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HOW TO USE DEPENDENCY MAPPING TO VISUALIZE DEPENDENCIES AND BOOST YOUR TEAM’S
AGILITY

Reading time: about 11 min

Topics:

 * Product development
 * Visual collaboration
 * Agile

If your work has ever been delayed because you need something from another team
and their part hasn’t been completed yet, then you’re familiar with how
frustrating and disruptive dependencies can be. If dependencies aren’t
eliminated or mitigated, they can lead to bottlenecks, delays, and misalignment,
which hinders your company’s overall progress. 

Unfortunately, it’s difficult to resolve dependencies if you aren’t able to
identify potential dependencies in the first place. Agile teams need a clear way
to understand dependencies as they plan their initiatives in order to eliminate
and mitigate structural impediments in their workflow. 

Dependency mapping is the perfect practice to help teams understand, proactively
eliminate, and, if necessary, manage dependencies. The primary purpose of
dependency mapping is to enhance clarity among teams by providing a clear
visualization of how all the different elements of a workflow rely on each
other. 

Keep reading to learn how to create a dynamic dependency map and, ultimately,
boost efficiency and agility across your organization. 


WHAT IS DEPENDENCY MAPPING? 

Dependency mapping is an activity conducted to create a dependency map, which is
a visual representation of the relationships, or dependencies, between elements
within a project, initiative, or system. Since various work elements often rely
on one another, dependencies can deeply impact teams as they aim to deliver
high-quality value for customers. For example, someone on another team may need
to complete their part for a specific initiative before your team can begin its
work. 

Mapping out these dependencies helps you see how work elements are related to
each other and how structural impediments might occur within your workflow.
You’ll also be able to see the exact points where you’ll need to collaborate
with other teams. Dependency mapping should happen during the very beginning
stages of planning—such as during big room planning or sprint planning. 

By using dependency maps, Agile teams can determine the best action to take to
address structural impediments. Teams typically follow this three-step process
when dealing with dependencies:

 1. Eliminate. The first and best option is to eliminate the dependency
    entirely. As you map dependencies, ask if the dependency is truly necessary
    in the first place. It may be possible to further break down the work or
    restructure teams in order to prevent the dependency from occurring.  

 2. Mitigate. If a dependency can't be eliminated, then consider whether it can
    be mitigated by substituting it with a less impactful dependency. Can you
    implement a temporary solution that creates a less impactful relationship
    between work elements? Is there an architectural change that can replace a
    dependency with a more manageable one?

 3. Manage. After attempting elimination and mitigation, the focus turns to
    managing remaining dependencies that can’t be avoided or substituted. 

However, you can’t eliminate, mitigate, or manage what you don’t understand in
the first place—which is where dependency mapping comes in. In order to
understand dependencies, you first need to visualize them.


HOW TO VISUALIZE DEPENDENCIES

To visualize your workflow, you can use charts and diagrams such as:

 * Gantt charts

 * Network diagrams

 * Flowcharts

 * Workflow timelines

 * Value stream maps 

Once you’ve visualized your workflow, you can map relationships—or
dependencies—between tasks by drawing arrows to connect elements of work that
rely on each other in order to achieve full completion. Each arrow represents a
dependency. You can color code arrows and indicate direction to show which
element is dependent on others. 

In some systems of record, such as backlog management tools, it can be
difficult—or even impossible—to visualize these dependencies. The best way to
visualize dependencies is through dependency mapping in a visual collaboration
platform.  

The good news is, in the Lucid Visual Collaboration Suite, you can easily map
out dependency data in real time that automatically syncs with your existing
system of record. By creating a dependency map in Lucid, you not only enhance
understanding among your team but also illustrate the relationship between teams
within your organization. You can keep a record of dependencies in your
workflow, update your maps in real time, and easily share your discoveries with
other teams.



Lucid integrates directly with Jira and Azure DevOps (ADO), so you can visualize
and create dependencies without having to worry about manually updating data.
Thanks to Lucid’s automatic bi-directional syncing, you can either import
dependencies from Jira or ADO, or create new dependencies in Lucid and import
those back to Jira or ADO. 

