Visualize and Manage Dependencies

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Before you begin

1

Configure dependency link roles

Open the widget parameters for your Planningboard page and locate the Dependency Roles field under the Parameters for Work Items section.Enter one or more Polarion link role IDs that represent dependency relationships in your project — for example, depends_on or blocks. Separate multiple roles with a comma.

Dependency Roles: depends_on, blocks

The Dependency Roles field requires the exact Polarion link role ID, not its display label. Using the display label (e.g. “Depends On” instead of depends_on) will silently produce no arrows on the board. Check Administration > Work Items > Link Roles in Polarion to confirm the correct IDs.

Save the widget parameters. The board will reload with dependency tracking active.

2

Show all dependencies on the board

Once dependency roles are configured, use the toolbar to reveal all dependency arrows at once.

1. Open your Planningboard page.
2. In the toolbar (upper-left corner), click the Show Dependencies button.

All links matching the configured dependency roles are drawn as arrows connecting the relevant cards across columns and swimlanes.

Show Dependencies (toolbar) reveals all dependency arrows across the entire board in one click. Show Links (card hover action) focuses on a single card — it hides all other cards and shows only that card and its directly linked cards. Use Show Links when investigating one item’s relationships; use Show Dependencies for a board-wide view.

3

Inspect links for a single card

To examine one card’s dependencies without the noise of the full board:

1. Hover over the card you want to inspect.
2. Click the Show Links icon (chain-link icon) that appears in the upper-right corner of the card.

All other cards are hidden. Only the selected card and its linked cards remain visible, making it easy to trace the dependency chain for that item.To return to the full board, click the Show Links icon again or click away.

4

Add a new dependency link between cards

You can create a link between two cards without leaving the Planningboard:

1. Hover over the source card.
2. Click the Add Link icon (appears alongside Show Links in the card’s upper-right corner).
3. The same icon appears on all other cards. Click the target card to establish the connection.

A red icon on a card during this mode indicates a link already exists between the source and that card. Clicking a red icon removes the link.

Workflow diagram:
  Hover source card → Click Add Link → Click target card → Link created
  (Red icon on target = link exists; click to delete)

Cards with the Verified status are locked on the board. They cannot be dragged, unplanned, or have their plan assignment changed. This constraint applies to all card interactions, including dependency management.

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Dependency relationship on the board

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Common pitfalls

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You should now see

• The Show Dependencies toolbar button reveals directional arrows between all linked cards on the board, following the link roles you configured.
• Hovering a card and clicking Show Links isolates that card and its linked neighbours.
• Clicking Add Link on a card lets you draw a new dependency to any other card on the board; a red icon flags existing links, which you can remove by clicking them.

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See also

• Widget Parameters Overview — full reference for all widget parameters including Dependency Roles
• Configure Dependencies Display — additional configuration options for dependency visualization
• Basic Board Interactions — overview of card actions, toolbar controls, and the Show Links feature
• Prioritize Work Items — ordering cards on the board alongside dependency management