dependency-constraint

name	dependency-constraint
description	What must be completed first? — Dependency chain analysis + prerequisite graph construction
version	1.0.0
category	experiment-execution
type	strategy
sops	["dependency-graph-construction","critical-chain-identification"]
tactics	["sensitivity-ranking"]
dependencies	{"sops":["critical-chain-identification","dependency-graph-construction"],"tactics":["sensitivity-ranking"]}

Strategy: Dependency Constraint

Methodology

Systematic dependency analysis:

• Task decomposition: Break experiment into atomic tasks
• Dependency typing: Finish-to-Start, Start-to-Start, Finish-to-Finish, Start-to-Finish
• Graph construction: Build directed acyclic graph (DAG)
• Critical path: Longest path through the DAG
• Critical chain: Critical path + resource contention
• Prerequisite identification: External dependencies, approvals, data availability

Dependency categories:

Category	Examples
Technical	Code A needs library B, model needs data
Sequential	Train before evaluate, design before implement
Resource	Same GPU needed by two tasks
External	API access, dataset release, paper review
Knowledge	Need result X to decide approach Y

Execution Flow

1. Build Dependency Graph → call dependency-graph-construction SOP

   • Input: task list, known dependencies
   • Output: DAG with typed edges

2. Identify Critical Chain → call critical-chain-identification SOP

   • Input: DAG + resource assignments
   • Output: critical chain with contention points

3. Rank Sensitivity → invoke sensitivity-ranking tactic

   • Determine which dependencies are most binding

4. Report → synthesize dependency assessment

   • Critical path length
   • Binding dependency constraints
   • Parallelization opportunities

Budget Gate

Resource	Budget	Notes
Subagent calls	≤5	2 SOPs + synthesis
Iterations	≤2	Re-build if tasks change
Output size	≤3000 tokens	Graph summary + critical chain

Available Tactics

Optional, no fixed order; the final leaf is always a sop.

Tactic	When to use
sensitivity-ranking	Rank constraints by sensitivity — which ones most impact the outcome if they shift

Available SOPs

Optional, no fixed order; the final leaf is always a sop.

SOP	When to use
critical-chain-identification	Identify the critical chain — longest path considering resource contention
dependency-graph-construction	Build task dependency graph with predecessor/successor relationships