Lucid’s dependency mapping capabilities are highly beneficial for teams because
Lucid can help you highlight the areas where you need to take action. By seeing
where dependencies may occur, you can then take steps to eliminate, mitigate,
and, if necessary, manage structural impediments in your workflow.

DEPENDENCY MAPPING IN LUCID

Learn how to visualize dependency data from Jira and Azure DevOps in real time.

Read more


BENEFITS OF DEPENDENCY MAPPING IN A VISUAL COLLABORATION PLATFORM

You can complete dependency mapping on a physical wall or board with sticky
notes and hand-drawn arrows. While this works for many teams, physical and
digital approaches each have their place, and visual collaboration platforms
offer specific advantages for dependency mapping. 

Mapping dependencies in a visual collaboration platform helps to: 

 * Maintain a single source of truth across tools. By using a visual platform,
   you’ll be able to consolidate your tech stack and establish a document
   repository—a record of your dependency mapping—which the entire team can
   reference when they need. It helps to have a record of what’s worked, what
   hasn’t, and ideas for improvement. 

 * Enhance visibility and access. A visual platform makes dependency resolution
   more actionable for distributed teams, as you can easily share dependency
   maps between teams and with stakeholders. You can also access version history
   to understand how dependencies in your workflow have changed over time. 

 * Improve alignment and cross-functional collaboration. With the power of
   visuals, dependency mapping in a visual platform makes it easier than ever
   for your team to understand how their tasks fit in the overall workflow and
   identify potential delays. By doing dependency mapping in a visual platform,
   you can increase alignment and collaboration—not only within your team but
   across your organization. 

 * Enhance pattern recognition and analysis across levels. In a visual platform,
   you can easily toggle between team-level and organizational-level views to
   identify dependencies, all the way from individual task elements to
   system-wide patterns. It’s easier to filter and search for dependencies and
   spot opportunities for structural improvement.


DEPENDENCY MAPPING BEST PRACTICES: 6 TIPS FOR IDENTIFYING AND ADDRESSING
DEPENDENCIES

Now that you know what dependency mapping is and how to visualize dependencies,
follow these best practices for proactively mapping dependencies in your
workflow.

These are six tips for identifying and addressing dependencies in your workflow.


PRIORITIZE DEPENDENCY RESOLUTION

Remember, it’s important to recognize dependencies as early as possible.
Dependency mapping is highly useful for the beginning stages of your project
planning so you can prioritize dependency resolution. Once you’ve identified
impediments that may occur in your workflow, you can then eliminate or mitigate
them. This practice involves: 

 * Early identification of dependencies that block valuable, high-priority work
   items 

 * Sequencing work to minimize blockers

 * Prioritizing work items that need to be done to unblock other high-priority
   items

Here’s an example: If Feature A (which is high priority) depends on Component B
being built first, you might: 

 * Try to eliminate the dependency. Ask yourself: Can Feature A be built
   differently? 

 * If elimination isn’t possible, you may need to prioritize building Component
   B earlier in the workflow sequence.

 * Another option is to break down Feature A so it’s possible to deliver
   valuable parts of it that don’t depend on Component B.

Work items that are considered “high priority” depend on the context of your
work. For some teams, particular features are high-priority; for others, one
work item may be identified as a blocker for many other items, so that needs to
be taken care of first. Use dependency mapping to identify high priority work
items ahead of time and focus on dependency resolution before work begins.


BREAK DOWN WORK TO MINIMIZE DEPENDENCIES

Breaking down work into smaller, more independent elements helps to minimize
reliance on external factors or other teams, reducing the potential for
dependencies. Smaller elements of work also bring further clarity for team
members as they understand their specific tasks and how those tasks will fit
into the larger goal.

Teams use practices like the INVEST mnemonic to remember during backlog
refinement to create items that are as small and “independent” as possible. This
practice proactively helps eliminate dependencies in the first place. Backlog
refinement is a constant activity that involves the whole team and ensures that
each individual is aware of items to be completed, as well as their roles and
responsibilities, to help boost team alignment from the very beginning.

Use this template in Lucid to help your team break down work items into elements
that are as small and independent as possible.


COLLABORATE CLOSELY WITH OTHER TEAMS

Successful dependency mapping requires you to regularly coordinate with other
teams. After all, trying to map dependencies doesn’t work if you don’t know what
other teams are working on or how it impacts your work. 

