---
sourceDocument: Brazil Strategic Portfolio Management
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/it-business-management
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- brazil
ft:locale :
- en-US
ft:publication_title :
- Brazil Strategic Portfolio Management
ft:clusterId :
- itbm
bundleId :
- itbm
workflow :
- Technology
---
# Task dependencies and relationships
# Task dependencies and relationships in CWM {#ariaid-title1}
Release version: Brazil
Updated September 10, 2026
 2 minutes to read
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## Summary of Task dependencies and relationships in CWM
Collaborative Work Management (CWM) enhances visibility into work connections by allowing you to directly link task-type work items, eliminating the need for external tracking methods like spreadsheets.
These links visually represent relationships between work items, helping teams understand dependencies and connections without impacting the ability to progress on individual tasks.
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Relationships can be established across different Boards and Spaces, enabling cross-team awareness of dependencies.
## Relationship Types
* **Prerequisite:** Indicates a work item that must be completed before another can start. This helps communicate sequencing and upstream dependencies. Only task-type items extending the Task \[task\] table, including CWM tasks, can be prerequisites. Planning items like Epics are not supported.
* **Dependent:** The inverse of prerequisite, showing that this item must finish before another can begin, highlighting downstream impacts.
* **Related:** Represents a general connection without implying execution order, useful when items share context or overlap but do not block each other.
## Linking Work Items Across Boards and Spaces
You can link any task-type work item across the ServiceNow AI Platform regardless of Board or Space ownership. Relationships are created by searching for and attaching the work item by name, limited to items you have permission to view.
Note that work items brought onto a Board via Connected work do not show relationships on their original source records unless the relationship is added directly there.
## Viewing Relationships on Kanban Boards
Work items with relationships display an indicator icon on their Kanban cards. Clicking this icon opens a panel showing related items and their relationship types so team members can easily see dependencies without leaving the board.
## Considerations and Limitations
* Planning items such as Epics cannot be prerequisites as they do not derive from the Task \[task\] table.
* You can only add dependencies on items you have permission to view.
* Relationships do not affect percent completion calculations for CWM tasks or Boards in Strategic Planning Workspace.
* For story-type work items (Story \[rmstory\] table), prerequisite and dependent relationships sync with the corresponding fields in the Story table. Non-story work items linked to stories do not sync.
## Managing Dependencies
You can add or remove relationships between work items within CWM to accurately represent dependencies or connections as work progresses or changes occur.
Increase visibility into how work is connected by linking work items directly in Collaborative Work Management (CWM), eliminating the need to track dependencies in spreadsheets or notes fields.
In CWM, you can link any task-type work item to another to show how pieces of work relate to each other. Relationships are informational and team members can progress on a work item regardless of the
state of its linked items. Relationships can be created across Boards and Spaces, giving teams visibility into cross-team dependencies for their work.
## Relationship types {#managing-task-dependencies-relationships-cwm__section_relationship_types}
Work items in CWM support three relationship
types.
Prerequisite
: Indicates that another work item must be completed before this item can begin. Use this relationship to communicate sequencing and upstream dependencies to your team. Only task-type work items extending the Task \[task\] table
and CWM tasks can be added as prerequisites. Planning items such as Epics aren't supported.
Dependent
: Indicates that this work item must be completed before work on another item can begin. This is the inverse of a prerequisite relationship and communicates downstream impact to your team.
Related
: Indicates a general connection between two work items without implying a specific
order of execution. Use this relationship when items share context, overlap in scope,
or are otherwise connected without one blocking the other.
## Linking work items across boards and spaces {#managing-task-dependencies-relationships-cwm__section_linking_work_items}
You can link any task-type work item to another across the ServiceNow AI Platform, regardless of which Board or Space it belongs to. To create a relationship, search for the work item by name and attach it. The search covers all task type work items that you have permission to view.
Note:
Work items brought onto a Board through the Connected work feature don't display relationships on their original source record unless the relationship is added directly on that record.
## Relationships on the Kanban board {#managing-task-dependencies-relationships-cwm__section_relationships_kanban}
When a work item has one or more relationships, a relationships indicator icon appears on its Kanban card. Selecting the icon opens the right side panel showing the related work items and their relationship types, so team members
can view dependency details without leaving the board.
## Task dependency considerations and limitations {#managing-task-dependencies-relationships-cwm__section_dependency_limitations}
* Planning items such as Epics can't be added as prerequisites because they aren't derived from the Task \[task\] table.
* You can add a work item as a dependency on if you have permission to view that item.
* Relationships have no effect on percent complete calculations for CWM Tasks or Boards in Strategic Planning Workspace.
* If a story in the Story \[rm_story\] table already has prerequisite and dependent stories associated to it, those details are shown in CWM.
* Adding a story-type work item as a relationship to another story syncs with the prerequisite and dependent fields in the Story \[rm_story\] table.
* Adding a non-story-type work item as a relationship to a story does not sync with the Story \[rm_story\] table.
* **[Add a dependency to a work item in CWM](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/RSUUl2Q~QbkyxCB~rJRY6A)**
Link a work item to another in Collaborative Work Management (CWM) to show how they relate, whether one is a prerequisite for another or they are generally connected.
* **[Remove a dependency from a work item in CWM](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/8PdnlszdgcSJ28PC4pL4Nw)**
Unlink a relationship between work items in Collaborative Work Management (CWM) when it is no longer relevant or was added incorrectly.
**Related concepts**
* [Agile work management in CWM](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/wHOwHZJfQKIzWYAZJE1ghg "Run your agile workflow in Collaborative Work Management (CWM), from building and refining a backlog to planning sprints, executing work as stories and scrum tasks, and collaborating with your team.")
* [Scrum tasks for stories in CWM](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/W9nGbo7Hp8A67qt1YaSdoQ "Extend your agile workflow in CWM by breaking user stories into scrum tasks. This gives your team the granularity needed to estimate effort, distribute work, and track daily progress through a sprint.")