Offsets for dependencies

In traditional project planning, work packages are often set in time dependencies. A time dependency means that the successor starts after the predecessor ends. For example, if the predecessor is planned from Monday to Wednesday, the successor starts on Thursday.

Time dependencies are typically visualized by arrows between the planning bars.

The offset indicates the time interval between the end of a work package (predecessor) and the start of the subsequent work package (successor).

An offset of 0 means that successor B starts immediately after the end of predecessor A. Because project planning is carried out on a daily basis, B starts on the day after A ends.

A positive offset creates a gap or buffer between the work packages. An offset of +1 means one day apart, an offset of +2 means two days.

A negative offset means that B starts before A ends. An offset of -2 means that the work packages overlap by two days. For example, if B ends on Thursday, A starts on Tuesday of the same week with an offset of -2.

Octaved Flow allows both positive and negative offsets. Octaved Flow also offers other alternatives to offsets.