Managing Dependencies Across Projects

Dependencies across projects create the most challenging coordination problems. When one project's progress depends on another project's deliverables, misalignment causes delays that ripple through entire organizations. GitScrum provides cross-project visibility, linking capabilities, and coordination tools that keep multiple projects synchronized.

The Cross-Project Challenge

Cross-project dependencies cause unique problems:

• Visibility gaps — Teams can't see other projects' status
• Priority conflicts — Different projects prioritize differently
• Communication overhead — Coordination across team boundaries
• Timeline misalignment — Projects on different schedules
• Ownership ambiguity — Unclear who handles shared work
• Cascade failures — One project's delay affects many

GitScrum Cross-Project Tools

Features for managing multi-project work:

Cross-Project Features

Understanding Cross-Project Dependencies

Common Patterns

CROSS-PROJECT DEPENDENCY TYPES
══════════════════════════════

1. PLATFORM DEPENDENCIES
   ──────────────────────
   Multiple products depend on shared platform
   
   [Platform Project] ──provides─→ [Product A Project]
                      ──provides─→ [Product B Project]
                      ──provides─→ [Product C Project]
   
2. SEQUENTIAL HANDOFFS
   ────────────────────
   One project feeds into another
   
   [Design Project] ──delivers─→ [Development Project]
   [Development Project] ──delivers─→ [QA Project]
   
3. INTEGRATION DEPENDENCIES
   ─────────────────────────
   Projects must integrate at specific points
   
   [API Project] ──────┐
   [Frontend Project] ─┼──→ [Integration Project]
   [Mobile Project] ───┘
   
4. SHARED COMPONENT DEPENDENCIES
   ──────────────────────────────
   Multiple projects use same components
   
   [Design System Project] ──used by─→ [Web App Project]
                           ──used by─→ [Mobile App Project]
                           ──used by─→ [Admin Dashboard Project]

Setting Up Cross-Project Visibility

Project Organization

Step 1: Define Project Boundaries

Organize projects logically:

WORKSPACE STRUCTURE
═══════════════════

Workspace: Acme Engineering
├── Platform Team Project
│   └── Core APIs, infrastructure, shared services
├── Web Product Project
│   └── Customer-facing web application
├── Mobile Product Project
│   └── iOS and Android apps
├── Admin Tools Project
│   └── Internal admin dashboard
└── QA Project
    └── Testing and quality assurance

Step 2: Create Cross-Project Labels

Establish shared labeling:

Shared Label System:
├── cross-project-dep    (purple) - Has dependency in other project
├── provides-to-other    (blue)   - Other projects depend on this
├── waiting-external     (orange) - Waiting on other project
├── platform-critical    (red)    - Affects multiple projects
└── integration-ready    (green)  - Ready for cross-project integration

Step 3: Document Dependencies in Tasks

Include cross-project context:

## Task: Implement New Auth Endpoints

**Project:** Platform Team
**Provides To:** 
- Web Product: Login flow (Task #234)
- Mobile Product: OAuth flow (Task #567)
- Admin Tools: Session management (Task #891)

**Delivery Target:** Feb 15
**Contact:** @platform-lead for coordination

**API Contract:**
- Endpoint specs in Confluence: [link]
- Breaking changes: None
- Migration needed: Yes, see doc

Cross-Project Dashboard

Create unified view:

CROSS-PROJECT STATUS DASHBOARD
══════════════════════════════

PROJECT STATUS       BLOCKERS    DEPENDENCIES    HEALTH
───────────────     ─────────    ────────────    ──────
Platform Team        0           Provides 8       🟢 ON TRACK
Web Product          2           Depends on 3     🟡 AT RISK
Mobile Product       1           Depends on 4     🟡 AT RISK
Admin Tools          0           Depends on 2     🟢 ON TRACK
QA                   0           Depends on 3     🟢 ON TRACK

CRITICAL CROSS-PROJECT DEPENDENCIES:
────────────────────────────────────
[Platform #123] Auth Endpoints → [Web #234] Login Flow
   Status: In Progress | Target: Feb 15 | Impact: HIGH
   
[Platform #124] Push Notifications → [Mobile #456] Alerts
   Status: Blocked | Target: Feb 20 | Impact: MEDIUM

Cross-Project Coordination

Communication Structures

Slack Integration for Cross-Project Updates

Configure notifications:

SLACK CHANNEL STRUCTURE
═══════════════════════

#platform-updates
└── All Platform Team changes affecting others

#cross-project-dependencies
└── Dependency status updates only

#integration-coordination
└── Integration planning discussions

#all-hands-status
└── Weekly project status summaries

Cross-Project Syncs

Hold coordination meetings:

CROSS-PROJECT SYNC AGENDA
═════════════════════════

Frequency: Weekly, 30 minutes
Attendees: Lead from each project

1. DEPENDENCY STATUS (15 min)
   ──────────────────────────
   - Platform: What's delivering this week
   - Product teams: What's waiting on Platform
   - Blockers and risks identified
   
