Dependencies between ARTs are where a solution train wins or loses time. This article shows you how to create them, read the lines and colours on the board, and track every one of them in a single place.

How dependencies reach the solution board

A dependency connects two items: the item that creates it (the provider, whose work has to be done first) and the Receiver (the item that needs that work). The solution board shows three kinds:

Kind	Where it comes from
Kendis dependencies	Created on a PI board or directly on the solution board, between features (or capabilities) of any linked PI board. Link types: Depends on / Dependent on, Associated with / Associated By, Is Blocking / Blocked by.
Jira / Azure DevOps dependencies	Issue links or work-item relations synced from the tool, when the PI board has Enable Jira Dependency or Enable AzureDevOps Dependency on and the link type is selected. See Dependencies from Jira and Azure DevOps.
Story dependencies	Jira / Azure DevOps links between stories. They are drawn on the line of their parent features.

The solution board brings all of them together: every dependency between items of its linked PI boards appears on the board and on the Dependency Tracking page.

Cross-PI dependencies

A cross-PI (cross-board) dependency connects features on two different PI boards of the same solution, for example a Web Store feature that needs work from the Mobile App ART. This is where the solution board helps most: a PI board only shows its own side, while the solution board shows both ends and the line between the ART swimlanes.

Create one on the solution board by dragging from a feature in one ART's swimlane to a feature in another, or with Create by Search, which searches every PI board of the solution.
From Jira or Azure DevOps: a link between issues of different projects appears automatically once both features are on PI boards of the solution.
Cross-board dependencies are counted in the Cross-Board tile of Dependency Tracking and can be shown or hidden with Cross Board Dependencies in the Dependency panel.

Four dependencies in By Feature View: a reverse one (dark red) and an overdue one (red) between the two ARTs, an aligned cross-ART one (grey, Iteration 4) and an aligned one inside Web Store ART (grey, top right).

Create a dependency on the solution board

Switch the board to By Feature View so the feature cards are visible.
Drag the dependency handle at the top right of the providing feature onto the handle of the receiving feature. You can also hover a card, click + (Create Dependency), then click the receiver; Esc cancels.
In the Dependencies dialog choose the Link Type, add a Summary and Description, and set Status, Raised On, Target Resolution Date, Responsible and Reporter. Link Type, Receiver and Status are required.
Press Save. The line appears straight away.

Express checkout (Web Store, Iteration 3) Is Blocking its Receiver, Apple Pay in app checkout (Mobile App, Iteration 1). The dark-red Dependency Color marks it as reverse.

When editing, the dialog also shows the Dependency Color with an explanation of each colour, Conversations and Watched By, and Delete Link.

The number on a card's handle is its dependency count. Click it to open Item Dependencies: the item's dependencies per level (Feature, Story, Not visible as Lines), each with the two items, their ART and iteration, the link type, summary and status, and a warning for reverse dependencies. Edit or delete a dependency from here, or add one with Create by Search.

Item Dependencies: the reverse warning says the creator should be completed before the receiver's iteration.

ⓘ No Jira or Azure DevOps needed

Dependencies between Kendis features draw lines on the solution board just like synced ones. Both features must be planned in a sprint on their PI board. Kendis dependencies between stories are listed but not drawn.

Dependency lines on the board

Lines are dashed and run from the provider to the receiver, across swimlanes when the two features are on different PI boards.
In By Feature View lines connect the feature cards. When a feature sits inside a collapsed capability, its line attaches to the capability instead. Dependencies between capabilities are drawn in By Capability View.
Story dependencies (from Jira or Azure DevOps) are drawn on the line of their parent features.
The arrow direction follows Board Settings › Additional Settings › Configuration for Dependency Arrow: From Outward To Inward or From Inward To Outward (Successor To Predecessor / Predecessor To Successor when every PI board uses Azure DevOps).
Hovering a line makes it thicker. Double-click it to open the dependency (or the list, when several dependencies share the line).
Lines are drawn for the part of the board you are looking at; scroll and they follow.

What the colours mean

Colour	Meaning
Grey Aligned	Open, planned in the right order and not overdue.
Blue ALM	An open dependency synced from Jira or Azure DevOps.
Red Overdue	Still open after its Target Resolution Date, or after the end date of the sprint the work is due in.
Dark red Reverse	The sprints are the wrong way round: the item that needs the work is planned in a sprint that ends before the sprint of the item it waits for, so the work arrives too late. Kendis compares the sprint end dates. Which side counts as late follows the PI board setting Configuration for Reverse Dependency.
Yellow Receiver changed sprint	The receiving item moved to another sprint after the PI board entered the Tracking state.
Green Resolved	Resolved on time. Turquoise means it was resolved after its target date or after the end of the sprint it was due in.

Story-level lines use lighter shades, and lines on locked boards are paler.

A line has one colour, and they are applied in this order: resolved colours first, then red, then yellow, then dark red. An open dependency that is both overdue and reverse is therefore shown dark red, and one that is overdue but whose receiver changed sprint is shown yellow.

