---
title: "Understanding End-to-End Dependency Behaviour in BigPicture Task Scheduling"
canonical: "https://support.appfire.com/space/SUPPORT/3706519814/Understanding%20End-to-End%20Dependency%20Behaviour%20in%20BigPicture%20Task%20Scheduling"
format: markdown
---
**Internal support guide:** Use this article when a customer reports that changing one task’s end date also changes the start date of a task linked through an End-to-End dependency.

# Problem

In BigPicture, an End-to-End dependency requires the linked tasks to finish together. When the predecessor task’s end date changes, BigPicture may move the dependent task’s end date and shift its start date as well.

Customers may expect the dependent task’s start date to remain fixed while its duration expands. This is not the current scheduling behavior.

# Symptoms

- The predecessor task’s end date is moved.
- The dependent task’s end date follows the new predecessor end date.
- The dependent task’s start date also moves, preserving the task’s original duration.
- Disabling **ASAP** does not prevent the start-date shift.
- The customer may use a Jira automation rule to restore the dependent task’s original start date.

# Prerequisites

- Access to the customer’s BigPicture plan or a reproducible example.
- The ability to inspect the task links, dates, durations, and dependency settings.
- Confirmation that the link is an active End-to-End dependency rather than another link type.

# Solution

## Step 1: Confirm the dependency type

Check that the predecessor and dependent tasks are connected by an **End-to-End** dependency. Confirm which task is the predecessor and which task is the dependent task.

**Expected result:** The dependency requires the dependent task to finish when the predecessor task finishes.

## Step 2: Reproduce the date change

Record the dependent task’s original start date, end date, and duration. Move the predecessor task’s end date forward and observe the dependent task.

**Expected result:** The dependent task’s end date moves to satisfy the End-to-End relationship. Its start date may also move by the same amount.

## Step 3: Explain the scheduling behavior

Explain that BigPicture prioritizes preserving the dependent task’s existing duration. When the dependency requires a later end date, the scheduling engine shifts the task timeline instead of keeping the original start date and extending the duration.

> 📝 **Important:** Disabling ASAP does not lock the task’s start date. ASAP controls scheduling relative to the predecessor; it is not a field-level start-date lock.

## Step 4: Set expectations about native functionality

Clarify that BigPicture does not currently provide a dedicated option to lock the dependent task’s start date specifically for End-to-End dependencies while allowing its duration to expand.

There is also no native status-based setting that locks the start date automatically when a task is In Progress.

## Step 5: Recommend a workaround

Choose the least complex workaround that meets the customer’s planning needs:

- **Manual adjustment:** Restore the dependent task’s start date after the dependency recalculates the schedule.
- **Jira automation:** Use an automation rule to detect the date shift and restore the required start date. Advise the customer to test the rule carefully because repeated dependency recalculation may create maintenance or update-loop issues.
- **Process adjustment:** If preserving the start date is more important than preserving duration, manage the date change manually and review the dependency result before publishing the plan.

## Verification

1. Confirm that the dependency remains End-to-End.
2. Move the predecessor’s end date and verify that the dependent task finishes on the required date.
3. Confirm whether the dependent task’s start date shifts to preserve duration.
4. Verify that any automation or manual correction restores the intended start date without breaking the dependency.
5. Check that no unintended updates are applied to other linked tasks.

# Support response guidance

Use wording such as:

> “An End-to-End dependency requires the linked task to finish together with its predecessor. When the predecessor’s end date changes, BigPicture preserves the dependent task’s duration by shifting its timeline, which can move both its start and end dates. Disabling ASAP does not lock the start date. BigPicture currently does not provide a dedicated start-date lock for this dependency type, so the available options are manual correction or a carefully tested automation rule.”

# Escalation and feature feedback

Escalate only when the observed behavior differs from the documented scheduling behavior, such as the dependent task failing to finish with the predecessor, dates changing without a dependency update, or unrelated tasks being modified.

For enhancement feedback, record the request for:

- A toggle that locks the dependent task’s start date for End-to-End links.
- Optional duration expansion when the linked end date moves.
- Status-aware behavior, such as protecting the start date for tasks in progress.

> ✅ **Key takeaway:** The start-date shift is expected when BigPicture preserves duration during End-to-End rescheduling. Treat it as a current product limitation unless the dependency result itself is incorrect.