Manage dependencies between epics on the roadmap

Your team might have one epic that's blocking the progress of another, or two epics that impact one another. The roadmap helps you visualize the dependencies between epics.

Link to other issues

Issue linking is activated by default. If your issue linking is “OFF”, a Jira admin can enable it. Once it's active, you can link between issues to create dependencies.

To capture dependencies, the roadmap relies on a specific issue link type called Blocks. The link type is required, however, it can be renamed to suit your team. If the link type is deleted, the roadmap will create another in its place.

Create dependency links between epics

There are two ways to visualize dependencies on your roadmap.

Directly on your roadmap:

1. Hover over an epic to reveal dots on either side of an epic. 

2. Drag one of the dots to the epic you want to link to. 

From the epic issue detail view:

1. Select an epic on the roadmap.

2. Select Link issue.

3. Select either blocks or is blocked by, then select the epic to link.

View details of linked dependencies

Select the dependency line or the link icon on an epic to get a detailed view of the linked epics.

If one of your epics is scheduled to start before a dependent epic is due to finish, the dependency link turns red. This signals the potential for delay or risk.

Remove dependencies

To remove a dependency between two epics, select Unlink issue or delete the issue link in the issue detail view.