Gantt Chart & Task Dependencies

The Gantt chart gives you a visual timeline of all tasks, lists, and projects in a space. Task dependencies let you define sequencing rules between tasks so Mosic can detect blocking, auto-schedule dates, and highlight the critical path.

Gantt Chart

What is the Gantt Chart

The Gantt chart shows your work as bars on a timeline. Each bar represents a task, list, or project with its start and end dates. Dependencies appear as arrows connecting bars. You can drag bars to reschedule work, and Mosic’s Cascade Engine automatically recalculates dependent dates.

Accessing the Gantt View

The Gantt chart is available as a view toggle within existing pages.

From a Space:

1. Open a Space detail page
2. Click the Projects tab
3. In the view toggle, select Gantt

From a Project:

1. Open a Project detail page
2. Click the Task Lists tab
3. In the view toggle, select Gantt

From a Task List:

1. Open a Task List detail page
2. Click the Tasks tab
3. In the view toggle, select Gantt

Before you begin: You need at least Viewer role in the workspace to view the Gantt chart. You need Member role or higher to make changes.

Gantt View Layout

The Gantt chart has a split-pane layout:

The divider is draggable so you can adjust how much space each pane gets.

Zoom Levels

You can zoom in and out to see different time scales:

Use the zoom buttons in the toolbar to switch between levels, or click Today to scroll the timeline to the current date.

Bar Colors

You can change how bars are colored using the color mode selector:

Filters

Use the filter button to narrow what appears on the Gantt chart:

• Status — Show only items with specific statuses
• Priority — Show only items with specific priority levels
• Assignee — Show only items assigned to specific people
• Date range — Set a custom time window

Active filters appear as chips below the toolbar. Click a chip to remove that filter.

Interacting with the Gantt Chart

Moving a bar: Drag any bar left or right to change its start and due dates. Mosic shows a preview as you drag.

Resizing a bar: Drag the left or right edge of a bar to change its duration.

Viewing details: Hover over any bar to see a tooltip with the item’s title, dates, progress, and assignee.

Creating dependencies: Drag from the round endpoint on the right edge of a bar to the left edge of another bar to create a Finish-to-Start dependency. Drag from the left endpoint to create a Start-to-Start dependency.

Right-click menu: Right-click anywhere on the Gantt to open a context menu where you can:

• Add a new task or list
• Create a dependency
• Open the item’s detail page
• Edit dates

Search

Use the search bar to find items on the Gantt chart. Matching items are highlighted, and their parent items are automatically expanded so you can see the full path.

Task Dependencies

What are Dependencies

Dependencies define sequencing rules between tasks. They are separate from document Relations — dependencies control scheduling and blocking behavior, while Relations create cross-references between any document types.

Dependencies can be created between tasks, task lists, and projects of the same type, as long as they share the same parent. For example, two tasks in the same task list can have a dependency, or two task lists in the same project.

Dependency Types

Mosic supports four dependency types based on standard project management conventions:

Finish-to-Start (FS) is the most common type. It means “Task B cannot start until Task A is complete.”

Lag Days

You can add lag days to any dependency to introduce a delay or overlap between items:

• Positive lag (e.g., 3 days) — Adds a delay. Task B starts 3 days after Task A finishes.
• Negative lag (e.g., -2 days) — Creates overlap. Task B starts 2 days before Task A finishes.

Blocking Behavior

When a dependency is set to Finish-to-Start and the predecessor is not yet completed, the successor is considered blocked. Mosic prevents you from marking a blocked task as completed and shows a warning with the list of blocking items.

Blocking enforcement can be configured at the space level. A space admin can enable or disable the Enforce dependency blocking setting:

• Enabled (default) — Users cannot mark a blocked task as completed. The system shows a list of blocking predecessors.
• Disabled — Users can mark any task as completed regardless of blocking dependencies.

Auto-Complete and Reopen

Mosic can automatically complete a parent item when all its children are done:

Auto-complete parent (workspace-level setting, enabled by default):

• When all tasks in a task list are completed, the task list is marked as completed
• When all task lists in a project are completed, the project is marked as completed

Reopen on change:

• If a completed task is reopened, Mosic automatically reopens its parent items up the hierarchy

Critical Path

When you have dependencies and dates set, Mosic calculates the critical path — the sequence of tasks that determines the project’s minimum duration. Tasks on the critical path have zero scheduling flexibility (zero float). Any delay to a critical task delays the entire project.

The Gantt chart shows critical tasks visually. You can hover over a dependency arrow to see why a task is on the critical path.

Managing Dependencies

From the Gantt Chart

The Gantt chart is the most visual way to manage dependencies.

To create a dependency:

1. Hover over a bar to reveal the endpoint circles on its left and right edges
2. Click and drag from the right endpoint (for FS) or left endpoint (for SS) toward another bar
3. Release when the target bar highlights
4. The dependency appears as an arrow between the two bars

To edit a dependency:

1. Hover over the dependency arrow and click it
2. In the popover that opens, you can change the dependency type and lag days
3. The Cascade Engine recalculates affected dates automatically

To delete a dependency:

1. Click the dependency arrow to open the popover
2. Click Delete Dependency

From the Task Detail Page

Each task’s detail page has a Relations tab in the right sidebar that shows both document relations and task dependencies in separate sections.

