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Dependencies Overview
With Roadmunk and Dependencies, you can create multiple relationships between Items and roadmaps across your organization to allow for better collaboration and strengthened decision making.
This new feature gives teams a simple way to manage complex workflows and increases clarity on projects. Dependencies allow you to link Items by date and visualize them on your Roadmaps, providing full visibility of Item relationships and restrictions to your teams.
Types of Dependencies
Roadmunk supports the following two types of dependencies - when an Item is blocked by another (Blocking) and when two Items are moving in tandem with each other (Moves With).
Dependencies in Roadmunk are automatically enforced, meaning that dates of Items will be automatically adjusted to ensure that the dependency relationship and restrictions are always complied with. However, the duration of Items is never changed by Dependencies.
Blocking
Allows you to create a relationship in which something must happen before or after a specific Item.
Moves With
Allows you to create a relationship in which Items are running in parallel, as one Item moves, other dependant Items are moved by the same time period.
Creating a Dependency
Dependencies can be created in the Item Card. In the example below, we will create a Dependency where B Is Blocking A by opening the Item Card through the Items Table. In order for Dependencies to be created, items must have calendar dates.
NOTE: At this time, you cannot create Dependencies with Jira-linked items or with Milestones.
- Navigate to the Items Table on your roadmap.
- Find an item that you wish to create a dependency to.
- Click on the item to open the Item Card.
- Besides the dependencies label, click Add.
- In the Item Search dropdown that appears, search for and select the item you want to make a dependency for.
- From the Dependency type dropdown, select the type of dependency relationship that you want to create. Blocking (Is Blocking or Blocked By) or Moves With.
- Click Update on the Item Card.
Creating Advanced Dependencies and Key Dates
By default, Dependencies are Basic, meaning that your Item Dependency relationships will be End - Start. However, you can choose to setup Advanced dependencies allowing you to select and customize any permutations of Start, End, and Key Dates.
Creating Cross Roadmap Dependencies
Roadmunk supports the ability to create Cross-Roadmap Dependencies between items that live on different roadmaps. In the example above, we show how quick it is to create these dependencies by creating a Moves With dependency with Item D in the Marketing Roadmap. While typing an item's name into the Item Search bar is often the fastest way to setup a dependency, you can also easily locate an item by manually navigating to it through the Item Search bar. In order to view a list of items from all roadmaps you have edit access to:
- Click into the Item Search bar
- In the drop-down, select the roadmap title, formatted as << (Roadmap Name), to view a full list of your roadmaps
- Navigate to the roadmap you're looking for and select the appropriate item to link.
One thing to note is that the search bar can only search by Item Name at this time, meaning that you will not be able to locate items based on roadmap name, field attributes, dates, or description content.
NOTE: In order to create Cross-Roadmap Dependencies you must be have Ownership or Editor access on the destination roadmap.
Modifying an Existing Dependency
To modify or update an existing Dependency:
- Open up the Item’s Item Card.
- In the Dependencies section, make any modifications necessary.
- Click Update on the Item Card.
NOTE: If you attempt to clear the date or convert from a date to a Bucket time (fuzzy time) on an Item with an existing Dependency, you will receive a prompt warning you that proceeding with the change will delete the Dependencies on that Item. Dependencies are only supported on Items with dates.
Deleting a Dependency
To delete a dependency:
- Open up the Item’s Item Card
- Find the dependency that you wish to delete
- To the right of the dependency, find the (x) icon
- A confirmation tooltip will appear, click Delete
Undoing Dependency changes
Anytime you add, remove or modify a single Dependency to an Item, Roadmunk will let you undo that change for up to 30 seconds. A change impacting multiple Dependencies can be undone for up to 60 seconds. The same also applies if you move an Item on your Roadmap and then decide to change your mind about the move.
When you move an Item with a Dependency on your Roadmap, you get a detailed view of the Undo modal showing you exactly which Items were impacted by the move. Hovering over the date of each item will display a tooltip with the previous date for that Item.
