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Discover invaluable tips and tricks that will help you extract the utmost value from the Dependency Mapper for Jira app with this step-by-step guide. |
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Dependency
Summary DashboardThis view can be seen after clicking the ‘Get Data’ button and navigating toDependency Summary on the left side menu.Board
The Dependency Summary view features a series of widgets (that can each be used in a Jira Dashboard!) that display summarised insights related to all dependencies recorded in the provided JQL query. This includes:
Total Dependencies - The number of Issue Links recorded
Total Overdue - The number of Issue Links that aren’t resolved (i.e. both issues are either in a ‘To Do’ or ‘In Progress’ Status Category), and that have a due date before the time the JQL was queried
Oldest Raised - The linked issue with the oldest recorded due date
Next Due - The linked issue with the next closest due date to the time the JQL was queried
Most Received - The Project, Epic, Fix Version or Sprint with the highest number of recorded issue links lodged against them
Most Raised - The Project, Epic, Fix Version or Sprint with the highest number of recorded issue links lodged on other issues
Upcoming Dependencies - A bar chart, split by Project, Epic, Fix Vesion or Sprint, that shows all upcoming issue links based on their due date
When to use it
This summary dashboard focuses on immediate insights for everyday dependency management. A team should be able to look at this and know what is on their short-term horizon, and where their focus should be with regards to dependency management.
Additional Buttons
Copy Quickshare Link - Generates a string of text that can be shared with others to replicate the chart you’ve created
Summary CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of summarised data extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
Detailed CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of ussydata extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
Dependency Board
This view can be seen after clicking the ‘Get Data’ button and navigating to Dependency Board on the left side menu.
The Dependency Board chart features a zoomable view of all recorded dependencies arranged in a SAFe-like PI Planning board, with the columns representing the ‘Expected Date’ and the rows (or swim lanes) representing each project that has a recorded dependency. Clicking on an individual dependency will open up that issue in a new tab.
Selecting an issue via the Search function will focus the Dependency Board to center on that issue.
Toggling the Root Cause Analysis tool will overlay a heatmap showing the largest raised, received or total concentration of issue links, depending on the selected ‘Sum of’ dropdown.
When to use it
The Dependency Board is an integral piece of any major planning event (Board presents a comprehensive view of your dependencies in a SAFe-style PI Planning board layout. After running your search, you'll see dependencies arranged with date-based columns and project-based swim lanes, creating an intuitive visualisation of cross-team dependencies.
Navigate the board effortlessly using the zoom feature to focus on specific areas, or use the search function to centre on particular issues. Clicking any issue opens its details in a new tab, allowing quick access to more information when needed.
The Root Cause Analysis toggle adds a powerful analytical layer to your board. This feature overlays a heatmap highlighting areas with high concentrations of dependencies, whether they're raised, received, or total links, based on your selection in the 'Sum of' dropdown.
For real-time customisation, the Chart Options drawer provides quick access to board configuration settings. Adjust your view and see the changes update instantly, helping you tailor the visualisation to your specific needs.
When to Use the Dependency Board
The Dependency Board excels during planning events such as PI Planning, Big Room Planning, or Quarterly Planning etcsessions. ).
By aligning our work to the dates we expect to complete them, and then connecting them with linkages (or red string, typically, if you run this in a physical setting) we can analyse and understand the sequence of events that need to occur in order for our plan to be successful.
Additionally, by overlaying other data elements like loaded capacity and the root cause analysis function, we can look for critical bottlenecks or high-complexity dependency chains and come up with mitigation strategies before the work has even commenced.
By making this a regular habit, teams that By mapping dependencies against expected completion dates, teams can better understand the sequence of work and identify potential bottlenecks before they become problems.
Teams who regularly use the Dependency Board often make much smarter decisions about how their delivery practices by visualising the work ahead and engaging other teams frequently.
Additional Buttons
Copy Quickshare Link - Generates a string of text that can be shared with others to replicate the chart you’ve created
Summary CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of summarised data extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
Detailed CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of issue-level data extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
Dependency List
This view can be seen after clicking the ‘Get Data’ button and navigating to Dependency List on the left side menu.
The Dependency List chart features a table displaying all issue links collected by the provided JQL query
Selecting a row will open a new tab with the option to drill into either the Raised or Received issues.
When to use it
Sometimes, we just want a simple list of all the unique dependencies in our Jira board. The Dependency List is exactly that, with configurable columns to allow you to have tailored conversations with your team and external stakeholders.
