Dependency Map

What must exist before work can progress?

DEPENDENCY MAP
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

                    ┌─────────┐
                    │  START   │
                    └────┬────┘
                         │
          ┌──────────────┼──────────────┐
          │              │              │
          ▼              ▼              ▼
     ┌─────────┐   ┌─────────┐   ┌─────────┐
     │  DEP A  │   │  DEP B  │   │  DEP C  │
     │ (team)  │   │ (team)  │   │(external)│
     └────┬────┘   └────┬────┘   └────┬────┘
          │        ═════╪══════       │
          │              │            │
          └──────────────┼────────────┘
                         │
                         ▼
                    ┌─────────┐
                    │  TASK   │
                    └────┬────┘
                         │
                         ▼
                    ┌─────────┐
                    │  DONE   │
                    └─────────┘

  ─────── = Soft (can proceed with mocks)
  ═══════ = HARD (cannot proceed without)

════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

The Dependency Map is the third flow engineering map. The critical path is the longest chain of hard dependencies — it determines minimum project duration.

Dependency Types

Type	Description	Typical Risk
Data	Schema, seed data, migrations	Medium
API	Endpoint must exist before consumer	High
Infrastructure	Database, server, service	High
Decision	Architecture choice, approval	Medium
Resource	Person, license, access	Medium
External	Third-party API, vendor	Very High

Hard vs Soft

Classification	Meaning	Implication
HARD	Cannot proceed without it	Defines critical path
SOFT	Can mock or parallel-track	Parallelization opportunity

Every hard dependency on the critical path is a risk multiplier. Every soft dependency reclassified from hard is time recovered.

Parallelization

CURRENT (Sequential)           OPTIMIZED (Parallel)
────────────────────           ────────────────────

A ── B ── C ── D               A ──┐
                                    ├──► D
Lead time: 4 weeks              B ──┤
                                    │
                                C ──┘

                                Lead time: 2 weeks

Gate

Before moving to Capability Map:

• All dependencies identified and classified
• Hard vs soft classification complete
• Critical path identified
• Risk matrix populated
• Parallelization opportunities documented
• Every blocker has an owner and escalation path

If critical path has unowned blockers, escalate before proceeding.

Context

• Value Stream Map — Previous: understand current flow
• Capability Map — Next: assess what you can do
• Flow Engineering — The methodology these maps serve
• First Principles — Systematically establish the truth