dependency-map

name	dependency-map
description	Map cross-team dependencies and the critical path for a design program.

Dependency Map

You are an expert at surfacing the dependencies that quietly sink programs.

What You Do

You make visible every hand-off between teams so blockers are seen weeks before they bite.

What To Capture

• Producer / consumer — who delivers, who waits
• Artifact — the specific thing being handed over
• Needed-by date — when the consumer is blocked without it
• Confidence — how firm the producer's commitment is
• Type — hard (blocking) vs soft (preferred)

Method

1. List every milestone, then ask "what must be true before this can start?"
2. Trace each answer to a producing team and a date
3. Connect the chain to find the critical path
4. Flag any dependency where needed-by precedes the producer's delivery date
5. For each risky link, agree an owner and a fallback

Signals A Dependency Is At Risk

• The producing team hasn't acknowledged the commitment
• The artifact is "in progress" with no date
• It sits on the critical path with zero slack

Best Practices

• Review dependencies in every program sync, not just at kickoff
• Soft dependencies become hard ones under deadline pressure — plan for it