Dependencies: visualizing issue links
When planning work across teams, it’s important to manage the dependencies between different pieces of work. This allows you to see and remove blockers so that your teams can execute smoothly.
Visualizing dependencies
In Easy Agile Programs, you can visualize links between Jira issues as dependency lines.
This means that an issue link like “is blocked by” will show as a line between the two issues in Easy Agile Programs.
How many dependency/link types will show?
Each Program is configured with 1 issue link type from Jira as the “default” dependency link type (see Configuring dependencies for a Program for details). This will be toggled on automatically for all users.
We’ve recently added the option to view additional issue link types as dependencies.
Open the “Dependencies” dropdown on any page to select link types from Jira. This will be saved only for you.
Additional dependency link types are available:
On Jira Cloud (i.e. Jira sites with “….atlassian.net” in the URL) on all pages of the app
In Data Center version 7.3.0+
In older versions of the app, the “Type” section will be missing from the “Dependencies” dropdown. Only the 1 dependency link type configured for the Program will be shown.
On the Program board
Use the Program board page to see an overview of the dependencies across your Increment or Release Train.
Try the new Dependency map to focus on only the issues with dependencies!
On the Team planning page
On the Team planning page, you can track both in-team dependencies and dependencies with other teams.
Add another team from your Program using the “Other teams” button in the top right. If there are already dependencies with that team, you’ll see colored numbers describing the health of those dependencies.
Use this to visualize how your team’s work depends on or enables other teams.
By seeing the potential blockers and sequencing work as needed, you can enable smoother cross-team work towards your shared goals.
Dependency details
When you hover over a dependency line, you’ll see an 
information icon. Click this to see the details of this dependency link.
On earlier versions of Easy Agile Programs, there is a 
cross icon when you hover on a dependency line (instead of an information icon). This will trigger a pop-up asking you if you want to delete this issue link from the Jira issues.
Understanding dependency status
Color-coded dependency health
Easy Agile Programs calculates the health of a dependency based on the sprints the issues are scheduled in:
A red Conflict dependency is when the issues are scheduled in the wrong order: the issue that needs to be done first is scheduled later. Rescheduling these issues removes blockers from your teams!
An orange At risk dependency is when both issues are scheduled in the same sprint. Teams will need to work carefully during that sprint to complete this work.
A green Healthy dependency is when the issues are scheduled in the right order. You don’t need to take action for this sequence to work.
Identifying and reducing the number of Conflicts and At risk dependencies helps unblock work.
External dependencies
A 🔗 link icon or black line on an issue card shows an external dependency.
On the Program Roadmap: the other issue is not in the Program you’re viewing.
On the Program board and Team planning pages: the other issue is not in the Increment you’re viewing.
Click on the icon for more information about external dependency links with this issue.
In older versions of the app on Jira Data Center, external dependencies work slightly differently.
External dependencies on the Program roadmap page were updated in v7.3.0; on all other pages, the new definitions above will be used from v8.0.0+. Check for version updates on the Atlassian Marketplace here!
An external dependency is when the other linked issue is not currently visible on this page. The other issue might be:
Not scheduled yet
Scheduled in a team board you’re not currently looking at
Hidden by the currently-applied filters.
This can be displayed as a black dependency line drawn to the right-hand side of the page:
On the Program roadmap page, a square icon was shown on the right-hand end of issues.
Done dependencies
Easy Agile Programs filters out done dependencies so you can focus on the dependencies that need your attention.
Where available, done dependency lines are filtered off by default.
Done dependency filtering is available:
On Jira Cloud (i.e. Jira sites with “….atlassian.net” in the URL) on all pages of the app
In Data Center v7.0.0 on the Dependency Report page only
In Data Center v7.1.0 on other all pages of the app
Filter out Done dependencies on:
The Dependencies Report page using the switch in the “More options” dropdown
The Dependency map
All other pages of Easy Agile Programs using the “Dependencies” or “View settings” dropdown in the app header
Switching Done dependencies on or off will save this setting for you, but not other people.
What is a done dependency? Easy Agile Programs checks the Status Category of the two linked issues to calculate if a dependency is “Done”. If one or both of the issues are already in any “Done” Status, the dependency is counted as Done.
For example, say Issue 2 depends on Issue 1. This dependency would be Done if:
Both Issue 1 and Issue 2 are done.
Issue 1 is already Done.
Issue 2 is Done (even if Issue 1 isn’t done).
