I’m building a template for a project workspace and could do with some help understanding how dependencies are behaving.
The workspace contains around 11 projects, each representing a different workstream. Within each project, we’re creating tasks. Each task has:
a duration (in days)
a timeline column, which is driven by that duration
a dependency on the previous task
The idea is that once the first task’s start date is entered, all subsequent tasks will automatically schedule finish-to-start, based on their durations. This is intended to be a mobilisation plan template, so we can duplicate the workspace, enter a start date for task one in each project, and have the full plan mapped out automatically.
However, I’m running into an issue:
All dependencies are set to Strict
Despite this, tasks are lining up as start-to-start, not finish-to-start
I don’t see any option to change the dependency type
The settings shown in monday.com training videos for the dependency column aren’t appearing for me
Has anyone experienced this before, or knows why the dependency options might be missing / defaulting to start-to-start? Any guidance would be really appreciated!
What you’re running into is more about how monday handles dependencies today than a setup mistake on your side.
In monday, the Dependencies column only supports a single dependency behavior at the board level, and that behavior is fixed to start-to-start for Timeline columns. The “Strict” setting simply means that dates will be enforced and pushed when a dependency changes, but it does not change the dependency type itself. That’s why, even with Strict enabled, you’re seeing tasks line up start-to-start instead of finish-to-start.
The reason you’re not seeing the dependency type options shown in some older training videos is that monday removed or never fully exposed true dependency types like finish-to-start, start-to-finish, etc. in standard boards. Those videos can be misleading because they either reference older experiments or non standard implementations that aren’t available in most accounts.
There is a way to get the behavior you want, but it requires a small structural adjustment.
Instead of relying on the Timeline duration plus dependencies alone, you’ll want to use a combination of a Date column and a Timeline column. Set the dependency on the Date column rather than the Timeline, then use an automation such as “When date arrives set timeline based on duration” or calculate the timeline from the start date and duration. This allows the next task to truly start only after the previous task’s end date is reached.
Another approach some teams use for mobilisation templates is to store the start date only on the first task and calculate all subsequent start dates using formulas that reference the previous task’s end date. It’s a bit more setup upfront, but it gives you true finish-to-start behavior and works reliably when duplicating workspaces or boards.
So in short, the missing dependency options aren’t a bug in your account. They’re a current platform limitation. With a slight adjustment to how dates and timelines are driven, you can still achieve the automatic cascading schedule you’re aiming for.
If you want, the Monday Wizard team is happy to walk through the best structure for your template so it behaves exactly the same way every time you duplicate it.
Can you give me more detail on how to set up the quoted text please?
”Another approach some teams use for mobilisation templates is to store the start date only on the first task and calculate all subsequent start dates using formulas that reference the previous task’s end date. It’s a bit more setup upfront, but it gives you true finish-to-start behavior and works reliably when duplicating workspaces or boards.”
Happy to clarify. Here’s the simplest way teams usually handle this.
Use formulas instead of dependencies to drive the schedule.
Set up these columns
Start Date date column
Duration days number column
End Date date column calculated by formula
For the first task only, manually set the Start Date.
End Date formula is simply Start Date + Duration.
For every task after that, set the Start Date using a formula that references the previous task’s End Date. This creates true finish to start behavior and works reliably when duplicating boards or workspaces.
If you want a Timeline, map it to Start Date and End Date so it stays visual only and doesn’t control logic.
This avoids the current dependency limitation and keeps templates predictable.
If you get stuck setting this up, our team isready to help. You can schedule a working session and we’ll walk through the setup live and tailor it to your template. you can schedule a session here Calendly
