Dependency Mapping

Quickly map project dependencies with AI to prevent missed handoffs, improve scheduling, and boost team coordination.

In every project, tasks are interconnected and one activity often depends on the completion of another. When these links are unclear or overlooked, even small delays can snowball into major setbacks. Poor dependency tracking is one of the most common reasons projects fail to stay on schedule.

With AI, project managers can now accelerate much of this process, listing all tasks, uncovering hidden dependencies, and even visualizing them to create a clear, data-driven overview of the entire workflow.

Step-by-Step Framework

Step 1: List all project tasks

Gather your project goals or brief, then ask the AI to enumerate all work items.

Prompt to use:

You are an experienced project manager. Your task is to list all major tasks for the project. Given the project description and objectives, provide a clear bullet-point list of tasks.

Step 2: Identify dependencies

Once you have the task list, instruct the AI to show what must happen first.

You are a project planning assistant. Your task is to identify task dependencies. Given the list of tasks, provide each dependency as “Task A → Task B” (meaning Task A must finish before Task B can start).

Step 3: Format the dependency list

Turn the results into a clean, easy-to-read overview.

You are an AI assistant. Your task is to format the project plan. Given the tasks and their dependencies, output a structured list where each dependency is shown as “Task A → Task B” on its own line.

Example:

EcoBrew – A Sustainable Coffee Subscription App

To see how this works in action, let’s run the full process on a fictional project: launching “EcoBrew,” a mobile app that delivers ethically sourced coffee via subscription. The goal is to launch the MVP within 12 weeks.

Step 1: AI generates a task list

Prompt:

You are an experienced project manager. Your task is to list all major tasks for the project. Given the description “Launch EcoBrew, a sustainable coffee subscription app MVP within 12 weeks,” provide a clear bullet-point list of tasks.

AI Output Example:

Define MVP scope and key features
Conduct user research and collect feedback
Design app wireframes and mockups
Develop backend (user accounts, subscription system, payment integration)
Develop mobile frontend (UI/UX, user dashboard)
Set up cloud infrastructure and database
Test app functionality and fix bugs
Prepare marketing assets (branding, website, promo video)
Launch pilot version to test users
Gather feedback and optimise
Official app launch

Step 2: AI identifies dependencies

Prompt:

You are a project planning assistant. Your task is to identify task dependencies. Given the list of tasks, provide each dependency as “Task A → Task B”.

AI Output Example:

Define MVP scope → Conduct user research
Conduct user research → Design app wireframes
Design app wireframes → Develop frontend
Define MVP scope → Develop backend
Set up infrastructure → Develop backend
Develop backend → Test app functionality
Develop frontend → Test app functionality
Test app functionality → Launch pilot version
Launch pilot version → Gather feedback and optimise
Gather feedback and optimise → Official app launch
Prepare marketing assets → Official app launch

Step 3: AI formats the structured list

Prompt:

You are an AI assistant. Your task is to format the project plan. Given the tasks and their dependencies, output a structured list where each dependency is shown as “Task A → Task B” on its own line.

Formatted Output:

Define MVP scope → Conduct user research
Conduct user research → Design app wireframes
Design app wireframes → Develop frontend
Define MVP scope → Develop backend
Set up infrastructure → Develop backend
Develop backend → Test app functionality
Develop frontend → Test app functionality
Test app functionality → Launch pilot version
Launch pilot version → Gather feedback and optimise
Gather feedback and optimise → Official app launch
Prepare marketing assets → Official app launch