Don’t Be Scared of Dependencies!
Mastering the Art of Navigating Complexities
When it comes to scaling work across teams and projects, the thought of dependency management can send shivers down the spine of even the most seasoned project leaders. Dependencies — the connections between tasks, teams, or processes that can impact the flow of work — are often seen as barriers to efficiency, slowing down progress and creating bottlenecks. But what if you didn’t have to fear them? What if, instead, you could manage them with confidence and ease?
Let’s dive into how you can stop being scared of dependency management by understanding its nuances and leveraging actionable strategies that will transform it from a dreaded challenge to a manageable part of your workflow.
1. Dependencies Are Inevitable — Don’t Fear Them, Manage Them
At scale, dependencies are a fact of life. Instead of trying to eliminate them — which can often lead to mediocrity — focus on managing them effectively. In large organizations or products with intricate designs, dependencies can’t be designed out. Trying to do so only introduces more complexity and limitations. The solution lies in managing these connections gracefully, making them work for you rather than against you.
2. Avoid the Trap of Expensive Upfront Planning
Determining and planning for every potential dependency upfront is costly — both in time and resources. Organizations often spend significant amounts of effort analyzing dependencies in advance, tying up key resources and delaying valuable work. However, much of this overhead is avoidable. Instead of exhaustive planning, implement a more efficient process for detecting and managing dependencies as they arise, without slowing down delivery. Understanding the true impact of a potential delay can help you prioritize better and avoid unnecessary time investments.
3. Timebox Constraints Make Dependencies Worse
In frameworks like Scrum or SAFe, where timeboxes like sprints limit the work period, dependency management often becomes a bigger problem. With short time windows for delivery, the pressure to manage dependencies increases, and work breakdowns lead to additional overhead. Timebox constraints create unnecessary stress, encouraging rushed work rather than thoughtful dependency management. Free yourself from time constraints and embrace more flexible systems like Kanban, which uses WIP (Work in Progress) limits to balance workload without imposing artificial deadlines.
4. Kanban’s Visual Approach to Dependency Management
One of the key strengths of the Kanban Method is its simple yet effective visual techniques. By visually mapping out your workflow, including dependencies, you can see potential bottlenecks before they become an issue. Kanban boards allow you to manage both peer-to-peer and parent-child dependencies seamlessly. With a clear view of how work items are connected and interdependent, you can plan and adjust in real-time, ensuring smoother progress.
5. Tailor Dependency Management to the Situation
Not all dependencies are created equal. Some are critical, while others have minimal impact on delivery timelines. Your approach to managing them should be dictated by the cost of delay and risk. By understanding the urgency of a given task and the potential consequences of a delay, you can prioritize and allocate resources more efficiently. Tools like Triage Tables can help you quickly assess the importance of dependencies and apply the right strategy, saving you time and effort where it matters most.
6. Thin-Tailed Lead Times Make Life Easier
By focusing on optimizing your workflow and ensuring short, predictable lead times, you reduce the need for heavy-handed dependency management. When you operate with thin-tailed lead times, many dependencies become trivial or irrelevant. This allows you to focus on value delivery rather than constantly troubleshooting connections between workstreams. Shorter, more predictable lead times give you the flexibility to manage capacity and dependencies just in time, with minimal disruption to overall productivity.
Don’t Be Scared — Embrace the Power of Effective Dependency Management
While dependencies can feel like obstacles, they don’t have to be something to fear. By shifting your focus from eliminating them to managing them with intention, you can save time, reduce stress, and drive more consistent delivery outcomes. It’s about working smarter, not harder, and adopting practices that make dependencies part of the flow, not a barrier to it.
Ready to conquer your fear of dependencies and lead with confidence?
If you want to dive deeper into these concepts and learn more actionable strategies, join the special online edition of the course Managing Dependencies with David Anderson. This comprehensive course will teach you how to navigate the complexities of dependency management and lead your teams to greater success.
