Getting the Dependencies Right!
Updated
What is dependency?
Definition of a dependency:
A dependency describes the relationship among activities and specifies the particular order in which they need to be performed. Dependencies arise in every decision-making, planning and developing process and are ideally predetermined. Tasks can be successors and predecessors to other tasks whereby the instant of each execution may be aligned accordingly.
Dependencies have a direct impact on the progress of product development and arise frequently in cross-functional product teams. That’s why it’s so important that dependencies are clearly mapped out and planned for, to avoid any disruptions to overall product development.
Examples of dependencies
To configure a dependency the type of reliance between a pair can be further defined by one of the following relationship models:
Finish-to-start
The finish-to-start dependency is the most common relationship between the two tasks. The predecessor task must be finished before another task, the successor can start.
Start-to-start
The predecessor must have started before the dependent task can start. The finish of either task is unaffiliated.
Finish-to-finish
The successor can only finish after the predecessor has finished. The successor’s start is doesn’t rely on the predecessor and can begin before, after, or at the same time.
Start-to-finish
The start-to-finish is the least common relationship between the two tasks. The successor has already started and cannot finish until the predecessor has started as well.
In Sprinklr, dependencies will occur between Products, Modules, or features.
Challenges
Common challenges appear when dependencies are connected to multiple contributors. These so-called risky dependencies may occur e.g. when an Account from a third party(let’s think of Facebook Page) represents a key component(something like publishing and managing that post using Sprinklr) or a task dependency that has a constraint and its completion process cannot be forecasted.
Advantages of mapping dependencies in Sprinklr
Visualizing dependencies asserts the task management and timeline of any project schedule. Especially when managing a cross-functional team it is crucial to substantiate the level of awareness by including dependencies and status reports into it. For example, capabilities like Sprinklr Service On Zendesk.
In the above example,
Finish-to-start approach — We are creating tickets and associating messages from Sprinklr with Zendesk.
Start-to-finish approach — Replying to the social messages from Zendesk using Sprinklr iframe.
Start-to-start approach — Mapping Sprinklr users to Zendesk users.
Finish-to-finish approach — Sprinklr governance, permission, and user access controls on supported Zendesk actions.
Start-to-start approach —Automating the creation and association of messages to Zendesk Tickets.
Finish-to-start approach — Reporting on Zendesk Tickets created from Sprinklr.
How does Sprinklr Manage Dependency?
Dependencies aren’t inherently problematic, but they do require a focused approach to product planning to reduce the risk of any issues.
Sprinklr as products grow in features and capabilities, they naturally grow in complexity. This increased complexity means that knowing where dependencies exist well ahead of time is critical to successful product development.
Effective road mapping is one of the most effective ways to reduce any potential risks of dependencies.