Dependencies and blockers

Represent work that must happen before other work can move forward.

Outcome

Use dependencies to make timeline movement reflect real sequencing constraints.

Applies to

Planners coordinating work across people or teams.

Before you start

Only add dependencies that affect schedule decisions. Too many weak dependencies make the timeline harder to reason about.

Steps

  1. Identify the issue that must happen first.
  2. Connect it to the issue that depends on it.
  3. Move the upstream issue and review the downstream impact.
  4. Remove dependencies that no longer represent real blockers.
  5. Recheck shared timelines after dependency changes.

What happens next

Dependency changes can affect dates and review expectations. Explain major changes in timeline comments when stakeholders are involved.

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