I moved some tasks, and the task dependencies changed

Symptoms

When you move some tasks, the task dependencies change.

Cause

When you copy or move an entire task or resource, the associated information is copied or moved with it. This information includes:

• Subtasks (if the selection is a summary task)

• Notes

• Linked or embedded objects

In addition, Project, by default, automatically creates task dependencies for new tasks that you insert within a series of consecutively linked tasks. If all of the following criteria are met, your dependencies will change to include the inserted task in the linked series:

• The surrounding tasks are part of a series of consecutively linked tasks.

• The dependencies for the surrounding tasks are finish-to-start.

• The Autolink inserted or moved tasks check box is selected on the Schedule tab of the Options dialog box (Tools menu).

When you move a task within a group of linked tasks, Project links that task within the group's sequence (for example, A>B>C>D becomes A>B>D>C).

When you move a task from one group of linked tasks to another, the task is inserted into the sequence of the new group (for example, A>B>X>C>D), and the remaining tasks are adjusted (W>Y>Z).

When you move a task from a group of linked tasks to an area with no linked tasks, the moved task is unlinked, and the remaining tasks are adjusted (for example, A>B>C>D becomes A>B>D).

When you move a task from an area with no linked tasks to a group of linked tasks, the moved task is inserted into the sequence (for example, A>B>X>C>D).

Resolution

You can maintain task dependencies between any predecessor and successor tasks, regardless of where you move the task, if at least one of the following criteria is met:

• The task is not being moved from or pasted into a series of consecutively linked tasks.

• The task being moved contains task dependencies other than finish-to-start.

• The Autolink inserted or moved tasks check box is not selected on the Schedule tab of the Options dialog box (Tools menu).

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