Product Owners and Dependencies

A dependency exists when a Scrum Team needs work from another team before they can complete their own work. For example, a development team may be waiting on the SQL team to make a database change. Or Human Resources may need software changes before updating the onboarding process.

In short, dependencies are those times when one team is waiting on another. Dependencies are the number one problem when you start to scale Agile beyond just one team.

So what can we do about it?

Long-Term Fix: Product Definition

Sometimes dependencies are ongoing. The same teams repeatedly wait on each other Sprint after Sprint. When that happens, it’s usually structural. Products may be too narrowly defined. Teams may be organized around components instead of value. If a significant portion of your backlog depends on another team, it may be time to rethink your product definition and build more cross-functional teams.

(Note: too many organizations think that they can manage dependencies by adopting a scaling framework like SAFe or Scrum @ Scale. And a Scaling framework can help, but defining products and adopting a lightweight scaling framework like Nexus is even better. For a fuller discussion on the harm that dependencies can cause, check out our recent article Dependencies Are the Death of Value Delivery.)

Short-Term Fix: The Product Owner

Sometimes dependencies are temporary. A feature may require collaboration between teams that don’t normally work together.

In that case, here's how the Product Owner can help the team manage dependencies:

1. Work with Developers to reorder work on the Product Backlog to sequence dependencies logically

2. Coordinate roadmaps with other Product Owners, if dependencies cross Products

The Product Backlog is more than just a "to do" list. It's a plan. Good plans account for dependencies — sequencing work to minimize impact and reduce delays.

Over time, we should reduce dependencies by redefining products and designing teams around value. But in the short term, strong Product Ownership helps manage dependencies before work becomes blocked.

For more on the Product Owner accountability in Scrum, sign-up for Rebel Scrum's Professional Scrum Product Owner class. It's a fun experience where Product Owners practice creating a vision, Product Goal, and Product Backlog for an in-class product.