Coordinate

Dependency Breakers

Coordinate

Work in cross-team meetings to map all actual dependencies.

Dependency Breakers: Attend • Automate • Block • Contain • Coordinate • Decouple • Flag • Formalize • Measure • Prioritize • Redesign • Reteam • Rotate • Self-service • Standardize • Swarm • Throttle • Toggle • Visualize • Volunteer

Purpose

To ensure a smooth workflow, mapping out all actual dependencies in cross-team meetings is crucial. Proactive planning with other teams is critical for dependencies requiring significant effort. Collaborate closely to ensure necessary work is scheduled and executed in advance, preventing last-minute disruptions. Set up recurring check-in meetings with dependent teams to keep shared requirements in focus throughout the project.

Notes

Dependencies are not necessarily bad. Actually, there are many good reasons for people to depend on each other. But you have a problem when those dependencies result in value that is not able to flow.

Rules / Constraints

  • We have not yet defined any rules or constraints.

Attend
Automate
Block
Contain
Coordinate
Decouple
Flag
Formalize
Measure
Prioritize
Redesign
Reteam
Rotate
Self-service
Standardize
Swarm
Throttle
Toggle
Visualize
Volunteer
Featured
Breaking Bad Dependencies (Not Good Ones)
Breaking Bad Dependencies (Not Good Ones)

The idea of end-to-end responsibility is that nothing is blocked in this value stream. But autonomy is an illusion, and it’s impossible to break all dependencies. The problem is that many dependencies are not valuable.

“We have broken the cycle of dependency. People have found out they're better off working.”

(Source: John Engler)