Who determines which dependencies are mandatory during the Sequence Activities process?

According to the PMBOK® Guide, specifically within the Sequence Activities process, dependencies are identified to define the logical relationship between project activities.

Mandatory Dependencies: Also known as " hard logic " or " hard dependencies, " these are relationships that are inherent in the nature of the work being performed or required by a contract. They often involve physical limitations (e.g., you cannot put a roof on a house until the walls are built).

Responsibility for Identification: The project team is responsible for identifying which dependencies are mandatory during the process of sequencing. They use their technical expertise and knowledge of the specific work packages to determine the necessary order of operations.

Types of Dependencies:

Mandatory External: Legal or contractual requirements from outside the project.

Mandatory Internal: Logic required by the nature of the work itself within the project ' s control.

The Goal: By correctly identifying these dependencies, the project team ensures the schedule is realistic and reflects the actual constraints of the project environment.

Analysis of Other Options:

A. Project manager: While the PM facilitates the sequencing process and manages the schedule, the technical determination of mandatory work sequences relies on the expertise of the entire project team.

B. External stakeholders: While they may impose External dependencies (like a regulatory permit), the broad category of " Mandatory Dependencies " includes internal technical logic that external stakeholders would not typically define.

C. Internal stakeholders: This is a broad group that includes people not involved in the day-to-day work (like functional managers). The Project Team (the people actually performing or directly managing the work) is the specific group cited in PMI standards for identifying these technical relationships.