Skill: dependency-map

Skill: dependency-map

Purpose

Map all delivery dependencies — between teams, systems, and external parties — to surface the critical path and flag risks before they become blockers.

When to Use

• Early in release planning
• When multiple teams are shipping together
• When integrating with third-party systems or vendors

Framework: Dependency Mapping

Step 1 — Gather Inputs

Ask for:

• Teams involved in the release
• External systems or APIs being integrated
• Third-party vendors or approval bodies (App Store, Legal, etc.)
• Known handoff points between teams

Step 2 — Classify Dependencies

Type	Definition	Example
Technical	Code or API dependency between teams	Backend API needed by Mobile
Data	Data or schema dependency	Data team migration needed before Backend
Infrastructure	Shared infra dependency	DevOps environment needed by QA
External	Outside the organization	App Store review, vendor API
Approval	Sign-off or gate required	Legal, Compliance, Business UAT

Step 3 — Dependency Table

#	From	To	Type	Description	Due Date	Risk Level
D1	Backend	Mobile	Technical	WebSocket API contract finalized	Week 2	🔴 High
D2	DevOps	QA	Infrastructure	Staging env with production data	Week 3	🟡 Medium
D3	Mobile	Apple	External	App Store review submission	Week 4	🔴 High
D4	QA	Business	Approval	UAT sign-off	Week 5	🟡 Medium

Step 4 — Critical Path

Identify the sequence of dependencies that determines the earliest possible release date.

Critical Path: D1 → D3 → D4

Earliest release date based on critical path: [calculated date]

Step 5 — Dependency Risk Summary

• 🔴 High risk dependencies: [list] — Require immediate owner assignment
• 🟡 Medium risk: [list] — Monitor weekly
• External dependencies: Flag for Steering Committee

Output Format

1. Dependency table
2. Critical path narrative
3. Risk summary with recommended actions
4. Suggested next command: /risk-register or /plan-release