A row inserted between Prepare and Release looks like a step between them, but visual order alone does not document what Release depends on. The intended dependency graph should be stated before inserting the row.

In Project desktop for Windows, use a disposable plan with automatically scheduled tasks named A Prepare and C Release. In Gantt Chart, select the two task names with Ctrl and choose Task, Link Tasks. The default relationship is finish-to-start. Record their names and current predecessor information.

Compare the insertion settings

Project can automatically link an inserted task to surrounding linked tasks. Under File, Options, Schedule, find Scheduling options for this project and inspect Autolink inserted or moved tasks. Microsoft documents it as disabled by default. Record the actual setting rather than assuming a file inherited that default.

Save two practice copies of the same A-to-C plan. In the first, leave Autolink off and insert B Check between their rows. In the second, enable Autolink before the same insertion. The desired operational sequence for this example is A, then B, then C.

Inspect each task through Task, Information, Predecessors. Check the named predecessor and link type rather than trusting a familiar row number. The Autolink-enabled insertion should connect B with its surrounding linked tasks; insertion without it does not establish that new sequence merely through placement.

Prove that the graph expresses the requirement

Write the observed relationships as names: what does B depend on, and what does C depend on? A chart that still lets Release proceed directly from Prepare has not incorporated Check as a required intervening step, even if Check sits neatly between them on screen.

In each copy, increase B's duration while holding the other inputs constant. Compare C's resulting start with the predecessor record. This is a useful witness because changing A could affect C in both designs and therefore conceal the missing middle dependency.

Choose the behaviour appropriate to the actual edit. An inserted note-like task or parallel activity should not become a mandatory serial step just because Autolink is enabled. Conversely, a required check needs explicit links even when automatic insertion is off. Record the setting and inspect the relationships after restructuring so the plan reflects the intended sequence.

Sources: Microsoft: task dependencies.