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So, I'm creating a complex task manager. I have a list of tasks, but certain tasks cannot be started until others have finished. However, the position of a task on the list does not necessarily specify the order in which it has to be completed; some tasks can be done in tandem by different people, while some rely on another person(s) to complete other task(s) first.

I would like to list the tasks an item is waiting on next to it, with a single word to describe what that list represents like this:

  1. Wash walls
  2. Paint walls
  3. Hang artwork (this task cannot be done until task 1 and task 2 are done)

Some shorter versions I've thought of are "pending: task 1 and task 2", "dependent: task 1 and task 2", "awaiting: task 1 and task 2", and "yielding: task 1 and task 2"

I don't think any of these words quite represent the situation properly, though I could be wrong.

Would you please suggest the correct single word to use in this situation?

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    Have a look at Topological Sorting. Captures the entire scenario.
    – Nagarajan Shanmuganathan
    Commented Apr 17, 2016 at 8:52
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    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because I think you'll get better technical answers from Project Management
    – NVZ ♦
    Commented Apr 17, 2016 at 9:06
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    @NVZ how can it be off topic? I'm not looking for technical answers, just a single word description exactly as the tag suggests.
    – CJT3
    Commented Apr 17, 2016 at 9:07
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    I just wanted you to have better answers, hence the vote to migrate. Don't be offended by it. Just wanted to help.
    – NVZ ♦
    Commented Apr 17, 2016 at 9:10
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    Possible duplicate of Is there a word meaning a problem that has to be solved in order to work on another problem?
    – Hellion
    Commented Apr 18, 2016 at 0:23

4 Answers 4

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This task is a pre-requisite of that task.

See here.

So:

Pre-requisites:

  • task a.
  • task b.
  • etc.
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  • Decent suggestion, not loving the length of it though. Something as short as "pending" would be ideal.
    – CJT3
    Commented Apr 17, 2016 at 8:37
  • Okay. What about queued then?
    – Brad
    Commented Apr 17, 2016 at 8:41
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    One can alternately drop the hyphen to get prerequisite. I would. (Though I had never thought of it before: one could read that as though it were prere-quisite, if one looked at it funny.)
    – thb
    Commented Apr 17, 2016 at 9:05
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bottleneck

dictionary.com:

  1. a place or stage in a process at which progress is impeded.

Thus: "bottlenecks: task 1 and task 2"

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  • it feels a bit clunky and unnatural in the example. How often do you hear the term "bottleneck" to describe a list?
    – CJT3
    Commented Apr 17, 2016 at 8:50
  • @CharlesJohnThompsonIII, it doesn't describe the list. The pending tasks themselves are the bottlenecks.
    – ghostarbeiter
    Commented Apr 17, 2016 at 8:51
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First Task A, Then Task B.

Here are some options:

Language to describe the task directly:

Prerequisite:

  1. Task A is a prerequisite of Task B
  2. Task B has a prerequisite of Task A

Predecessor:

  1. Task A is a predecessor to Task B
  2. Task B is a successor of Task A

This language is from Project Management dependency relationships https://www.projectinsight.net/project-management-basics/task-dependencies

Language to describe the relationship:

Contingent Upon: Task B is contingent on Task A

Gating requirement: Task A gates Task B

Blocking Condition: Task A blocks Task B

Constraint: Task A constrains Task B

Requirement: Task B requires Task A

Dependency: Task B depends on Task A

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in obligatory order TFD

  1. required to be done, obtained, possessed, etc
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