When you are working with 1st-party, 2nd-party, or 3rd-party dependencies, strong collaboration with your software dependency teams can make or break your delivery timeline. Here are a few keys to success:
1. Establish clear communication early and often.
2. Share your roadmaps and be explicit about your needs, timelines, and expectations.
3. Understand your dependency team’s world: They’re balancing multiple stakeholders and might need to prioritize platform upgrades or other internal work.
4. Offer to collaborate if you have the bandwidth – don’t just escalate. Strong partnerships are built over time when you gain trust and rapport.
5. And always give credit when it is due. Dependency teams often work behind the scenes, but their impact is front and center. Recognize their contributions and everyone will be happy. Success is a shared effort. Give praise when you can as it goes a long way.
Enjoy the Dependencies tip video from The Wild West of Software Project Management below.
