This week’s PM Question was inspired by a conversation I recently had with a young project manager.
“Why do projects struggle so much with cross-team dependencies?”
It’s a great question because, in my experience, cross-team dependencies are behind many of the delays, frustrations, and surprises we see in projects.
But the dependency itself is rarely the problem.
The real challenge is alignment.
Most teams work incredibly hard. They have good intentions and are focused on delivering their part. But every team also has its own priorities, timelines, and pressures.
That’s where things break down.
One team assumes the other understands the urgency.
Another team believes they still have plenty of time.
Someone thinks a dependency is complete, while someone else is still waiting for information.
And before long, the project slows down.
Cross-team dependencies don’t fail because people don’t care.
They fail because teams are operating with different assumptions.
As project managers, we spend a lot of time tracking schedules and deliverables. But one of our most important responsibilities is creating alignment between teams.
That doesn’t mean owning every dependency.
Technical leads own the work. They understand the details, identify dependencies, and are responsible for communicating changes that could impact other teams.
Our role is different.
We create visibility.
We facilitate the conversations.
We ask the questions that help teams recognize where they depend on one another.
One practice that has consistently worked well for me is holding a cross-team dependency review before each sprint planning session.
A dependency review before each sprint planning session isn’t about adding another meeting.
It’s about preventing surprises after the sprint begins.
The goal is simple:
• Confirm what each team needs from other teams.
• Review upcoming deliverables and target dates.
• Identify changes in priorities or assumptions.
• Surface risks before the sprint begins.
For teams working in two-week sprints, I find that reviewing dependencies before each sprint planning meeting is usually enough.
For larger or higher-risk projects, a weekly dependency review may be more appropriate.
During those discussions, I keep the questions simple:
• What are we waiting for?
• Who is waiting for us?
• Has anything changed since we last talked?
• What happens if this dependency slips?
These conversations create visibility long before issues become escalations.
One of the biggest mistakes a project manager can make is trying to own every dependency.
Our job isn’t to babysit the teams.
It’s to make sure the right people are talking to each other, at the right time, with the right information.
When that happens, teams own the work, and the project keeps moving.
Communication is the key.
Most dependency issues aren’t caused by technical complexity.
They’re caused by conversations that never happened.
Because project management isn’t just about tracking tasks.
It’s about helping teams move in the same direction, with the same understanding, at the same time.
How does your team manage cross-team dependencies? I’d love to hear what has worked for you.
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