Task dependencies and relationships in CWM

Release version: Australia

Updated March 12, 2026

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Summary of Task dependencies and relationships in CWM

Collaborative Work Management (CWM) allows ServiceNow customers to increase visibility into how work items are connected by linking task-type work items directly within the platform. This eliminates the need to track dependencies externally, such as in spreadsheets or notes. Relationships between work items provide informational context but do not block progress, enabling teams to work independently while maintaining awareness of dependencies across different Boards and Spaces.

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Key Features

Relationship Types:
- Prerequisite: Indicates a work item must be completed before another begins; helps communicate sequencing and upstream dependencies. Only task-type items extending the Task [task] table are supported.
- Dependent: The inverse of prerequisite, showing downstream impact by indicating that a work item depends on another before it can start.
- Related: Shows a general connection without enforcing execution order, useful for items sharing context or overlapping scopes.
Cross-Board and Cross-Space Linking: Work items can be linked across any Boards and Spaces within the ServiceNow AI Platform, enhancing visibility of cross-team dependencies. Users can search and attach any visible task-type item as a linked relationship.
Kanban Board Integration: Relationship indicators appear on Kanban cards, and selecting the icon opens a panel displaying linked items and their relationship types, allowing quick access to dependency details directly on the board.

Considerations and Limitations

Planning items such as Epics are not supported as prerequisites since they do not extend the Task [task] table.
Users must have permission to view work items to add them as dependencies.
Relationships do not affect percent complete calculations in CWM Tasks or Boards within the Strategic Planning Workspace.
For story-type work items (Story [rmstory] table), prerequisite and dependent relationships sync with the Story table fields; non-story-type relationships do not sync.
Work items added through the Connected work feature don’t show relationships on their source records unless relationships are added directly there.

Practical Usage

Adding Dependencies: Link task-type work items to indicate how they relate, whether as prerequisites, dependents, or related connections, improving team communication on sequencing and impact.
Removing Dependencies: Unlink relationships when they are no longer relevant or were added in error to keep dependency information accurate.

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

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

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

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.

Kanban view showing task cards with scrum task and relationship indicators on the cards.

Task dependency considerations and 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.