Cross-functional collaboration helps you align on timelines, share information,
and promptly address blockers or delays. Advocate for your team members to
develop cross-functional skills and establish clear communication channels with
other teams who are involved in dependencies.  

With a visual collaboration platform like Lucid, you can bring cross-functional
teams together on a shared canvas to collaborate in real time or asynchronously.
You can even invite stakeholders to contribute input, either during meetings or
on their own time, so teams don’t have to wait for feedback in order to move on
with their work.

TIPS FOR COLLABORATING CROSS-FUNCTIONALLY

Discover five best practices for collaborating across teams with confidence.

Learn more


BUILD A BUFFER FOR UNFORESEEN DELAYS 

As much as you try to identify dependencies ahead of time, delays do come up
naturally as work progresses.

To take this into account, include buffer time when you’re planning a sprint to
address any dependencies that might occur outside the team’s control. This way,
you’ll already have time built in for those unforeseen circumstances that would
otherwise derail or delay your project, and you can still meet your sprint goals
on time.

Customize this sprint timeline template for your team and add in some buffer
time for unforeseen dependencies or delays.


USE SPIKES TO INVESTIGATE DEPENDENCIES 

For complex situations, you can conduct a “spike”—a time-boxed investigation—to
better understand how to handle dependencies. Dependency spikes are short
activities focused on learning and risk reduction with the ultimate goal of
helping your team make informed decisions on how to proceed. 

You can use a dependency spike to: 

 * Prototype ways to break down work differently. 

 * Research different approaches that could help eliminate the dependency. 

 * Investigate options for handling dependencies that can’t be eliminated. 

Dependency maps are helpful during these spikes because you can use your map to
visualize the workflow and guide your investigation.


LEARN FROM DEPENDENCIES TO DRIVE CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

A major aspect of the Agile mindset is continuous improvement. Use dependency
mapping to learn from the impediments in your workflow and develop strategies to
resolve dependencies more effectively in the future. 

Retrospectives are a great time to examine both individual dependencies and
broader, high-level patterns that can inform improvement for your team’s way of
working. Ask your team: What dependencies have you successfully eliminated, and
which ones had to be managed? What can you change about your practices or
structure to further reduce dependencies in the future?

During a sprint retrospective, review how you can improve dependency resolution
to drive continuous improvement.

It helps to document dependencies in a shared virtual space, because when you
keep a virtual record of dependencies, your team can: 

 * Review which dependencies are difficult to eliminate and consistently cause
   delays or risks.

 * Identify patterns of recurring dependencies that might signal deeper
   structural issues. 

 * Share successful strategies for breaking down work and other practices to
   eliminate or mitigate dependencies.

 * Track improvements in dependency patterns over time.


USE DEPENDENCY MAPPING TO BOOST EFFICIENCY AND AGILITY 

Agile teams focus on continuous improvement and delivering high value to
customers. For these teams, it helps to identify what needs to be improved—and
what may cause delays or low-quality delivery—in the first place. 

Dependency mapping is a highly useful tool for teams to identify, eliminate, and
mitigate dependencies in their workflow so they can minimize delays and increase
efficiency. Use Lucid to visualize dependencies for your team and see how a
visual collaboration platform helps enhance cross-functional collaboration,
communication, and agility across your entire organization. 

RESPOND BETTER TO CHANGE WITH LUCID

Learn how the Lucid Visual Collaboration Suite helps your team boost agility and
deliver value more efficiently.

Go now


ABOUT LUCID

Lucid Software is a pioneer and leader in visual collaboration dedicated to
helping teams build the future. With its products—Lucidchart, Lucidspark, and
Lucidscale—teams are supported from ideation to execution and are empowered to
align around a shared vision, clarify complexity, and collaborate visually, no
matter where they are. Lucid is proud to serve top businesses around the world,
including customers such as Google, GE, and NBC Universal, and 99% of the
Fortune 500. Lucid partners with industry leaders, including Google, Atlassian,
and Microsoft. Since its founding, Lucid has received numerous awards for its
products, business, and workplace culture. For more information, visit lucid.co.


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