Product planning
Map dependencies before setting a product date
A date is only as firm as the inputs behind it. List each task, what must be finished or decided first, who owns that prerequisite, and what proof shows it is ready. Then look for loops and for prerequisites nobody has confirmed.
A text to start with
I'm planning [product or release]. Here are the tasks I know about: [list]. For each one, list what must be finished or decided before it can start, who owns that prerequisite if known, what evidence would show it is ready, and a fallback if it is late. Flag any prerequisite that is only assumed. Do not propose dates. Show the order in which tasks can begin.
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.Dependency map
Release or goal: [ ] Task: [ ] Prerequisite (work or decision): [ ] Owner of prerequisite: [ ] Status (confirmed, assumed, unknown): [ ] Evidence it is ready: [ ] Fallback if late: [ ] Tasks waiting on this one: [ ] Possible loop (tasks that wait on each other): [ ] How the loop will be broken: [ ] External dependency and contact: [ ] Dates that depend on an unconfirmed input: [ ] Person to ask first and by when: [ ]
Loops and unconfirmed inputs
Trace the chain from the final task backward and watch for a circle, such as task A waiting on B while B waits on a decision that depends on A. Look for prerequisites with no named owner, which tend to slip unnoticed. Check each readiness test: "design is done" is weaker than "design approved by [named person] on [date]." Separate confirmed inputs from assumed ones, and label any date that rests on an assumption as provisional. Make sure each external dependency, such as another team or a vendor, has a named contact and a stated need.
Ask another agent to check the result
Check this dependency map for circular waits, prerequisites without owners and any date that relies on an unconfirmed input. Trace each chain from the final task backward and name the tasks in any loop. Do not suggest new dates.
Confirm the inputs, then date the work
Contact the owner of each assumed prerequisite and ask for a yes, a date or a clear no. Update the map with their answers. Move any task with an unanswered dependency to a separate list, and set dates only for tasks whose prerequisites are confirmed. Share the map with the people named in it so errors surface early, and recheck it whenever a prerequisite changes.