Create team dependencies

Team dependencies are associated with a particular feature and can have multiple stories assigned to them. The associated feature is also known as the impacted feature, as not completing the dependency will result in failure to deliver. The stories indicate the work needed to satisfy the dependency. You can also add additional assigned feature, which indicate sets of work that will also help satisfy the dependency. 

Create team dependencies on the dependencies page:

1. Select a portfolio, program, or team from the Teams dropdown in the top navigation bar.
2. On the sidebar, select More items in the list of options.
3. Select Dependencies; the dependencies page displays.

To create a team dependency:

1. On the dependencies page, select the Add Dependency button on the toolbar (top-right of the page). The New Dependency slide-out panel displays.
2. From the Program Increment drop-down menu, select the PI in which the dependency should be delivered. Note that only teams that have sprints tied to the selected PI will be available for selection in Steps 6 and 7. 
3. Select Feature as a work item type for your dependency and start typing text (name, ID, or tag) in the search box to search for the feature. Click the desired feature to select it.
4. From the Requesting drop-down menu, select the agile or program team that requests the work.
5. From the Depends On drop-down menu, select one or more agile or program teams on which your work is dependent.
   Note: The program team to program team dependency is a program dependency, not a team dependency, and is discussed in the Create Program Dependencies section.

6. From the Owner dropdown menu, select the individual responsible for responding to the requested dependency.

7. In the Needed By box, select the sprint (for an agile team) or date (for a program team) this dependency needs to be resolved by.

8. In the Notify field, select one or more individuals that will receive notifications when the dependency is created, committed, or delivered. You can search by first name, last name, or email address in the field. Up to 10 users can be added. External entities can also be added, and the notifications will be sent to the Jira Align owner assigned to the external entity.

9. Click Save. The Depends On team is sent an email request to review the dependency. The roles selected on the Team Dependency email setting will receive this email. The dependency is saved and additional fields display on the dependency slide-out panel for tracking purposes. You can associate links with the dependency that provide more info. You can also assign stories to indicate the work needed to satisfy the dependency.

At this point, a negotiation takes place between the requester and the respondent. The respondent can access the dependency in the To Do section of the dependencies page and take appropriate action. They can choose to:

• Reject the dependency and provide a reason for the rejection.
• Commit to the Needed By date and accept the dependency.
• Send a new proposed sprint back to the requester in which the team can deliver the dependency. This can take many iterations until both sides agree on the commit date.

Each party will see a slightly different interface when accessing the dependency in the dependency grid or the dependency slide-out panel, depending on the state of the dependency. For example, actions such as accept, reject, or unblock a dependency may be available during the negotiation to commit.

Either party may choose to block the dependency. 

The respondent can also indicate that no work is required for the dependency.

Notes: 

• The Depends On team's team room is also updated to include the dependency. The dependencies are listed under Dependency Backlog. You can select the dependency to edit it.
• If the requesting team selects multiple affected teams, for example, if an infrastructure change affects many teams participating in the PI, this will be a multiple team dependency.

Assign items to a dependency

Assigned items are the work items that are responsible for resolving the dependency. These are the stories and features where teams are doing the work needed to remove a blocker. As you plan or adjust delivery, you can use the Assigned items section of a dependency’s details panel to add features and stories that are contributing to unblocking the dependency.