2. UPCOMING DEPENDENCIES (10 min)
   ───────────────────────────────
   - Next 2-week dependency forecast
   - Early warnings on timeline changes
   - Resource needs from other teams
   
3. DECISIONS NEEDED (5 min)
   ─────────────────────────
   - Priority conflicts
   - Scope negotiations
   - Escalations

Managing Cross-Project Blockers

When Blocked by Another Project

Immediate actions:

CROSS-PROJECT BLOCK PROTOCOL
════════════════════════════

1. DOCUMENT THE BLOCK
   ───────────────────
   - Add "waiting-external" label
   - Note blocking project and task
   - Document expected resolution
   
2. NOTIFY STAKEHOLDERS
   ────────────────────
   - Post in #cross-project-dependencies
   - Tag blocking project lead
   - Inform your project manager
   
3. ASSESS IMPACT
   ──────────────
   - What work is blocked?
   - Can other work proceed?
   - What's the timeline impact?
   
4. FIND ALTERNATIVES
   ──────────────────
   - Stub or mock the dependency?
   - Parallel work available?
   - Scope reduction possible?

Resolving Priority Conflicts

When projects disagree on priority:

PRIORITY CONFLICT RESOLUTION
════════════════════════════

1. QUANTIFY IMPACT
   ────────────────
   - How many projects affected?
   - What's the revenue/user impact?
   - What's the timeline impact?
   
2. ESCALATION PATH
   ────────────────
   Level 1: Project leads negotiate
   Level 2: Engineering manager decides
   Level 3: Product leadership arbitrates
   
3. DOCUMENT DECISION
   ──────────────────
   - Record agreed priority
   - Update all project timelines
   - Communicate to affected teams

Planning Cross-Project Work

Quarterly Planning

Align projects on dependencies:

CROSS-PROJECT PLANNING PROCESS
══════════════════════════════

1. DEPENDENCY MAPPING (Week 1)
   ───────────────────────────
   - Each project lists what they need from others
   - Each project lists what they provide to others
   - Create dependency matrix
   
2. TIMELINE ALIGNMENT (Week 2)
   ────────────────────────────
   - Review all cross-project dependencies
   - Identify conflicts and bottlenecks
   - Negotiate delivery schedules
   
3. RESOURCE PLANNING (Week 3)
   ───────────────────────────
   - Ensure providing teams have capacity
   - Allocate buffer for coordination
   - Identify shared resources
   
4. COMMITMENT (Week 4)
   ─────────────────────
   - Final dependency schedule agreed
   - Communicated to all teams
   - Tracked in GitScrum dashboards

Sprint-Level Coordination

Within sprints:

SPRINT CROSS-PROJECT CHECKLIST
══════════════════════════════

Before Sprint:
□ Check incoming dependencies from other projects
□ Confirm upstream deliveries on schedule
□ Communicate what you're providing to others

During Sprint:
□ Update status on cross-project tasks daily
□ Alert immediately if timeline changes
□ Coordinate on integration tasks

End of Sprint:
□ Notify receiving teams of completed work
□ Document any deviations from plan
□ Update next sprint based on changes

Automation for Cross-Project Work

Notification Automation

Configure GitScrum automations:

AUTOMATION RULES
════════════════

Rule 1: "Cross-Project Blocker Resolved"
────────────────────────────────────────
When: Task with "provides-to-other" → Done
Then: Notify #cross-project-dependencies
       Notify subscribers in dependent projects

Rule 2: "Cross-Project Risk Alert"
──────────────────────────────────
When: Task with "cross-project-dep" + "at-risk" label
Then: Notify both project leads
       Post in #integration-coordination

Rule 3: "Integration Ready Notification"
────────────────────────────────────────
When: All dependencies for integration → Done
Then: Notify integration team
       Create integration task if template exists

Measuring Cross-Project Health

Key Metrics

Track cross-project performance:

CROSS-PROJECT METRICS
═════════════════════

1. DEPENDENCY COMPLETION RATE
   ───────────────────────────
   % of cross-project dependencies delivered on time
   Target: >85%
   
2. BLOCK TIME
   ───────────
   Average days blocked waiting on other projects
   Target: <3 days
   
3. COMMUNICATION EFFECTIVENESS
   ────────────────────────────
   % of dependency changes communicated before impact
   Target: >90%
   
4. INTEGRATION SUCCESS
   ────────────────────
   % of integrations completed without rework
   Target: >80%

Common Anti-Patterns

What to Avoid

CROSS-PROJECT ANTI-PATTERNS
═══════════════════════════

✗ Silo mentality
  → Create visibility across projects

✗ Verbal commitments only
  → Document in GitScrum with dates

✗ Last-minute integration
  → Plan integration throughout, not just at end

✗ No escalation path
  → Define how conflicts get resolved

✗ Ignoring other projects' timelines
  → Attend cross-project syncs

✗ Optimizing for your project only
  → Consider system-wide impact of decisions

Related Solutions

• Managing dependencies between development teams
• Coordinating releases across multiple teams
• Scaling GitScrum for enterprise teams