The Team Dependencies Matrix gives a view into the informal organisational structure and flow of communication, helping to uncover how work actually happens regardless of official intentions and channels.

Offering a way to identify the connections dependencies between people and teams, the Dependency Matrix highlights any potential bottlenecks that may slow down the rate of workflow.

These bottlenecks can show up as individuals or teams. These bottlenecks represent opportunities for improving the flow of working, to increase team productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness.

Surveys

Everybody in the matrix completes a short survey, asking about their working relationship with everybody else in the matrix from a couple of different angles.

When completed, this gives four angles and data points for each relationship, building a well-rounded picture with relatively low overhead for the team.

This raw data is used to create a heatmap matrix and individual reports, to identify patterns to explore and analyse.

Conversations

Alone the matrix and individual reports provide powerful information. The first time a Dependency Matrix is created, we recommend taking them further and using them as starting points for conversations to uncover the underlying causes behind the behaviours.

These conversations help people really think about how their work flows, how they contribute to the team, and where things could be improved. They are vital for understanding the true nature of what is happening, as many outcomes could have multiple causes.