Dependency Mapping and Critical Path Review (QA)

Dependency Mapping and Critical Path Review (QA)

1. 01

   Pull the current roadmap export and freeze it as the review baseline

   Save a dated snapshot before any edits so the agency can show a client exactly what changed and when. ProductPlan and airfocus both support versioned or exported views that make this a two-minute task.

2. 02

   List every item that has at least one inbound or outbound dependency

   Dependencies include shared engineering resources, third-party API access, design handoffs, and client-supplied assets. Items with no dependencies get flagged as float and can absorb schedule pressure later.

3. 03

   Trace the longest chain of dependent items and mark it as the critical path

   Any slip on this chain moves the ship date. ProdPad's Now-Next-Later framing helps here because it forces the team to separate committed near-term work from speculative later work.

4. 04

   Assign a named owner and a target date to each critical path item

   Unowned items are the most common source of silent slippage. If no single person can be named, the item is not ready to sit on the critical path.

5. 05

   Check that every dependency has a confirmed delivery date from the providing party

   Client-side approvals, vendor integrations, and internal platform work all need a date, not a range. A range is a signal that the dependency is unplanned.

6. 06

   Recalculate the projected ship date and compare it to the retainer commitment

   If the gap exceeds one sprint, escalate to the account lead before the client sees the roadmap. Surfacing the delta internally first keeps the agency in the strategic seat.

7. 07

   Log the review outcome and the next review date in the roadmap tool

   A recurring cadence, typically biweekly for active delivery, prevents the critical path from drifting between client check-ins.