Managing dependencies across multiple teams

As organizations scale agile across multiple teams, dependencies between workstreams often become a major obstacle to agility. When teams must coordinate extensively to deliver value, delivery becomes slower and less predictable. Successful organizations create clear visibility into cross-team dependencies through visual management boards, tracking tools, or dedicated coordination roles. Regular synchronization meetings like Scrum of Scrums allow team representatives to discuss integration points and blockers.

Team structure significantly impacts dependency management. Teams organized around customer journeys typically have fewer dependencies than those structured around technical components. When separate teams own different technical layers of a feature, they need extensive coordination to deliver anything valuable.^[1] Technical practices also help manage dependencies: API contracts help teams agree on interfaces before implementation, feature toggles enable continuous integration while controlling what's visible to users, and trunk-based development reduces integration problems. Organizations should continuously work to reduce unnecessary dependencies through architectural decisions and team autonomy, measuring success by how little coordination they require.