Where are our project dependencies?
The business question Where are our project dependencies? provides a high-level view of how projects affect each other. The business question shows project and their dependencies to other projects due to issues of time, architecture, or resources. Additionally, you can discover which architecture elements are targeted by multiple projects in order to better manage projects.
This business question supports full transparency about project dependencies when prioritizing projects for funding and/or execution. Dependencies can be analyzed across multiple programs to foster communication before project's are approved.
The license package IT Transformation Server - Enterprise is required to work with this business question.
Use the method that is most convenient for you:
- In the left navigation panel, enter Where are our project dependencies? in the Search Navigation field.
 - In the left navigation panel, click Home. In the content area, go to the Business Questions page and click the tile for Where are our project dependencies?
 - In the left navigation panel, expand the sections Business Questions and Transformation and click Where are our project dependencies?
 
The Kanban-like matrix shows projects and how they impact other projects. Here's how to interpret the information:
- The first lane shows the programs that are the parent of the projects displayed in the matrix rows. A matrix element may be available in the first lane labelled No Program Defined. The corresponding row shows projects that are not assigned to a parent program.
 - All other lanes represent the Status attribute defined for projects. Drag a project to a different lane to change the value of the Status attribute. Point to the header of a lane to view a tooltip explaining the value. The lanes represent the following values:. 
- New: The project has only mandatory data defined. A project with this status can be deleted.
 - In Design: The project is being scoped and defined. A project with this status cannot be deleted.
 - Under Assessment: The project is being evaluated for implementation. A project with this status cannot be deleted.
 - In Realization: The project is being worked on. A project with this status cannot be deleted.
 - Completed: The project has finished. A project with this status can be deleted.
 - Rejected: The project is no longer valid and can be deleted.
 
 - The projects in the matrix cells are colored based on the RAG (Red, Amber, Green) status value for each project. The RAG status is derived from the project monitoring indicators for Budget, Resource, and Time.
 - A black T is displayed on a project to indicate a dependency between projects due to a timing issue. This means a project must be completed first before the next project can begin. A black line starts with a project and points to the project that is dependent on the source of the dependency.
 - A dark blue A is displayed on a project to indicate a dependency between projects due to an architecture issue. This means an architecture element must first be provided by a project before the next project can begin. A dark blue line starts with a project and points to the project that is dependent on the source of the dependency.
 - A light blue R is displayed on a project to indicate a dependency between projects due to a resource issue. This means a project must first be completed so that the resource is freed up to begin the next project. A light blue line starts with a project and points to the project that is dependent on the source of the dependency.
 - Yellow lines indicate that the projects have common architecture elements. The number on the source project as well as the thickness of the line indicate how many affected architecture elements both projects have in common.
 
The RAG status is used in project management to indicate the status of projects in order to quickly identify if management action is required for a project. The values displayed in the RAG Status column are based on the project monitoring indicators Budget, Resource, and Time.
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: The project is likely to deliver late or over budget. This project requires immediate attention. - 
            
: The project has missed some targets but the end date/budget is not at risk. This project should be closely monitored to ensure that it does not become at risk. - 
            
: The project is on track. 
Monitor your IT transformation and mitigate project failure. Look for all projects where the RAG status is Red to understand whether the issue is due to missed deadlines, insufficient resources, or overspending. Contact stakeholders and other responsible persons to correct the issue.
Click for more details about how the RAG status values are calculated.
To edit a project dependency:
- Select a project that you want to understand and click the 
 edit button. - Select Edit Project Dependencies to open the wizard. 
- Project Dependency step: Click the New button to create a new dependency for the project or select a project in the dataset and click Edit to change the dependency type.
 - Architecture Scope step: Click the matrix cell for the object class representing the affected architecture element you want to create and click New Add Existing Architecture Element. Select the architecture element and click OK.
 
 
To edit a project:
- Click the 
 edit button. - Select Edit Projects to open the Projects data workbench.
 - Use the features of the data workbench to slice-and-dice your data to focus on data and do the analyses you are interested in: 
- Click Structure and add or remove columns to the data table. Include relevant attributes and indicators to capture important data. A tooltip explains the purpose of each attribute, indicator, and role that you can add.
 - Click Visualize to view the data in a different graphic visualization. You can save these visualizations to your content repository and used them in other content area pages.
 
 
Click here for details about how to take advantage of all functionalities of the data workbench.
Projects must be in the repository and well-documented. The project dependencies and affected architecture elements should be documented for each project where they exist.
Go to the Data Quality page and resolve the issues to ensure that the data is complete.
Go to the Data Source page to review the projects that are used to answer the business question. The data source is a list report and cannot be edited.