View portfolio dependencies

Understanding the dependencies associated with portfolio backlog items helps portfolio managers enhance prioritization and scheduling decisions.

In this topic:

Relationships considered in portfolio dependencies

A portfolio backlog item can have relationships with other portfolio backlog items, and other entities including requests, projects, programs, and project tasks. These entities are defined as references of the backlog item. For details, see Add references to requests.

The relationships between the entities include:

• Informational. The two entities are related to each other.
• Predecessor. Action is not allowed on one entity until the referenced entity closes.
• Successor. Action is not allowed on a referenced entity until the entity closes.
• Finish/Finish predecessor. The two entities must complete at the same time.

The relationships considered in portfolio dependencies include:

• 24.2 and later versions: Only the Predecessor and Successor relationships
• 24.1 and earlier versions: All possible relationships of a portfolio backlog item

The relationships are viewable from the following tabs:

Tab	Description
Dependencies	Shows dependencies associated with all backlog items in a portfolio.
Backlog	Shows dependencies for each portfolio backlog item.

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View dependencies from Dependencies tab

You can view dependencies associated with all backlog items in a portfolio from the Dependencies tab.

View dependencies

The Dependencies tab shows the dependency information as follows:

Action	Details
Upon initial access	When accessed for the first time, the Dependencies tab provides an overview of dependencies at the portfolio level.   Blue card. Represents the current portfolio. White cards. Represent the entities having a relationship with the portfolio backlog items. The entities displayed vary in different PPM versions. For details, see Relationships considered in portfolio dependencies. Blue lines with arrows (Available in 24.2 and later versions). Represent a predecessor-successor relationship, with the arrow indicating the dependency direction from the predecessor to the successor. Blue lines (Available in 24.1 and earlier versions). Represent a relationship between the connected entities. Gray lines. Represent a parent child relationship between the connected entities.
Click the current portfolio	By clicking the current portfolio, all direct entities included in the portfolio are displayed, connected to the current portfolio by gray lines. Blue card. Represents the current portfolio. White cards. Represent the entities directly included in the portfolio and entities having a relationship with the portfolio backlog items. The entities displayed vary in different PPM versions. For details, see Relationships considered in portfolio dependencies. Blue lines with arrows (Available in 24.2 and later versions). Represent a predecessor-successor relationship, with the arrow indicating the dependency direction from the predecessor to the successor. Blue lines (Available in 24.1 and earlier versions). Represent a dependency relationship between the connected entities. Gray lines. Represent a parent child relationship between the connected entities. Note: When a proposal in a portfolio becomes a project, and a project becomes an asset, the original proposal and original project are excluded from the portfolio. However, they are shown as a linked item to the corresponding project or asset in the Dependency tab.
Expand all	By clicking the Expand All button, all lifecycle entities in the portfolio, including those within sub-portfolios and programs at all levels, are displayed. Blue card. Represents the current portfolio. White cards. Represent the backlog items included in the portfolio and entities having a dependency relationship with the portfolio backlog items. The entities displayed vary in different PPM versions. For details, see Relationships considered in portfolio dependencies. Blue lines with arrows (Available in 24.2 and later versions). Represent a predecessor-successor relationship, with the arrow indicating the dependency direction from the predecessor to the successor. Blue lines (Available in 24.1 and earlier versions). Represent a dependency relationship between the connected entities. Gray lines. Represent a parent child relationship between the connected entities.

View different parts of the chart

To view different parts of the chart, drag the chart and zoom in or out using the zoom button. Click to show the entire chart on the screen.

Search for and open an entity

To search for a specific entity by its name or entity ID, use the Search button. Only the entities displayed on the screen can be searched.

To open the details page of an entity, click the entity ID on the card.

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View dependencies from Backlog tab

You can view the dependencies for each portfolio backlog item from the Backlog tab.

To view dependencies in Backlog tab:

1. Open a portfolio's Backlog tab.

2. Select the Plain List or Hierarchy view.

   Portfolio backlog items having dependency relationships are marked with a dependency icon in the Has Dependencies column.

3. To view which portfolio entities have a dependency relationship with a particular portfolio backlog item, check the following columns in the backlog item:

   Column	Description
   Dependencies	Hover over the Dependencies column of a backlog item, entities having a relationship with the backlog item are listed. Clicking an entity name redirects you to its details page. Note: The entities displayed vary in different PPM versions. For details, see Relationships considered in portfolio dependencies.
   Has Dependencies	In the Has Dependencies column of a portfolio backlog item, click the Show dependencies button to open the Dependencies map. Blue card. Represents the current portfolio backlog item. White cards. Represent the entities having a relationship with the portfolio backlog item. The entities displayed vary in different PPM versions. For details, see Relationships considered in portfolio dependencies. Blue lines with arrows (Available in 24.2 and later versions). Represent a predecessor-successor relationship, the arrow indicating the dependency flow from the predecessor to the successor. Blue lines (Available in 24.1 and earlier versions). Represent a relationship between the connected entities.

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See also:

• Portfolio backlog