---
title: "BigPicture Cloud Scheduling Issues: Date Changes and Dependency Behaviour"
canonical: "https://support.appfire.com/space/SUPPORT/3641671730/BigPicture%20Cloud%20Scheduling%20Issues%3A%20Date%20Changes%20and%20Dependency%20Behaviour"
format: markdown
---
**Audience:** Internal support team  
**Use case:** BigPicture Cloud scheduling cases where a manually selected date changes automatically or a dependency does not appear to reschedule a task.

# Problem

In BigPicture Cloud, a task’s manually selected start date may be recalculated when scheduling rules determine that the assigned resource is unavailable. An End-to-Start dependency may also appear ineffective when it is already satisfied, configured as soft, affected by lag, or overridden by higher-priority scheduling rules.

## Typical symptoms

- A task moved from the selected date to the first date on which its assignee is available.
- The same replacement date appears regardless of the date selected manually.
- An End-to-Start dependency is created successfully, but the successor does not move when the predecessor is moved earlier.
- The successor moves only when the predecessor is moved forward far enough to conflict with the successor’s current start date.
- Parent-child scheduling, constraints, calendars, or scheduling modes appear to take precedence over dependency behavior.

## What support should verify first

1. **Confirm the scheduling mode.** Check whether the task and its parent use Auto Bottom-Up, Auto Top-Down, Manual, or another scheduling mode. Auto Bottom-Up can recalculate child tasks from lower-level scheduling inputs rather than preserving a manually entered date.
2. **Check assignee availability.** Review the assigned resource’s working calendar, availability, holidays, and non-working days. If the resource is unavailable until a later date, BigPicture may move the task to the first valid working day.
3. **Inspect the dependency details.** Confirm the direction is predecessor → successor, the relationship is End-to-Start, and the dependency is Strong or Soft as intended. Record any lag time and whether ASAP mode is enabled.
4. **Review the task hierarchy.** Check the parent task’s scheduling mode, date range, constraints, milestones, and other children. Parent-child rules may restrict the dates available to the subtask.
5. **Look for period warnings.** Orange warnings or similar indicators can identify conflicts involving calendars, constraints, dependencies, or scheduling rules.

## Resolution guidance

### Scenario 1: The task moves to the assignee’s first available day

If the selected start date falls within the assignee’s unavailable period, explain that the scheduling engine is applying resource availability. The date change is expected when resource calendars are configured to influence scheduling.

To control this behavior, review the BigPicture configuration for whether resource or assignee availability should influence automatic task rescheduling. If the business process requires the planned date to remain unchanged, use an appropriate manual or locked scheduling configuration, subject to the customer’s planning model.

> ⚠️ Do not recommend disabling availability checks without confirming the impact. This can create plans that place work on non-working days or exceed the resource’s capacity.

### Scenario 2: The End-to-Start dependency does not move the successor earlier

With ASAP mode off, an End-to-Start dependency does not necessarily pull the successor to the earliest possible date. If the predecessor moves earlier and the dependency is still satisfied, the successor may remain where it is. The successor is generally moved when the predecessor’s end reaches or passes the successor’s current start date.

With ASAP mode on, BigPicture schedules the successor as soon as possible after the predecessor, subject to dependency type, lag, calendars, hierarchy, and other scheduling rules.

- Enable ASAP mode when the intended outcome is earliest-possible scheduling.
- Remove or correct unintended lag values.
- Use a Strong dependency when the relationship must actively constrain scheduling; confirm the customer’s configuration standards before changing a Soft dependency.
- Move the predecessor beyond the successor’s current start date to test whether the dependency enforces a forward constraint.

### Scenario 3: A dependency is valid but another rule wins

BigPicture applies scheduling inputs according to rule priority. Scheduling mode, parent-child relationships, resource calendars, and constraints can take precedence over dependency-driven dates. If the dependency configuration is correct but the date remains unchanged, compare the dependency result with the dates permitted by the task mode, parent, and calendar.

## Recommended diagnostic procedure

1. Capture the task hierarchy and Gantt view, including the predecessor, successor, parent task, dependency line, and any period warnings.
2. Record the current scheduling mode for the successor and its parent.
3. Review the assignee’s availability and non-working days for the affected period.
4. Open the dependency details and record type, direction, strength, ASAP setting, and lag.
5. Temporarily test the task in Manual mode, if permitted by the customer’s process. If the date still changes, investigate constraints, field mappings, or another automated source.
6. Recalculate or re-sync the relevant Box configuration when configuration data may be stale, then repeat the test.
7. Document the rule that produced the resulting date and explain how the customer can change the behavior safely.

## Verification checklist

- [ ] The task and parent scheduling modes have been recorded.
- [ ] Assignee working days, holidays, and availability have been checked.
- [ ] Dependency direction and End-to-Start relationship have been confirmed.
- [ ] Dependency strength, ASAP mode, and lag have been reviewed.
- [ ] Parent-child constraints and period warnings have been assessed.
- [ ] The behavior has been retested after the relevant configuration change.
- [ ] The final explanation identifies the scheduling rule responsible for the date.

## Escalation criteria

Escalate to the next support tier when the date continues to change in Manual mode, a confirmed Strong dependency with ASAP enabled does not enforce an expected forward constraint, or the result remains inconsistent after calendars, hierarchy, constraints, and configuration synchronization have been verified.

Include the task hierarchy, affected dates, scheduling modes, assignee calendar, dependency configuration, period-warning details, and a clear reproduction sequence. Exclude customer names, email addresses, subscription identifiers, and other personal or account-sensitive information.

## Related documentation

- [Calculate tasks automatically based on assignee's working days](https://support.appfire.com/space/DLP/2212269574/Calculate+tasks+automatically+based+on+assignee%27s+working+days)
- [ASAP mode](https://support.appfire.com/space/DLP/2212299437/ASAP+mode?utm_source=htmlredirect&utm_medium=confluence)
- [Scheduling mode](https://support.appfire.com/space/DLP/2211580702/Scheduling+mode#General-rules-and-outcomes)