Get your bits and bobs sorted and link them up to create date dependencies - this will help you plan your timelines, and shift them when things inevitably change. You don't want to end up like Ross and Rachel from Friends, constantly on a break and struggling to get back on track. 😉
🔗Types of dependencies
Streamtime supports two kinds of dependencies. Fixed (also called lead/lag) and Minimum (also called float).
🔐 Fixed (Lead/Lag)
When an item needs to start an exact number of days before or after its parent start or end date, like when Ross had to make sure he was ready for Emily's wedding in London in Friends.
⛵️Minimum (Float)
When an item needs to start at least a number of days before or after its predecessor starts or finishes. This is used when the break between items doesn’t need to be exact, like when Joey and Chandler were not sure about how long they could wait for their pizza in Friends. If you move an item with a float dependency, its linked item won’t move along with it until it hits the minimum number of days.
You’ll see that the fixed dependencies appear in a darker grey, whereas minimum dependencies are a lighter grey - just like how Phoebe's hair turned out in that one episode of Friends.
➕ Setting up dependencies
Hover over an item bar on either the job timeline or the schedule. You'll see the grab handles appear on either side, as well as white circle on each end of the bar.
Click and drag the white circle of the item you'd like to connect with another, and hover over the item to connect it with. The first item you select will be the parent of the dependency, and the second will be the child. That means the child will be dependant on the parent. Yes, that means that parent item will be constantly making snacks for the child item.
The line will snap to either the start or the end of the child item. Let go to create the link.
Done! You'll see a line connecting the two items. The arrow denotes the way in which the dependency is structured, and which item is dependant on the other.
You can create four types of links:Start to Start. Parent item must start before Child item starts.
Start to End. Parent item must start before Child item ends.
End to Start. Parent item must end before Child item starts.
End to End. Parent item must end before Child item ends.
Don't worry, if you get confused, you can see all dependencies on an item by click into into the item modal. You'll see a list of item dependencies, their types, and set lag days.
Hover over the the dependency row, and a handy tooltip detailing exactly what is dependant on what will appear. Unlike in real life, when you've got to figure out who's responsible for ordering the groceries and taking out the garbage for yourself.
💡 Tip: Power up your templates by setting up item dates and dependencies. When you duplicate a template job, those dates can be copied over and set to start on whatever date you like. You're welcome 😎
❓Troubleshooting
If your dependency line shows red, that means there's a conflict (you've drawn a dependency that isn't currently working). We don't automatically make assumptions about how resolve the conflict for you, we'll just call it out to tell you so you can fix it the way you want to.
However, when you start changing dates of an item with a conflicted dependency, we then take that to mean that the item you're editing is the one you want to dictate the relationship — and we'll resolve that conflict for you then 😊