Join our upcoming webinar and discover three powerful tools you can start using in Microsoft Project to analyze predecessors and successors between tasks. SSI’s Directional Path, Connecting Path, and Dependency Tracer tools are all part of the SSI Tools for Microsoft Project add-in and can help you understand, analyze, and communicate project logic with unmatched clarity.

SSI’s Directional Path Tool

SSI’s Directional Path Tool allows users to trace chains of dependencies starting from a designated focus point in either a backward (predecessors) or forward (successors) direction with a single push of a button.

This tool enables clear visualization and understanding of how activities in the schedule are influenced by upstream drivers or how they impact downstream successors.

By automating what once took several minutes of manual tracing, this tool helps project managers and schedulers instantly understand “what drives what” — ensuring no critical relationship goes unnoticed.

Use this tool to instantly get the critical/driving path to any task or milestone in the schedule:

Get near paths like secondary and tertiary:

Plus, much more!

SSI Connecting Path Tool

SSI’s Connecting Path Tool enables Microsoft Project users to identify and analyze the activities that logically connect two points in the schedule.

Running the Connecting Path tool can produce this output:

This tool is a valuable resource for verifying that two activities which should be logically connected are properly linked, and for validating the chain of dependencies between them.

SSI Dependency Tracer Tool

SSI’s Dependency Tracer Tool provides an enhanced method of analyzing the immediate dependencies of activities in Microsoft Project.

While the built-in MS Project Task Form provides basic visibility into task dependencies:

The Dependency Tracer offers advanced capabilities to analyze relationships between activities more effectively:

Key features include the ability to:

Clearly identify which dependencies are driving or being driven.
View additional task fields to see key information about dependencies
Navigate to dependency activities and perform step-by-step dependency logic analysis.

Learn More: Register for Our Upcoming Webinar!

Event: Mastering Microsoft Project Dependency Analysis with SSI Tools

Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2025

Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm EDT

Location: Live on Zoom

PMI PDUs: 1 Ways of Working, 0 Business Acumen, 0 Power Skills

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