How to handle a project dependent on completion of another project in GTD?

Divyansh Adwani

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Hey guys!
For anyone of you following GTD methodology, how would you arrange the sequence of projects?
Suppose you are processing your inbox and you come across something that is a project but would start after the completion of another project.
For example, let's say you come across "develop an Android app about X" and you actually have an incomplete project called "Learn App Development", then you would only start the former after you complete the latter. How would you handle this scenario according to the best practices in GTD? Thanks!
 

sholden

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If both projects are near-term I might try to link them together using a hashtag (#) or if the first one is longer type project I might put the 2nd point that has the dependence in my INCUBATING project's list.
 

Divyansh Adwani

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If both projects are near-term I might try to link them together using a hashtag (#) or if the first one is longer type project I might put the 2nd point that has the dependence in my INCUBATING project's list.
Thanks for your reply! I don't understand what type of Incubation. Someday/maybe or waiting for?
 

sholden

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I have found for myself in the role that I am at work that I have four projects lists -- Projects (Active), Projects (Incubating), Projects (Reoccurring), and Projects (Roles). I also have a Someday/Maybe list. And the more standard: Next Actions, Waiting For, & Agendas List.
 

mcogilvie

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Hey guys!
For anyone of you following GTD methodology, how would you arrange the sequence of projects?
Suppose you are processing your inbox and you come across something that is a project but would start after the completion of another project.
For example, let's say you come across "develop an Android app about X" and you actually have an incomplete project called "Learn App Development", then you would only start the former after you complete the latter. How would you handle this scenario according to the best practices in GTD? Thanks!

What would you like to happen to trigger the next project once the first is done? Would you like a periodic tickler “Project 1 done?” Or perhaps “Waiting for Project 1 to complete: start Project 2.” Do you check your project support material before checking off your project? Depending on the list tool you us, you might have other options. Another approach is to put “Project 2 after Project 1” on your Someday/Maybe list. The key to almost all approaches is the weekly review- among other things, it enables you to send messages to your future self.
 

Rose

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I would create the second project (Developing the app), and put it on hold, and then add a task to my Learning project to activate the develop app project when the learn project is complete (or at a stage where I feel I can start on it). I use OmniFocus so you can copy a link to a project which makes it easy to jump to it from the note of another task.
 

Kmet

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I would use one of two options.

1) Put the later project into someday/maybe or
2) Create one project called "learn App development" and write "create an app" into the foot notes. -> When you've learned how to develop an app, you'd simply rename the project into "create an app" and put the "create an app" note from the foot notes into the main part of the note and vice versa.
 

Gardener

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I'd call this a WAITING FOR, and I'd treat it like any other WAITING FOR.

Which is to say, if the thing I'm waiting for is likely to happen soonish, I'd just put a Next Action of WAITING FOR on the project.

For example, my "plant asparagus" project was sitting around for a few weeks with "WAITING FOR frost" because I didn't want to tear out the plants occupying the last two beds of the asparagus row (Zinnias! Yay zinnias!) until they died naturally.

If the thing I'm waiting for is likely to take a while, I'd put the project in Someday/Maybe because I don't want to deal with the clutter of projects that are idle for a long time.

For example, we're going to completely revamp an area of the vegetable garden, a project big enough that we're going to hire someone with a serious tiller and a truck to haul compost. But he's busy doing other things, so that may not happen until spring. So the planting projects that come after the till/amend phase are in Someday/Maybe.
 

Oogiem

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I would create the second project (Developing the app), and put it on hold, and then add a task to my Learning project to activate the develop app project when the learn project is complete (or at a stage where I feel I can start on it). I use OmniFocus so you can copy a link to a project which makes it easy to jump to it from the note of another task.
That's exactly how I'd handle it too.
 

RS356

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I’d put the pending project on my Someday/Maybe list with a notation such as “after learning app development, create this.” Because reviewing my Someday/Maybe list is part of my weekly review, I’ll activate it at the appropriate time.
 

sholden

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I like that idea of putting depended projects on my Waiting For list. I've always thought of that list is for waiting for someone else. Good tip.
 

acc.mcpherson

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I like that idea of putting depended projects on my Waiting For list. I've always thought of that list is for waiting for someone else. Good tip.
I too thinking of Waiting for someone else. That's why I use "@Later." For me that's a clear distinction from Waiting for and Someday (which might or might not get done). I would also make that a dependent of the overall project.
 

Oogiem

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I like that idea of putting depended projects on my Waiting For list. I've always thought of that list is for waiting for someone else. Good tip.
Interesting, I don't think Ive ever had more than a handful of actions that were waiting for a person, they are almost always waiting for a condition to occur, something to be done, something to arrive if it was shipped, etc.
 

RS356

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I tend to use Waiting For for my direct reports, projects I’ve delegated, Amazon orders, and the like. As a general rule, if I think I might need to follow up with someone at some point, it will live on this list. Waiting For is typically for projects and outcomes to which I’m committed or have responsibility for. My someday/maybe list is for those items that I might do under the right conditions, many of which are dependent on other active projects.
 
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