To start, I know there has been a somewhat popular post about this from back in 2017. And as confirmed by Wrike Support, this simple feature still isn't implemented. I am hoping to resurrect this new conversation and gain enough traction to get a Wrike developer to seriously consider implementing this feature in Wrike.
Original post: [Status: Backburner ⌛️]Adding Dependencies to tasks with no Date field – Wrike Help Center
There's a lot of small simple features that I wish Wrike had or am sometimes surprised it doesn't. But this to me is probably the most important one and has the biggest use case for our massive company especially when using more advanced features in Wrike and doing advanced reporting.
Let's begin.
Our Use Case / Challenge
We rely heavily on blueprints with many interconnected tasks and dependencies. However, in our workflows, we often do not have confirmed start or end dates at the time a blueprint or workplan of ours is created. In many cases, the workplan is initiated and tasks are logically connected before official dates are established—sometimes days or even weeks later.
Currently, when we add predecessors or dependencies in Wrike:
Wrike automatically assigns dates (often using the blueprint creation date or the current date).
These auto-populated dates are not meaningful or accurate for us at that stage.
We want the dependencies to exist, but we want the dates to remain blank until we manually populate them once real dates are confirmed.
Why This Is a Problem for Us
The auto-populated dates cause visual clutter in the table view.
Stakeholders reviewing the workplan often assume these dates are intentional or final, which leads to confusion and unnecessary questions.
Clearing dates later is problematic because removing a date also removes the predecessor, which we do not want—we only want to clear the date, not the dependency logic.
We ultimately end up having to revisit and rework large portions of the plan once real dates are known, which is inefficient.
Comparison to Smartsheet
In Smartsheet, predecessors can be fully defined while start and end dates remain blank until the user manually enters them. This allows us to:
This behavior aligns much better with how our organization (health care) plans work, especially when timelines are variable or externally driven.
This feels like a crucial missing link in dependency management—especially for teams that receive approval to begin planning before dates are finalized. We strongly believe this type of functionality would be beneficial not only for our organization, but for many Wrike users with dynamic or evolving timelines.
Thank you!
~ Allen G.