The Dependency panel

Click Dependency in the top bar to choose which lines are drawn.

The Dependency panel with every option ticked.

Dependency Lines turns the lines on or off.
Hide Cards Without Dependencies leaves only the cards that have at least one dependency.
Select Boards limits the lines to some PI boards.
Four groups decide which lines are drawn; a line shows only when its box is ticked in every group:
- Dependency Status: Open, Resolved.
- Hierarchy Levels: Capability, Feature and Story level.
- Board Scope: Cross Board, Same Board.
- Dependency Indicators: Aligned, Overdue, Reverse.
Check All / Uncheck All tick or clear every box (the switch stays as it is). Your choices are remembered per board in your browser.

ⓘ Quick review of risky dependencies

Untick Aligned Dependencies and leave Overdue and Reverse ticked: only the red and dark-red lines remain. Aligned covers every other line, including yellow ones, so tick it again to check receivers that changed sprint.

The Dependency Tracking page

Open More › Dependencies, or the Dependency Tracking tab of Analytics. The page lists every dependency of the solution, whether or not its line is on screen.

Dependency Tracking, grouped by receiver board: 11 dependencies, 10 of them cross-board, 3 overdue and 4 reverse.

Summary tiles

Tile	Counts
Total Dependencies	Every dependency in the current view.
Within Board	Both items on the same PI board.
Cross-Board	The items are on two different PI boards.
Completed	The dependency's status is in the Done category.
Overdue	The dependencies whose line is red.
Reverse Dependencies	The dependencies whose line is dark red.

Click a tile to filter the list by it. Overdue and Reverse follow the line colour, so a dependency that is both overdue and reverse is counted under Reverse Dependencies only. The tiles are not shown on the Not visible as Lines tab.

Grouping, filters and views

Grouping: By Receiver Board (default), By Creator Board, By Creator Sprint or By Receiver Sprint, plus a free Group By and Subgroup By field.
Instant Filters: unplanned items, items not on the board, open / resolved, capability / feature / story level, cross-board / same board, and aligned / overdue / reverse.
Search and statuses: a search box and Select Statuses are always on the bar.
More Filters: Raised On, Updated On and Target Resolution Date ranges, link types, colour types, Responsible and Reporter. Apply Filter applies them and Reset Filter clears them. Save combinations as My Filters or Quick Filters.
Tabs: All, By Capability, By Feature, By Story and Not visible as Lines.
One PI board: pick it in All Program Boards to see We Depend On, Program Boards Depend On Us, Requires Attention and a sprint-by-sprint matrix.

Reading a row

Each row shows the creator and the receiver with their PI board and sprint, the link type, the summary, status and target date, the number of comments, and edit / delete actions. A Reverse Dependency banner says which item should be completed before which. Click the dependency ID or the link type to open the dependency, the board chip to open the PI board, or the Jira / Azure DevOps key to open the item in the tool.

Export

The download icon at the top right exports to CSV or Excel (from / to board, sprint and item, link type, status, summary, description, responsible, reporter and dates), or exports the feature dependencies table.

CSV and Excel always contain every dependency of the solution, whatever filter, tab or tile is active.
Export Feature Dependencies Table follows your current filter and leaves out capability-level dependencies.

Dependencies from Jira and Azure DevOps

On each PI board, tick Enable Jira Dependency (Jira boards) or Enable AzureDevOps Dependency (Azure DevOps boards) and choose Select Link Types. Only links of those types are synced. Hide Kendis Dependency Link Types leaves only the tool's link types in the dialog.
On the solution board, under Board Settings › Additional Settings › ALM Enable Dependencies pick the ALM account, choose its link types and press Save, then tick Enable ALM Dependencies for that account. From then on dependencies you create on the solution board are also written to Jira or Azure DevOps. The link types you pick here cannot be the board's parent-child link types.
A dependency is written to the tool only when both features come from that same tool and account; otherwise it stays a Kendis dependency.
Not visible as Lines lists synced dependencies whose other item is not on any board of the solution, for example because it is unplanned, still in the feature list, or was never imported.

Frequently asked questions

I created a dependency but no line appears.

Check that the Dependency Lines switch is on and that a box is ticked in every group of the Dependency panel. The providing feature must be planned in a sprint, and you need By Feature View for feature lines.

Can I have dependencies between two ARTs without Jira or Azure DevOps?

Yes. Drag between two feature cards on the solution board; Kendis dependencies draw lines across the ART swimlanes.

What is a reverse dependency?

The receiver is planned in an earlier sprint than the item it depends on, so the work arrives too late. Move one of the items, or agree a new plan with the other ART.

Why is a dependency counted as cross-board?

Its two items live on different linked PI boards.

Why is the line yellow?

The receiving item moved to another sprint after the PI board started tracking. Check whether the provider still delivers in time.

Can milestones have dependencies?

No. Dependencies connect capabilities, features and stories. To track what a milestone needs, link those items to the milestone; see Timeline and milestones.

Are dependencies shown on the timeline?

No, the timeline does not draw dependency arrows. Use the board or Dependency Tracking.