Additional Buttons
Copy Quickshare Link - Generates a string of text that can be shared with others to replicate the chart you’ve created
Summary CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of summarised data extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
Detailed CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of issue-level data extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
Dependency Timeline Chart
This view can be seen after clicking the ‘Get Data’ button and navigating to Dependency Timeline on the left side menu.
The Dependency Timeline chart features an alternative view for the Dependency Board, grouping together clusters of issues based on their Project, Epic, Fix Version or Sprint, and their due date.
Clicking on a cluster of issues will open up those issues in a new tab.
When to use it
Think of the Dependency Timeline chart as a summarised version of the Dependency Board. Similar issues are clustered together on a timeline to show you highlights of your forward plan.
The bigger nodes show areas where you will likely need additional planning with your teams to define a mitigation strategy to either reduce the number of dependencies, or identify other ways to lower the risk of that particular time in delivery.
Additional Buttons
Copy Quickshare Link - Generates a string of text that can be shared with others to replicate the chart you’ve created
Summary CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of summarised data extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
Detailed CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of issue-level data extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
Backlog Manager
Note: This is only available on the Cloud version of the Dependency Mapper app
This view can be seen after clicking the ‘Get Data’ button and navigating to Backlog Manager on the left side menu.
The Backlog Manager allows users to view their backlog and sprint information, focusing on the dependencies being brought into each container.
Selecting a project from the Backlog Filter dropdown will filter the issues returned by the JQL query pertaining to that project.
When to use it
Although the Backlog view in Jira is critical for managing the creation, order and timing of your issues, it is not possible to view the dependencies linked to each item. The Backlog Manager addresses this by providing a similar interface as the Backlog tab, but also allows users to drill down into their issues to see what dependencies are being loaded into each sprint.
You can also see a summary of the total inbound and outbound dependencies added to each sprint, giving a vital indication of how much risk is being brought in and whether a Scrum Master should be working to manage that risk more effectively.
Additional Buttons
Copy Quickshare Link - Generates a string of text that can be shared with others to replicate the chart you’ve created
Summary CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of summarised data extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
Detailed CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of issue-level data extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
Dependency Matrix
This view can be seen after clicking the ‘Get Data’ button and navigating to Table Chart on the left side menu.
The Dependency Matrix chart features a view of all raised and received dependencies arranged in a table format, with each cell representing the number of dependencies raised between two projects. Clicking on an a cell will open a new tab showing all issues relating to the two projects.
When to use it
The Dependency Matrix can be useful for identifying the dependency ‘hot spots’ within a team of teams. If two particular teams have an abnormally high number of dependencies tagged against each other, it could be an opportunity to rethink how those teams are configured.
Additional Buttons
Copy Quickshare Link - Generates a string of text that can be shared with others to replicate the chart you’ve created
Summary CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of summarised data extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
Detailed CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of issue-level data extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
Grouped Dependencies Chart
This view can be seen after clicking the ‘Get Data’ button and navigating to Grouped Dependencies on the left side menu.
The Team Dependencies chart features a view of all raised and received dependencies arranged in a sankey format, and grouped together in coloured bars. Clicking on a dependency flow will open up all issues relating to both projects in a new tab, whereas clicking on a coloured bar will bring up all issues with dependencies within that project.
When to use it
We can use the Grouped Dependencies chart to analyse where there are abnormally high inbound/outbound dependencies for particular teams, and whether that lines up with their team profile.
For example, an internal service desk would expect a high volume of inbound dependencies, but it would be strange if they had a high number of outbound.
Conversely, a feature team with a high volume of either inbound or outbound dependencies would indicate they are not properly equipped to deliver value independently as was intended.
Additional Buttons
Copy Quickshare Link - Generates a string of text that can be shared with others to replicate the chart you’ve created
Summary CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of summarised data extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
Detailed CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of issue-level data extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
Dependency Topology Chart
This view can be seen after clicking the ‘Get Data’ button and navigating to Dependency Topology on the left side menu.
The Dependency Topology chart features a view of all individual dependencies represented as circular nodes, along with lines representing their dependencies, grouped together based on your option chosen. Hovering on a node will show relevant information regarding that individual issue, whereas hovering on a group will show relevant information regarding to every issue in that group.
