VS-22
Dependency Link Reversed Or Weakened
Value Stream Graph
Default severity: medium
PrioritizationProcessOutputRisk
What it detects
same endpoint pair flips direction or downgrades link type after development started; tests; catalogue.
Detection formula
No published identification formula is available yet for this rule.Examples in practice
- Dependency links or initiative graph paths are missing, cyclic, or blocked.
- Downstream work waits on unresolved upstream dependencies.
- A team shows same endpoint pair flips direction or downgrades link type after development started; tests; catalogue during analysis.
Suggested response
Repair dependency and initiative graph links so delivery paths and handoffs are explicit.
Coaching playbook
Symptom
The "Dependency Link Reversed Or Weakened" signal shows a repeatable delivery anti-pattern on the cited issues.
Why it matters
When "Dependency Link Reversed Or Weakened" 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 "Dependency Link Reversed Or Weakened" 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.