To view dependencies:

1. Open the task detail page
2. In the right sidebar, click the Relations tab
3. The Predecessors section shows tasks that must finish before this one
4. The Successors section shows tasks that depend on this one

To add a dependency:

1. Open the task detail page
2. In the right sidebar, click the Relations tab
3. In the Predecessors or Successors section, click Add Dependency
4. Search for the task, list, or project you want to link
5. Select the dependency type and optional lag days
6. Click Add

To edit or remove a dependency:

1. Hover over a dependency in the list
2. Click the actions menu (three dots)
3. Choose Edit to change the type or lag, or Remove to delete the dependency

Preview-Then-Apply Workflow

When you make changes in the Gantt chart (dragging bars, creating dependencies, or changing dates), Mosic uses a preview-then-apply workflow to let you review effects before saving.

How it Works

1. Make changes — Drag bars, create dependencies, or edit dates in the Gantt view
2. Cascade calculation — Mosic’s Cascade Engine recalculates all affected dates, propagating changes through dependencies and the hierarchy
3. Preview modal — A modal opens showing all proposed changes:
   • The Gantt view in the modal highlights what changed
   • A list view shows each item’s old and new dates
   • Changes are color-coded: modified (blue), suggested (amber), violations (red)
4. Review and approve — You can:
   • Apply all changes to save them
   • Discard to cancel everything
   • Undo/Redo specific changes within the preview
   • Recalculate after making additional edits
5. Apply — Once approved, Mosic updates all affected documents

What Triggers a Cascade

• Dragging a bar to change dates
• Creating, editing, or deleting a dependency
• Changing an item’s start or due date
• Completing or reopening a task

Stale Detection

Before applying changes, Mosic checks that no affected items were deleted or modified by someone else. If the preview is stale, it reloads the latest data so you always apply against the current state.

Permissions

Viewers can see the Gantt chart and dependency arrows but cannot make changes. Guest users do not have access to the Gantt chart.

Permission Locking

When the Cascade Engine calculates changes, some items may be permission-locked if you don’t have write access to them. These items are shown in the preview but cannot be modified. Only items you can edit will be changed when you apply.

Best Practices

1. Set start and due dates on tasks — The Gantt chart needs dates to show bars. Tasks without dates don’t appear on the timeline.
2. Use Finish-to-Start for most dependencies — It’s the clearest and most common relationship. Reserve SS, FF, and SF for workflows that need them.
3. Review the critical path — Hover over dependency arrows to understand why a task is critical. Focus on critical tasks to avoid project delays.
4. Use the preview modal — Before applying changes, review the preview to catch unexpected side effects from cascading date changes.
5. Add lag days for realistic schedules — Use positive lag for review periods, approvals, or natural delays between tasks.
6. Keep dependency depth manageable — Deep dependency chains (tasks depending on tasks depending on tasks) become hard to manage. Group related work in lists instead.

Related Documentation

• Tasks — Task management and detail views
• Lists — Organizing tasks in lists
• Projects — Managing project work
• Relations & Links — Document cross-references

FAQ

Q: What’s the difference between dependencies and relations?

A: Dependencies control sequencing and blocking between tasks, lists, and projects. They use Finish-to-Start rules, auto-complete behavior, and Cascade Engine scheduling. Relations create cross-references between any document types (tasks, leads, deals, contacts, etc.) for context and linking.

Q: Can I create dependencies across different projects?

A: Dependencies can be created between any tasks, task lists, or projects of the same type within the same parent. For example, two tasks in different lists but within the same project can have a dependency.

Q: Can I create dependencies across different workspaces?

A: No. Dependencies are workspace-scoped. Both documents must belong to the same workspace.

Q: How do I see what’s blocking a task?

A: Open the task detail page, go to the Relations tab, and look at the Predecessors section. Any predecessor that is not completed shows as blocking. When you try to mark a blocked task as completed, Mosic shows a list of blocking items.

Q: What happens if I reopen a completed predecessor?

A: If a predecessor is reopened, its successors may become blocked again depending on the dependency type. The Cascade Engine recalculates automatically, and the Gantt chart updates to show the new state.

Q: Can I prevent dependencies from auto-completing parent items?

A: Yes. A workspace admin can disable the Auto-complete parent setting in the workspace’s configuration. When disabled, completing all children does not automatically complete the parent.

Q: Does the Gantt chart support critical path analysis?

A: Yes. Mosic calculates the critical path using dates and dependencies. Critical tasks appear visually in the Gantt chart, and hovering over dependency arrows shows why items are on the critical path.

Q: What happens if I delete a task that has dependencies?

A: When a task is deleted, all its incoming and outgoing dependencies are automatically removed. Any tasks that depended on the deleted task are no longer blocked by it.

Q: Can I undo Gantt changes after applying?

A: The preview modal supports undo and redo before you apply. Once changes are applied, they are saved to the actual documents. Undo is not available after applying, but you can manually reverse the changes.