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Writer's pictureCallum Thompson

HOW TO APPROACH PROJECT DEPENDENCY MAPPING

Updated: Nov 8, 2023

Project dependency mapping is a vital part of the planning process, enabling you to work out how the tasks in a project are connected and contingent on each other.


Ever been lost and thought to yourself, “I wish I had a map to get me out of here”? Ever felt lost at work when a project has gotten the better of you? You can’t possibly use a map at work can you?!


Think again.


Project dependencies describe the relationships between work projects that determine the order and timeline in which items need to be completed by teams. In large projects, there are often many individual tasks involved – and keeping track of them all can be a pain.


With this in mind, learning how to map tasks and their dependencies is an essential part of project management. The purpose of this blog is to walk you through how to identify, map, and manage dependencies to boost agility and reduce delays within teams.


Take a look at what we’re going to cover today:



UNDERSTANDING PROJECT DEPENDENCIES

Dependencies in project management help to manage and schedule tasks in a project while considering their requirements and order. If task X can’t be finished without the completion of task Y, then task X is considered to be dependent on task Y. Sounds simple right? Well in large projects with multiple interdependent tasks, things can become far more complex.


As such, setting out a project’s dependencies is critical to its success. It goes hand in hand with a project plan, which lays down the sequence of tasks and how they’re going to be completed. It's not until you understand each individual task that you can begin to look into its dependencies, but if you’re looking to do it properly, you’re going to have to lay down the groundwork.


WHAT IS A PROJECT DEPENDENCY MAP?

A visual project dependency map highlights the dependencies between tasks in a project so that teams can manage them effectively. The ultimate aim of producing a dependency map is to reduce bottlenecks and delays that could otherwise occur where one task is contingent on the output of another.


Dependency mapping allows teams to understand these two crucial capabilities:

  • Where dependencies and dependency patterns exist

  • How work corresponds between different teams

Without an effective dependency mapping strategy, you’re opening up the door to operational inefficiencies, poor data quality, and communication issues (to name just a few). During a project, a project manager will spend a lot of time tracking and managing different dependencies. The project dependency map is the key tool for doing this, allowing insights to be shared with teams in an easily digestible format.


THE BENEFITS OF PROJECT DEPENDENCY MAPPING

Being able to predict more accurately is a valued goal of any company. This cannot be achieved however without identifying, visualizing, and managing dependencies. If you can’t see the dependencies between your tasks and projects, it is near impossible to estimate the potential impact of changes or identify the cause of a problem.


Project dependency mapping identifies all the elements in an ecosystem