Excessive links undermine the core purpose of scheduling—to build a clear, actionable plan. Minimizing redundancy improves logic clarity, reduces system load, and builds stakeholder confidence. Here’s how redundant links cause problems:
1. Increased Schedule Complexity and Confusion
Redundant links (e.g., A → C when A → B → C exists) clutter the logic and visuals, complicating stakeholder communication.
2. Inefficient Critical Path Analysis
Extra links can distort the critical path, misrepresent float, and shift focus to non-driving activities, wasting time.
3. Unpredictable Schedule Turbulence
In large projects, delays ripple unpredictably through redundant dependencies, leading to unintended changes and loss of control.
4. Computational Inefficiency
More links mean slower recalculations. Tools like P6 and MSP must process every link—even irrelevant ones—reducing performance.
5. Risk of Errors and Miscommunication
- Hidden Dependencies: Obscure logic leads to misaligned execution.
- Documentation Gaps: Redundancies are hard to justify in audits.
- Maintenance Issues: Replanning becomes error-prone.
Best Practices to Mitigate Issues
- Logic Reviews: Use P6’s Trace Logic or plugins to spot and remove redundant links.
- Simplify Dependencies: Use milestones or buffers instead of extra links.
- Avoid Over-Linking: Focus on essential, driving relationships.
- Document Rationale: Clarify any non-standard logic in activity notes.