over the predecessors. If I don't enter a duration, it automatically populates as 1 day and will end Line A when Line D ends, but won't start when Line B starts. Due to missing dates in other lines in the real project, I can't the lines to have the dates automatically roll up to Line A. Does anyone know a fix for this?

Thanks!

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Comments

Mike Wilday

The instructions in Smart Sheet are not very clear and it looks like they removed some key functionality of editing predecesssors more intentionally, but you can use SS to indicate Start at the same time as it predecessor

3SS will give you row 3 as a predecessor and start the task at the same time.

Sam T

Thanks for commenting. The problem I'm having is that when I try to also use 5FF along with 3SS, it won't pick up both predecessors. Line 1 will start at the same time as line 3 OR end at the same time as 5, but it doesn't seem to work with both.

Mike Wilday

Yes, we have that same issue. Seems to be programmed to function with only one or another. You can't have squishy items like that where the FINISH is dependent on one task and the start is dependent on another. $:\$ We set up a flag for those items to ensure that the finish doesn't extend past the project finish. Then we created custom formatting to indicate that the flag has fired.

CharlesD

Same issue here.

Here is what the net says about this Smartsheet limitation, these solution dont work for me.

this behavior is a known limitation in Smartsheet. Unlike MS Project or Primavera, Smartsheet does not automatically calculate duration for a single task purely from SS and FF predecessors. Here’s why and how to handle it:

Why It Didn’t Work

Smartsheet calculates start/finish from either:
1. Start + Duration + Predecessors
2. Finish + Duration + Predecessors
If you leave Duration blank, Smartsheet does not auto-calculate the time span based solely on SS and FF.
It requires a duration unless the task is a parent row, because child tasks control the parent row's span.

Solutions

Option 1: Convert Supervision to a Parent Row

Add a dummy subtask under Supervision (can be a milestone with 0d).
Smartsheet will auto-span the parent Supervision row from the earliest start to the latest finish of its children.
This will mimic auto-calculated duration.

Option 2: Keep Duration Fixed and Let Dependencies Adjust Start/Finish

Keep the Duration set to cover the whole expected span (e.g., 15d).
Smartsheet will shift Start and Finish automatically if predecessors change, but duration stays constant.

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