Managing your Project Dependencies

By Chantal Jenoure

Photo by XPS on Unsplash

Dictionary.com defines dependency as “a state of being ‘dependent’ (relying on someone or something else for aid, support, etc.)”.

No matter the field of work you are in, the likelihood of your work needing an input or support from another person or team is pretty high.

• In Marketing, your dependency may lie with your agency providing campaign proposals within a certain timeline.

• In HR, it may mean you have to wait on the business to provide that job description or person specification, before you are able to place ads about the vacancy.

• If you are a chef, your dependency may lie with your butcher delivering on a certain day, by a certain time.

If your line of work requires that you rely on someone or another team to complete your deliverable, you may find these 5 (+ 1 bonus) tips handy.

TIP 1

Photo by Jo Szczepanska on Unsplash

Breakdown the work to be done and start discussing how you will do it. Do this with your team and identify if there are gaps in what you are capable of doing on your own and if there are any dependencies (that is, things you will need from another team or person to complete that bit of work).

In an Agile team, you may explore conducting a story mapping exercise. As you break the stories down into smaller pieces, you will begin to identify any unknowns as well as where your dependencies lie.

TIP 2

Bring all your involved stakeholders to the table to discuss your plan of action and use the opportunity to start communicating your dependencies early.

- Getting all parties to the table to talk through how you plan to approach the work to be done is important.
- Explaining any assumptions you have made is also key.
- Getting their insights and input early allows you to rely on their expertise and knowledge, to ensure you will build the right thing, in the right way.

This approach also allows for everyone to be on the same page about the scope of your work and they will be able to start picturing what your deliverable will look like.

TIP 3
Make your dependencies visible

- Whether it be on the stories in Jira or via your weekly report, it is important that you keep your dependencies visible to the team, as well as your stakeholders.

TIP 4
Communicate frequently with those with whom your dependency lies.

Talk about:

- What is needed?
- How should it work or what should it cover?
- When is it needed by?
- Progress being made or any blockers they are experiencing, to ensure that they will deliver what you need on time.

TIP 5
If or when needed, get management support to move impediments quickly, so that your dependencies can be delivered on time.

We know it happens - something else pops up and the person or team you're dependent on, now has another urgent deliverable that they have to prioritise over getting your input to you. This, of course, means you are no longer on track to meet your timeline.

Let’s admit it - some things are simply above our pay grade and will require bringing all parties to the table, including management (the decision makers) so that we can come to an agreement or an understanding. It is fine if at this meeting the other thing remains the priority - but doing it this way means that everyone is clear on the implications and the reason the agreed timeline will not be met.

BONUS TIP 👀

Before announcing that you are done, if possible, have your stakeholders ‘check’ what you have done.

- In the IT space, you could have a user testing session for them, where you allow them to interact with the system as an end-user.
- In Marketing, it may mean testing different versions of your print and radio ads. You could bring in actual or potential customers to have them review your content before you actually place anything in the media.
- If you are launching a new product, it may mean bringing some of the sales people together and letting them ask clarifying questions about how the product works.
- If you are in construction, it may mean laying out blocks to represent the size of the room you are about to build, before mixing the cement or applying the steel to making the structure permanent.

What other tips would you add to this list?