When to use it
This Dependency Topology view shows us two things:
The larger nodes indicate they have more dependencies attached to them, so we can identify outliers or otherwise critical dependencies easily here.
The lines between each group can be an analogy for the traffic highways between each town. More lines = more traffic = more complexity
Additional Buttons
Copy Quickshare Link - Generates a string of text that can be shared with others to replicate the chart you’ve created
Summary CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of summarised data extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
Detailed CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of issue-level data extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
Dependency Network Chart
This view can be seen after clicking the ‘Get Data’ button and navigating to Dependency Network on the left side menu.
The Dependency Network chart features a detailed version of the Dependency Topology chart, that is rather than clustering together issues by their Project, Epic, Fix Version or Sprint, they are bound together by directional issue linkages. Hovering on a node will show relevant information regarding that individual issue.
Toggling the ‘Show Status’ function will overlay a coloured outline on each issue depending on their Status Category of ‘To Do’ ‘In Progress’ or ‘Done’.
When to use it
The other charts focus on the direct relationship between two things i.e. A depends on B, but more often than not the work is more complex than that, and more informed delivery decisions by:
Visualising upcoming work and dependencies across teams
Analysing loaded capacity against planned work
Identifying and mitigating complex dependency chains early
Facilitating cross-team conversations about delivery commitments
Dependency Matrix
The Dependency Matrix offers a table view of dependencies across your teams, displaying both raised and received dependencies in an easy-to-scan format. Each cell shows the number of dependencies between two projects, and clicking any cell opens a detailed view of all related issues between those teams.
When to Use the Dependency Matrix
The Dependency Matrix is particularly valuable for identifying dependency patterns and hotspots across teams. By highlighting areas with high dependency concentrations, it helps leadership teams spot opportunities to optimise team structures or delivery processes. For instance, if two teams consistently show high interdependencies, it might signal a need to reassess team boundaries or collaboration patterns.
Dependency List
The Dependency List provides a straightforward, tabular view of all dependencies found in your search results. This clean, configurable table shows every issue link, with each row representing a unique dependency relationship. Select any row to explore either the raised or received issues in detail.
When to Use the Dependency List
When you need a clear, no-frills view of your dependencies, the Dependency List is your go-to visualisation. Its simple format makes it perfect for:
Running through dependencies in team meetings
Sharing dependency information with stakeholders
Quick dependency audits and reviews
Creating customised dependency reports
Dependency Summary Dashboard
The Dependency Summary Dashboard provides a quick yet comprehensive overview of your dependency landscape through a collection of interactive widgets. Each widget can be added to your Jira Dashboard, making key dependency metrics accessible right where you need them.
Key Insights at a Glance
Total Dependencies: Overall count of issue links
Total Overdue: Number of unresolved dependencies past their due date
Oldest Raised: Longest-standing dependency by due date
Next Due: Most immediate upcoming dependency
Most Received: Group (Project, Epic, Fix Version or Sprint) with highest incoming dependencies
Most Raised: Group with highest outgoing dependencies
Upcoming Dependencies: Visual timeline of approaching dependencies by group
When to Use the Summary Dashboard
The Summary Dashboard serves as your daily dependency management hub, offering immediate visibility into what needs attention. Teams use this view to:
Track dependency health across projects
Identify upcoming work requiring cross-team coordination
Monitor overdue dependencies
Spot teams or projects with high dependency loads
Backlog Manager
The Backlog Manager offers a dependency-aware view of your project backlogs and sprints, available exclusively in the Cloud version of Dependency Mapper. This powerful feature enhances your backlog management by surfacing dependency relationships within your sprint planning context.
Key Features
View dependencies tied to backlog items and sprint content
Filter views by specific projects using the Backlog Filter dropdown
See inbound and outbound dependency counts per sprint
Drill down into individual issues to examine their dependencies
When to Use the Backlog Manager
While Jira's native backlog view excels at issue management and sprint planning, it doesn't show how dependencies flow between sprints and teams. The Backlog Manager fills this gap by helping Scrum Masters and teams:
Assess dependency risk before committing to sprint content
Understand the full context of work being pulled into sprints
Monitor the balance of inbound and outbound dependencies
Make informed decisions about sprint capacity and scheduling
Grouped Dependencies Chart
The Grouped Dependencies Chart displays dependency flows between teams in an interactive Sankey diagram format, with dependencies grouped into coloured bands by project. Click any flow line to see all related issues between those teams, or select a project band to view all dependencies within that project.
