Enhanced dependency management solution to benefit from Relations/Linked Issues information

Today there are limitations in working with Relations if you want to effectively manage your dependencies within your organisation, and it is hard to get an overview. currently it is difficult to let go of the excel-sheet to keep track of dependencies.

Strengths with relations/Inbound/outbound ID

• well-functioning JIRA integration (linked issues)

• Visibility of roadmaps as arrows

• Possible to filter/visualise to some extent

• Possibility to choose inbound/Outbound as an entity (lacking some functionalities)

What we do not have with the relations solution

• Possbility to create open-ended relations, if e.g. the other Portfolio have not created an epic on their side

• Possbility to write a rationale on why that relation was added and what is required (comments are possible but they can be used for many things, and not clear of you have multiple relations)

• Easy ways of filtering (e.g. filter out all active dependencies to my portfolio that is towards one specific portfolio). That requires that you consider both inbound and outbound entities, they are not to be cancelled, have to be towards a specific Portfolio so the logic gets complex.

• There is no available overview of dependency sequences (one inbound relation could be blocked by something else that you do not easily see).

• High complexity to analyze the dependencies in a work item if you want to consider both the work item itseld, it child issues dependencies and grandchildrens dependencies.

• Low visibility if there is a handshake that the dependency/inbound id will be delivered.

the dependency entity could solve a great part of these issues, but has the disadvantage that it is not, in our case, a natural way to add these dependencies. I believe that the Dependency solution could benefit from automation rules so that a dependency is created based on the Relations, and that the Dependency then automaticallt receives Portfolios/ARTs that are involved, and that they be lifecycled based on the state of the issues involved in the dependency. Having an own entity provides more possibilities for visualisation, filters and descriptions of the work needed to manage the dependency.