Notion is a cutting-edge project management tool. It is packed with features that simplify managing even the most complex projects. The ability to add dependencies is one such feature — it enables you to structure your projects in a chronological order.
This is a super important feature since even the simplest of projects has tasks that depend upon each other for completion. Take the example of publishing a content piece. It requires input from many teams such as the product, SEO, design, etc. Furthermore, teams depend on each other to get started with their share of work. The designer and reviewers, for example, depend on the writer to deliver content. The writer herself depends on the product and SEO teams to tell her what to write.
Now, imagine expanding the scope to hundreds of content pieces. Also, each task owner has a bunch of subtasks to finish in order to complete their main task. The project would get super-complex! The capability to create dependencies in Notion brings some order to this chaos. It also keeps the task owners informed when the blockers to their tasks get cleared, thus allowing for a more efficient workflow.
Here are the seven steps to creating dependencies in the Notion timeline database view:
1. Create a Notion database in the timeline view
Let’s create the timeline view for the content pipeline scenario that we highlighted above.
We will start by creating a new Notion page and typing “/timeline” in it. This will prompt Notion to display the options tray with the Timeline view block alone - as demonstrated in the below image.
Click on the Timeline view block, and then click on the New database option, as highlighted in the below image.
This will create a new blank Notion database in the timeline view. We will start populating the database with cards in the subsequent section.
2. Create the timeline cards
We will create the timeline cards in this step before we create the dependencies. Since we are talking about the content production workflow, we will consider the following 6 tasks:
1. Product input for the content
2. SEO brief creation - dependent on #1 and keyword research
3. Content writing - dependent on #1 and #2
4. Content review - dependent on #3
5. Image design - dependent on #3
6. Page publishing - dependent on #3, #4, and #5.
All these tasks are owned by different team members.
We have put down the tasks in a chronological order, in a Gantt chart style, in the timeline view — as displayed in the below image.
For the content to go live on the 29th Jan, all other tasks need to be finished within their allotted time-slot.
3. Hover over the parent card and click on the “->o” icon
We have already established how the tasks are dependent on each other. Let’s make a visual representation of that by setting up dependencies.
To do that, click on the “->o” icon as displayed in the below image, to the right of the Design task.
Since the Design card blocks the progress of the Go-Live date card, the Design card becomes the parent card and the Go-Live date card becomes the child card.
4. Drag the “->o” icon to the left end of the child card
Doing that will display the arrow that indicates the dependency, as demonstrated in the image below.
However, the arrow would disappear once you click outside the “Dependencies” view unless you turn on the dependencies capability.
5. Customize and Turn on dependencies
You can customize the dependency based on the three options in the above image. These options optimize how the dependency arrows shift when a card is clicked and dragged. You can choose to:
1. Shift the arrows only when dates overlap
2. Maintain the duration between two cards even when either of them are moved around
3. Retains the cards at the set position until moved manually, even if the other card is moved.
You can also choose to skip weekends.
What’s necessary, though, is turning on the dependencies functionality to prevent the arrows from disappearing. To do that, simply click on the “Turn on dependencies” button, indicated in the image above.
6. Rename the Dependency property
Notice the “Blocked by” and “Blocking” properties in the image below? You can rename them for easier identification. This step is optional though.
7. Update the advanced settings
To access the advanced settings, you can click on the “...” icon at the top-right corner of your timeline view and then on “Dependencies”. You will arrive on the windows displayed in the below image.
Click on “Advanced settings” to arrive at the window shown below.
In this window, you can determine the nature of dependencies. By default, you can set up dependencies from parent to child. Which means the parent task needs to be completed before the child task can be picked up. However, you can set it up the other way around in the advanced settings screen.
After adding all the dependencies, here’s what the timeline view looks like:
FAQs
How to add Notion dependencies without dates?
It is not possible to add dependencies in the timeline view without dates. That’s because the dependencies appear in the timeline view, which is built to display tasks in a chronological order, so adding a date to the cards is indispensable.
Can you add dependencies in Notion?
Yes, you can add dependencies in the timeline view of the Notion database. The dependencies appear as arrows that connect the parent task to the child task.
Are there any limitations to the number of dependencies that you can create in a Notion timeline?
While Notion doesn't have strict limitations on the number of dependencies, keep in mind that a significant number of dependencies may affect the clarity and usability of the timeline view. It's recommended to use dependencies judiciously for better project management.
Can you customize the appearance of the dependency arrows in the timeline view?
Notion provides limited customization options for the appearance of dependency arrows. While you can't extensively modify their appearance, you can choose from predefined options that optimize arrow behavior.