When to Use the Grouped Dependencies Chart
This visualisation helps teams analyse dependency patterns and validate team structures by revealing:
Teams with unusually high dependency loads
Mismatches between team purpose and dependency patterns
Potential team autonomy issues
Cross-team collaboration opportunities
For instance, you might expect a service desk team to have many incoming dependencies but few outgoing ones. However, a feature team showing high dependency counts in either direction might signal a need to reassess their setup for better autonomy.
Dependency Topology Chart
The Dependency Topology Chart creates a network visualisation where each issue appears as a circular node, with connecting lines representing dependencies between them. Issues are clustered into groups based on your selected criteria. Interact with individual nodes to see specific issue details, or hover over groups to view aggregate information for all contained issues.
When to Use the Dependency Topology Chart
The topology view reveals key dependency patterns through two primary indicators:
Node Size: Larger nodes indicate issues with more dependencies, helping identify critical or potentially problematic issues
Connection Density: Areas with concentrated connection lines highlight complex dependency relationships between groups, similar to traffic patterns between cities
This visualisation helps teams:
Spot issues that might need special attention due to high dependency counts
Identify groups with complex interconnections that might benefit from restructuring
Understand the overall complexity of dependency relationships across your organisation
Dependency Network Chart
Here's the consolidated section about the Dependency Network Chart:
The Dependency Network Chart offers a detailed view of individual dependencies, displaying issues as interconnected nodes with directional arrows showing their relationships. Unlike the Topology view which clusters by project attributes, this visualisation focuses on the direct linkages between issues. Hover over any node to view detailed issue information, and use the 'Show Status' toggle to add colour-coded outlines representing each issue's status category (To Do, In Progress, or Done).
When to Use the Dependency Network Chart
While many visualisations focus on simple A-to-B relationships, real-world dependencies often form complex chains where A depends on B, which depends on C, D, E etc.
The Dependency Network view shows the dependency ‘chain’ of those complex relationships, which often forms a spiderweb-like view of the work. The longer the chain, the more planning should be undertaken to effectively manage each subsequent dependency.
Additional Buttons
Copy Quickshare Link - Generates a string of text that can be shared with others to replicate the chart you’ve created
Summary CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of summarised data extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
Detailed CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of issue-level data extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
Individual Dependencies Chart
This view can be seen after clicking the ‘Get Data’ button and navigating to Individual Dependencies on the left side menu.
The Individual Dependencies chart features a draggable, zoomable view of all recorded dependencies arranged in a circle, and grouped together in coloured arcs. Clicking on an individual dependency will open up that issue in a new tab, whereas clicking on a coloured arc will bring up all issues with and so on. The Network view excels at revealing these intricate dependency patterns by:
Exposing the full length of dependency chains
Highlighting complex relationship webs between issues
Identifying dependencies that might need additional planning
Showing the current status of each issue in the chain
Individual Dependencies Chart
The Individual Dependencies Chart creates a circular visualisation where dependencies appear as connecting lines between coloured arcs, with each arc representing a project grouping. This interactive view lets you drag and zoom to explore connections, with clickable elements that reveal more detail - select any dependency line to open the related issue, or click an arc to see all dependencies within that project.
View Chart - Dependency CFD
This view can be seen after clicking the ‘Get Data’ button and navigating to Dependency CFDon the left side menu.
The Dependency CFD chart shows the cumulative total number of dependencies for your JQL query over time.
When to use it
Teams are often interested in the stability and predictability of their work, and a key component of that is understanding the net difference between incoming and outgoing work. In short, if the volume of incoming work exceeds the outgoing work, the backlog is not being effectively managed and/or teams are not meeting the expectations of their customers. On the other hand, more outgoing issues than incoming means the team will be starved of work and their delivery pipeline will cease to function. A balance between the two must be met for a stable, predictable system.
The same can be said for the dependencies being managed in a system as well. Too many incoming dependencies will increase the complexity of work exponentially for a team, and must be managed. More outgoing (or resolved) dependencies is the dream state, however, and is the real target for stability.
The Dependency CFD measures the ‘health’ of a system by analysing the net difference between incoming and outgoing work, so users can understand whether they need to intervene to create a stable pipeline of work.
