Expressing itemA's Dependency on itemB with the Successor Link Type in Azure Boards
You manage projects by using Azure Boards. You have a current work item name itemA that is dependant on a work item named itemB. You need to define the dependency for itemA. What should you do in the web portal for Azure DevOps?
Community Votes
64% of anonymous learners picked answer D. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Community Insight
A dependency where itemA cannot proceed until itemB is finished is expressed with the Successor link type, added from itemA's Links tab by pointing at itemB, because Successor records that itemA comes after itemB.
Work item itemA depends on work item itemB, and that dependency must be defined in the Azure DevOps web portal. In Azure Boards, dependencies between work items are expressed through link types rather than through parent-child hierarchy, so the correct link type must be chosen to represent the ordering.
Using the References link type. References records a loose association between two work items and carries no ordering or dependency semantics, so it does not express that itemA is blocked by itemB. Adding a Parent link is also wrong, since parent-child expresses hierarchy and containment, not sequencing.
Community Discussion (8 comments)
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Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
The scenario requires defining a dependency, and in Azure Boards dependency relationships between work items are represented by the predecessor and successor link types rather than by hierarchy. Since itemA depends on itemB, itemA is the successor and itemB is the predecessor, so from itemA you open the Links tab, select Add link, set the link type to Successor, and supply the ID of itemB. The vote was 64 for D and 36 for B. FeriAZ explained the semantics directly, noting that Successor signifies itemA cannot be completed until itemB is finished, and that opening the Links tab within itemA to add the ID of itemB establishes the specific dependency.Why the Other Options Are Wrong
From Backlogs, using the context menu to add a link and setting Link type to References (B) uses the wrong link type, because References is a general association with no dependency or ordering meaning. ctrung made this precise, pointing out that there is no such thing as a References dependency link type in the form the option describes, which is the same reason the option fails. Adding a Parent link to the user story of itemA (A) expresses a parent-child hierarchy and containment relationship, which is a different concept: a dependency says itemA is blocked by itemB, not that itemA contains itemB. Note that the navigation steps in option B are otherwise the same as in D, so the single discriminating factor is the link type.Community Comment Notes
The community favored D at 64 votes, and the highest-liked comment, FeriAZ, explained both the dependency semantics and the correct navigation path. ctrung gave the decisive technical point, noting that B and D describe the same steps but that no References link type exists for dependencies, making D the only correct choice. Kalaisuran cited the Microsoft Learn page on link type reference, which documents the predecessor and successor types. One voter, crowpl86, noted the question appears twice in the same dump, which explains the split votes and does not affect the answer.Official Reference
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