Dependency Based on Custom Field Option instead of Task Completion

I have a project that is connected to our WooCommerce site via Zapier and Power Automate.

Having our orders enter into Asana as a workable picklist has been GAME-CHANGING.

We have the Order itself as the Parent Task and all line items are Subtasks. :wink:

Current situation - if a line item is on hold for any reason (i.e. awaiting replenishment, time-sensitive shipments that can’t ship too early, etc, I would like that line item subtask to be “blocked.” But I don’t have a task or subtask to block it with.

It would be incredible if we could have an option to use a custom field choice as a blocker.

For example, if my Custom Field “Line Item Status” is set to “NEED,” then the subtask line item would show as blocked until the item is received and picked for that order.

Is this mainly to just prevent the subtask/line item from being completed? You could have either a custom single select field or a custom task type that essentially identifies the difference between your parent tasks and subtasks and then create a rule something along the lines of "When a task is completed, check if line item status is Need and check if task level type is a subtask, Do this - Incomplete the task and leave a comment to the rule triggerer “tag assignee* Line item cannot be completed without finishing item need” or something like that.

I suppose I could, yes. I am going on leave in September and am trying to make things as visually clear for my coverage person as I possibly can. Trying to automate anything and everything and make it all fail-safe. :sweat_smile: I do have a custom task type that I could convert the NEEDS to, just afraid to introduce too many new things at once for these folks. Thank you!