Additional Buttons
Copy Quickshare Link - Generates a string of text that can be shared with others to replicate the chart you’ve created
Summary CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of summarised data extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
Detailed CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of issue-level data extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
When to use it
When planning their work in a physical setting, teams would often gather in a huddle prior to the formal breakout sessions and quickly identify where the key connections were, or who needed to represent their team in other sessions.
The Individual Dependencies chart mimics this conversation by positioning each group in a circle and mapping the network of dependencies between each party. This allows users to easily see where the 'traffic' is and focus on groups with the highest amount of linkages.
Additional Buttons
Copy Quickshare Link - Generates a string of text that can be shared with others to replicate the chart you’ve created
Summary CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of summarised data extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
Detailed CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of issue-level data extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
Time to Resolve Chart
This view can be seen after clicking the ‘Get Data’ button and navigating to Time to Resolve Chart on the left side menu.
The Time to Resolve Chart provides a summary of 'how long' it takes to close an issue after a dependency has been raised. This is the difference in timestamps between when the Issue Link was created, and when the issue transitioned to a Status Category of
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The Frequency Chart (PDF) shows how many issues were resolved *at* a specific time.
E.g. There were 10 dependencies that took 1 week to resolve
The Cumulative Frequency Chart (CDF) shows how many issues were resolved *by* a specific time
E.g. 40% of dependencies were resolved within 1 week
When to use it
Teams who are interested in their delivery performance, or are bound to Service Level Agreements (SLAs) but are still dependent on other teams, would be interested to know how long it takes, on average to resolve a dependency in their space.
By analysing the cumulative time spent to close off each dependency in a system of work, delivery teams can make meaningful commitments to their work knowing they have to take into account the risk of any dependencies not being delivered as part of their commitment.
For example, if all dependencies within a collection of issues were resolved after a month, but the SLA for a ticket is a week from now, the team will know they have to expedite their request in order to safely meet the SLA target.
Additional Buttons
Copy Quickshare Link - Generates a string of text that can be shared with others to replicate the chart you’ve created
Summary CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of summarised data extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
Detailed CSV Extract - Generates a CSV file of issue-level data extracted by the Dependency Mapper tool for your own personal use.
Use the Individual Dependencies Chart
Just as teams naturally huddle to identify key connections before breaking into formal planning sessions, this visualisation helps teams quickly spot critical dependencies and collaboration points. The circular layout particularly helps teams:
Identify areas of high dependency traffic between groups
Determine which teams need to coordinate closely
Plan resource allocation for cross-team sessions
Spot isolated teams or those with minimal dependencies
Time to Resolve Chart
The Time to Resolve Chart analyses the lifecycle of dependencies by measuring the duration between an issue link's creation and its resolution (when the issue moves to Done status). This analysis is presented through two complementary views:
Two Key Perspectives
Frequency Chart (PDF): Shows the count of dependencies resolved within specific timeframes (e.g., 10 dependencies resolved in exactly one week)
Cumulative Frequency Chart (CDF): Displays the percentage of dependencies resolved within progressive time periods (e.g., 40% of all dependencies resolved within one week)
When to Use the Time to Resolve Chart
This visualisation is particularly valuable for teams focused on delivery performance and SLA compliance. It helps teams:
Understand typical dependency resolution timeframes
Make informed delivery commitments that account for dependency risks
Identify when dependencies need expediting to meet SLA targets
Set realistic expectations for work involving cross-team dependencies
For instance, if historical data shows dependencies typically take a month to resolve, but you have a one-week SLA, you'll know to fast-track dependency resolution to meet your commitment.
View Chart - Dependency CFD
The Dependency Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD) tracks the total number of dependencies in your system over time, visualising the flow of incoming and resolved dependencies. This chart helps teams understand their dependency health through trend analysis.
When to Use the Dependency CFD
Just as teams monitor their work intake versus completion rates, tracking dependency flows is crucial for maintaining system stability. The CFD helps teams:
Assess dependency management effectiveness
Monitor system stability and predictability
Identify trends in dependency accumulation
Make data-driven decisions about intervention points
A healthy system typically shows balance between incoming and resolved dependencies. When the incoming rate exceeds resolution rate, complexity and risk increase exponentially. Conversely, while a higher resolution rate is desirable, teams need to maintain enough incoming work to keep their delivery pipeline active.
Managing System Health
Rising trend lines indicate accumulating dependencies requiring attention
Parallel trend lines suggest a stable, predictable system
Declining trends show successful dependency resolution
Sharp changes warrant investigation and potential intervention