You might have more than one Status that counts as “Done”! Other Statuses like “Won’t do” or “Canceled” are typically also in the “Done” Status Category.
In Jira, there are 3 Status Categories: “To do”, “In Progress”, and “Done”. Every Status will be in one of these Categories.
All “Done” Statuses are shown as green in Jira.
In this example workflow, the Statuses “Canceled”, “Resolved” and “Closed” are all in the “Done” Status Category:
From Atlassian’s documentation Work with issue workflows
Learn more about Statuses on Jira Cloud or Jira Data Center.
Filtering dependencies
Dependency map
Try the new Dependency map to focus on only the issues with dependencies!
Show/hide dependency lines based on health
You can switch dependency lines on and off based on their health/color. For example, you might switch off green Healthy dependencies so that you can focus on resolving At-risk and Conflict plans.
Find these options in the “Dependencies” dropdown in the header on any page.
In older versions of Easy Agile Programs on Data Center (v7.2.0 and earlier), dependency options are in the “View settings” dropdown only on the Program board page.
Filtering issues by dependencies, Status or Team board
Open the Filters panel on the Program board to filter the page based on Dependency health, Status category, or Team/board.
For example, you might choose to show issues with At risk or Conflict dependencies so that you can assess these potential risks.
Note: If two issues visible with these filters also have a dependency of a different color, that other link will show too.
Creating and editing dependencies
There are two ways to create dependencies between issues:
Create a dependency between two team-level issues on the Team planning page.
Add an issue link to an issue in Jira.
It’s currently only possible to create dependencies between two team-level issues within the app.
Creating dependencies between team-level issues in Easy Agile Programs
On the Team planning page, switch to “Create dependencies” mode using the button in the header. The button will be dark when this mode is enabled.
In “Create dependencies” mode, click two issues to create a new dependency:
The issue that requires something
The issue that unblocks the first issue
In newer versions of the app, you’ll see help text on the line that says what link type and direction you’ll create.
This issue link will be added to the issues in Jira.
Add another team to view and manage dependencies across teams.
Use the “Other teams” button in the header to add another team to the page.
You can use “Create dependencies” mode to create cross-team dependencies as well.
Creating dependencies in Jira
Add an issue link in Jira to see that link on the issue in Easy Agile Programs. To do this, edit the issue in Jira.
Jira Cloud (has “….atlassian.net” in the URL) | Jira Data Center |
|---|---|
Use the 🔗 “Link issue” button:  This might be shortened to the 🔗 Link icon on small screens:  | Under the “More” menu, use the “Link” option.  |
The issue link type will need to match the Dependency link type configured for the Program.
View the details of any existing dependency to check the issue link type it uses.
A user with Manage Programs” permission can see the Dependency link type in the Edit Program menu.
If you have the latest version of the app, you’ll also see the issue link type named in the Dependencies map panel on the Program board page.
Deleting dependencies
When viewing the Dependency details modal, you’ll have the option to delete a dependency link. This will delete the issue link in Jira.
If you’ve made a mistake, watch for a flag in the bottom left of your screen with an “Undo” button.
You can also remove the issue link from the issue in Jira. The dependency line will be gone the next time you load or refresh the Easy Agile Programs app.
On earlier versions of Easy Agile Programs, there is a cross icon when you hover on a dependency line (instead of an information icon). This will trigger a pop-up asking you if you want to delete this issue link from the Jira issues.
Troubleshooting dependencies
If dependency lines aren’t working as expected, reach out to the Easy Agile support team!
What permissions are required to create or edit dependencies?
To create new issue links, you’ll need the “Link Issues” permission. If the issues you want to link are from different Jira projects, you’ll need this permission for both projects.
If you don’t have permission to create issue links in Jira, you’ll see an error when trying to create dependencies in Easy Agile Programs.
A Jira Administrator can update these permissions by editing the Permissions Scheme for the project(s). See Atlassian’s guide for Jira Cloud or for Jira Data Center.
Some dependency lines are missing, even though they’re the correct issue link type
The “Linked issues” field might be hidden on the Issue Screen. This doesn’t stop the “Linked issues” section showing in the Jira issue view, but does prevent apps like Easy Agile Programs from loading issue link data.
Changing the dependency configuration
Users with “Manage Programs” permission can change the dependency link type for a Program. Learn more about configuring dependencies.
Other ways of visualising dependencies and blockers
Visualize Flags (impediments) from Jira in Easy Agile Programs.
See scheduling conflicts when the issues for an Epic are scheduled outside the dates for that Epic.