WhenMathTask Start-Date Sequencer
Give each task a duration and the tasks it depends on, and this sequences every task as early as its dependencies allow using the same dependency scheduler as WhenMath's other project engines, then checks any fixed deadlines you add against the result.
Worked example
A single task with no dependencies and a 5-day duration starts exactly on the project start date, since nothing else has to finish first. Add a second task that depends on the first, and it cannot start until the first task's own computed finish date, regardless of how much calendar time is technically available before then. Attach a fixed deadline to that second task and the sequencer compares its computed finish against that stated date directly, reporting a clear met or missed outcome rather than leaving you to check the two dates yourself.
Common mistakes
- Adding a fixed deadline and expecting the sequencer to compress the schedule to meet it. It never does. A deadline here is checked, not enforced.
- Creating a dependency cycle, where a task depends on a chain of other tasks that eventually depends back on itself. The sequencer detects this and rejects it rather than looping forever.
Limitations
This schedules by calendar days only, with no capacity or resource constraint applied beyond the stated dependencies, and it does not model weekends or holidays unless you build that into each task's own duration.
Frequently asked questions
- Can more than one task depend on the same predecessor?
- Yes, any number of tasks can share a predecessor, and each one starts as soon as that predecessor finishes.
- What if a task has no fixed deadline?
- It is scheduled normally and simply has no deadline comparison shown for it in the result.