Start-to-Finish (SF)
Definition:
In project scheduling, setting a dependency rule that the ‘finish date’ of a particular task is dependent on the ‘start date’ of its specified predecessor task.
Project Manager Usage Context
Setting Start-to-Finish dependencies is done within a project scheduling application such as MS Project by either the Project Manager of a Project Scheduler.
Start-to-Finish is the least used task dependency.
Setting task dependencies is an integral part of working out the planned duration of your project as well as critical to both the sequence order and timing of all project tasks.
Comments / Tips
This is the most mind-bending task dependency out of the 4 by far because we often think of schedules running from start to finish.
This is however a great dependency to use if you want to build a schedule from a certain point and work backwards.
E.g. “We have a hard date 1st May to meet that tender submission deadline - let’s work backwards from that date and establish what tasks and activities need to happen”
There are 4 types of task dependencies - also see :
