VS-03
Missing Cross-Tribe Dependency Links
Value Stream Graph
Default severity: medium
PrioritizationProcessOutputRisk
What it detects
An Epic or Feature from one tribe references components, systems, or labels owned by another tribe, but has no formal dependency link to any issue owned by that tribe — the cross-tribe dependency is implicit and invisible to planning and escalation.
Detection formula
FOR each_issue I: implied_tribes = extract_tribe_from(I.components, I.labels, I.team_field) linked_tribes = \[other_issue.tribe FOR other_issue IN I.linked_issues\] missing_tribe_links = implied_tribes - linked_tribes IF COUNT(missing_tribe_links) > 0 THEN FLAG config.graph.tribe_ownership_map: component/label -> tribe mapping (required)Examples in practice
- Dependency links or initiative graph paths are missing, cyclic, or blocked.
- Downstream work waits on unresolved upstream dependencies.
- A team shows an epic or feature from one tribe references components, systems, or labels owned by another tribe, but has no formal dependency link to any issue owned by that tribe while tribe ownership map is set to Map configured per issue type.
Suggested response
Repair dependency and initiative graph links so delivery paths and handoffs are explicit.
Coaching playbook
Symptom
An Epic or Feature from one tribe references components, systems, or labels owned by another tribe, but has no formal dependency link to any issue owned by that tribe — the cross-tribe dependency is implicit and invisible to planning and escalation.
Why it matters
When "Missing Cross-Tribe Dependency Links" keeps appearing, the team is signalling a repeatable process gap. Left unexamined, the pattern hides where work really stalls and makes improvement metrics harder to trust.
What you can achieve
Repair dependency and initiative graph links so delivery paths and handoffs are explicit.
Facilitation questions
- What system change would stop "Missing Cross-Tribe Dependency Links" from firing again?
- What do the cited issues have in common — same root cause or same workaround?
- Who owns the two-week experiment and how will we verify on the next import?
Run this rule against your own tracker data with Flow Analyzer.