Visualizing Your Roadmap with Dependencies
Once you've created a Dependency, there are three ways of visually presenting that a Dependency relationship exists between Items: in the Items Table, Swimlane View and Timeline View.
Dependencies in the Items Table
Dependencies are also visually depicted on the Items Table. Circular icons are displayed beside the date of any item that has a dependency, outlining the total number of dependencies that that item has.
Dependencies in the Timeline View
Dependencies are visually depicted in the Timeline View with circular icons depicting the total number of Dependencies (including Cross Roadmap Dependencies) linked to that Item. For example, B2 and B3 both have a Moves With Dependency with B. Therefore the circular icon to the left of B indicates 2 Dependencies.
Dependency lines appear when hovering over an Item that has a Dependency. For example, B2 and B3 have a Moves With Dependency with B. Hovering over B will display lines to both B2 and B3.
NOTE: Dotted lines depicts a Blocking dependency while a Solid line depicts a Moves With dependency.
You can also get a high-level view of your dependencies by rolling up these roadmaps into a Portfolio Roadmap.
Dependency lines are only drawn when the Items that have Dependencies between them are both fully in view on the screen. If one is offscreen or partially obscured by a header, a Dependency line is not drawn. Similarly, Cross Roadmap Dependencies are not visually depicted with Dependency lines from within individual roadmaps, however if all applicable roadmaps are rolled up into a Portfolio Roadmap and all Items are in view on the screen, Cross roadmap Dependency Lines will be drawn on hover.
Dependency visualizations can be toggled ON and OFF by checking/un-checking Show Dependencies from the Layout section of the Format panel in the Timeline View.
When Dependency visualizations are disabled, the circular icons are not displayed and Dependency Lines are not drawn on hover.
Dependencies in the Swimlane View
Dependencies are visually presented in the Swimlane View with circular icons depicting the total number of Dependencies (including Cross Roadmap Dependencies) linked to that Item. Dependency Lines are not supported in the Swimlane View.
Dependency visualizations can be toggled ON and OFF by checking/un-checking Show Dependencies from the Layout section of the Format panel in the Swimlane View.
Exporting & Sharing Dependencies
Dependency visualizations are supported on PNG and HTML exports and on URL publishing in both Timeline and Swimlane Views. Roadmunk provides you with the flexibility to decide how much Dependency information to include.
Exporting the Swimlane View
To include the Dependency circular icons on a PNG, HTML or URL export, simply ensure that you have the Show dependencies option checked (enabled) from the Layout section of the Format panel in the Swimlane View. Similarly, to exclude the Dependency circular icons, simply uncheck (disable) the Show dependencies option.
Clicking on an Item on an HTML or URL export will show you detailed Dependency information on the Item Card.
Exporting the Timeline View
To include the Dependency circular icons and/or Dependency Lines on a PNG, HTML or URL export, you first have to ensure that you have the Show dependencies option checked (enabled) from the Layout section of the Format panel in the Timeline View. When Show dependencies in unchecked (disabled), neither the Dependency circular icons nor the Dependency Lines will be visible on an exported Roadmap.
To only include the Dependency circular icons (and not the Dependency Lines), from the PNG, HTML, or URL Export panel, simply ensure that the Dependency Lines option is unchecked (disabled).
To include both the Dependency circular icons and the Dependency Lines, check (enable) the Dependency Lines option from the PNG, HTML, or URL Export panel.
NOTE: Dependency circular icons are visible in the Export preview, however Dependency lines are not.
Clicking on an Item on an HTML or URL export will show you detailed Dependency information on the Item Card.
Tracking Dependency Changes
Item Card Activity Feed
The Item Card Activity Feed will keep a record of various changes to your Item including when a Dependency was added, removed or modified, or if an Item’s dates were changed due to a Dependency relationship with another Item.
Notifications
If your items have changed due to Dependencies outside of your roadmap, you will receive a notification of the changes.