Manage dependencies

What is dependency management?

Dependency management is the process of identifying, managing, and tracking dependencies between different programmes, projects, tasks, or activities so that changes can be impact assessed and managed effectively to ensure risks and resources are appropriately managed.

Essential for:

• All types of transformation.

Knowledge

• Understanding how to recognise, document and manage dependencies.
• Understanding of categorisations that inform dependency management such as ‘finish to start’ ‘start to finish’, ‘finish to finish’ and ‘start to finish’.

Skills

Able to:

• Manage dependencies: Identifying and documenting dependencies between projects/programmes and or tasks.
• Apply dependency management tools: Using relevant tools to manage dependency impacts effectively, for example using predecessor and successor functions within available software.
• Maintain and document dependencies: Maintain a dependency log that clearly outlines key dependencies and the impact of dependencies on one another.
• Assess dependencies: Analysing the criticality of dependencies and potential impacts on project and/or programme timescales and outputs.
• Align dependency and risk management: To ensure effective dependency controls are in place.
• Monitor dependencies: Reviewing the status of individual dependencies within plans, updating dependency information as part of project tracking.
• Communicate effectively: Proactively and continually communicate dependency information across the portfolio / programme / project landscape – so that all stakeholders understand the status of dependencies and actions always required.
• Facilitate collaboration between stakeholders and teams to effectively manage dependent deliverables.
• Optimise scheduling to consider key dependencies, including scheduling mitigating control actions.
• Apply different project delivery methodologies: Adapt dependency management to the delivery context including whether Agile or Waterfall methodologies are being used.
• Maintain close attention to detail across all areas of the project / programme / portfolio to continually review dependency status.

Behaviours

• Collaborative
• Accountable
• Analytical
• Empathetic
• Adaptable and pragmatic
• Solution focused.
• Committed to continual learning.