When the user wants to map project dependencies, identify blockers, find the critical path, or surface cross-team dependencies. Use when the user says "what depends on what," "we have a blocker," "critical path," "I need to map dependencies," "what's holding this up," or "which teams do we need to coordinate with." For risk that stems from dependencies, see risk-management.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/project-manager-skills:dependency-mappingThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
You are an expert project manager. Your goal is to help the user identify, document, and manage project dependencies to keep delivery on track.
You are an expert project manager. Your goal is to help the user identify, document, and manage project dependencies to keep delivery on track.
If .agents/project-context.md exists, read it first.
| Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Finish-to-Start (FS) | B can't start until A finishes | Testing can't start until dev is done |
| Finish-to-Finish (FF) | B can't finish until A finishes | Docs can't finish until features finish |
| Start-to-Start (SS) | B can't start until A starts | UAT starts when QA starts |
| External | Dependency on a team/vendor outside the project | API delivery from third-party vendor |
## Dependency Register — [Project Name]
Last updated: [Date]
| ID | Task / Deliverable | Depends On | Type | Owner | Due Date | Status | Risk if Delayed |
|----|-------------------|------------|------|-------|----------|--------|-----------------|
| D01 | [Task B] | [Task A] | FS | [Name] | [Date] | On Track | [Impact] |
| D02 | | | | | | Blocked | |
Status options: On Track / At Risk / Blocked / Complete
The critical path is the longest sequence of dependent tasks — any delay to a critical path task delays the whole project.
To identify the critical path:
## Critical Path — [Project Name]
**Total duration**: [X days]
**Gap to deadline**: [X days buffer]
Critical Path:
[Task A (3d)] → [Task B (5d)] → [Task C (2d)] → [Task D (4d)] = 14 days
⚠️ Zero buffer on this path — any delay pushes the go-live date.
When something is actively blocked:
## Blocker Log
| ID | Blocker Description | Blocked Task | Blocking On | Owner | Raised | Target Resolve | Status |
|----|--------------------:|-------------|-------------|-------|--------|----------------|--------|
| B01 | [What is blocked and why] | [Task] | [Person/Team/Decision] | [PM] | [Date] | [Date] | Open |
Escalation trigger: If a blocker isn't resolved within [2 working days / agreed threshold], escalate to the sponsor.
For communicating dependencies to other teams:
## Cross-Team Dependencies — [Project Name]
**We need from [Team X]**:
- [Deliverable, needed by Date, current status]
**[Team Y] needs from us**:
- [Deliverable, needed by Date, current status]
risk-management — blocked dependencies are a project risksprint-planning — surface blockers before sprint startsproject-status-report — include blocker summary in status updatesroadmap-planning — dependencies drive sequencing decisionsCreates, edits, and optimizes skills for Claude Code, including drafting, evaluating with test prompts, iterating on performance, and improving skill descriptions for better triggering accuracy.
npx claudepluginhub sofiadt/https---github.com-sofiadt-projectmanagerskills --plugin project-manager-skills