How to Manage and Visualize Dependencies in Jira

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Managing dependencies in Jira becomes challenging once multiple teams or projects are involved. Jira allows you to link issues, but understanding those relationships at scale is much harder.

Below is a short guide on how Jira handles dependencies, why teams struggle, and how to visualize them more clearly.

1. How Jira Handles Dependencies

Jira uses issue link types such as:

• blocks / is blocked by

• depends on / is depended on by

• relates to

These links show sequencing and blockers, but inside the issue they appear as a flat, unstructured list, which quickly becomes hard to interpret especially when many dependencies or cross-project links are involved.

2. Why Dependency Tracking Gets Hard

Common challenges include:

• No grouping or hierarchy in Linked Issues

• Blockers mixed with non-critical links

• Cross-project links look the same as local ones

• Timeline (Roadmap) arrows overlap and become confusing

• No clear flow for long dependency chains

This often leads teams to use spreadsheets or diagrams, which instantly become outdated.

3. Best Practices for Clean Dependencies

Teams can keep dependencies manageable by:

• Using consistent link types

• Reviewing dependencies every sprint

• Limiting long chains of blockers

• Surfacing cross-project dependencies early

• Avoiding “relates to” for critical paths

• Visualizing dependencies frequently, not just during planning

4. Visualizing Dependencies More Clearly

Many teams need a way to visualize dependencies directly inside the issue where work happens.

Marketplace apps can help by offering:

• Grouped dependency lists

• Graph views

• Matrix views

• Color-coded link types

• Cross-project visibility

• Link-type governance

For example, our team built  , which provides clear graph and matrix views inside Jira issues and helps standardize link types across projects.

5. Final Thoughts

Jira’s native linking works for simple cases but becomes difficult at scale. Clear visualization and consistent link usage improve planning, reduce blockers, and give teams better visibility across projects.

If you want examples or want to discuss how others manage dependencies, feel free to reply I’m happy to share more.

[Karim Belhadj]

As mentioned in the post, here is the app we built for visualizing and managing dependencies directly inside Jira issues:

👉 Advanced Link Manager (Atlassian Marketplace)

Happy to answer any questions or share examples if helpful!