I’d love to see an enhancement to rules that allows us to set the start and due dates of newly created tasks or subtasks relative to the dependent task, not just the trigger or creation date.
Right now, when building rules, we can set dates relative to when the rule is triggered, or to the creation/start/due date of the triggering task. However, for workflows that rely on dependencies, it would be incredibly powerful to:
Set a start date or due date relative to the due date of the dependent task Automate scheduling based on when a dependency completes, without manual adjustments
For example:
Automatically set a follow-up task to start 2 days after the preceding dependent task is completed.
Or create subtasks that align their timelines relative to the completion of a prior linked task.
This would take Asana’s automation capabilities to the next level for teams that manage complex, interdependent projects.
Hi @Chaya_Cloward Does the “task is no longer blocked” trigger not solve this for you?
Relative to the due date of the a dependent task would be tricky, as a task might have multiple dependent tasks. So how to determine which would be leading?
Hi @Jan-Rienk , Thank you for the quick reply. That makes sense, and I can see how the “task is no longer blocked” trigger could be a solid workaround, especially for start dates.
I think there is still value in something that adjusts start or due dates relative to a predecessor’s due date, not just when it’s completed. That way, you could:
Automatically keep timelines aligned across a chain of dependent tasks, without waiting on manual completions.
See impacts ahead of time and plan resources earlier, rather than only reacting once something is marked done.
Handle projects with strict deadlines that must start a certain number of days after a prior task’s planned finish, even if it isn’t checked off yet.
But you’re absolutely right it could get messy with multiple dependencies.
@Chaya_Cloward - are you on an enterprise plan? If so, this can be done with script actions (I had a similar use case). If not, can you clarify if you’re taking about the predecessor or successor (or both) in your use case? If it’s the former, would that not mean that the “triggering task” for your rule is the predecessor and when you create a new (successor) task, you can just use that in your due date setting?
I’ll definitely take a closer look at script actions, thank you for that tip.
In this case, I was referring to the “successor”*, though I do have other use cases where “predecessor subtasks” come into play.
I’m setting up a rule to automatically add subtasks when a new request is created. I’m trying to set due dates for those subtasks, but I can’t use “Trigger date” because the rule is triggered when the parent task is added to the project, not based on a predecessor being completed.
I take it that the due date token also won’t be sufficient? That does get tricky when you’re building long dependency chains through task/subtask creation rules.
@Stephen_Li , Possibly, I’m not entirely sure if that’s possible. Yes, and when building 25 different workflows for a team, it would be a huge time-saver if subtasks without specific timelines could automatically get a start date of the completion date of the dependent (predecessor) task and an end date relative to that date rather than needing manual updates.
Set a start date or due date relative to the due date of the dependent task