Story dependencies are now live in Orvezo. You can model which stories are blocking each other and which ones are sequenced after something else, see the full dependency graph across your sprints on a visual canvas, and manage relationships directly from any story or from the canvas itself.
Why we built it this way
The most common problem with dependency tracking in project management tools is that everything ends up looking the same. One marker, one color, one relationship type. Teams apply it loosely, the board fills up with warnings, and within a few sprints nobody trusts the markers anymore. Real blockers get missed because they look identical to sequencing notes from six weeks ago.
Orvezo supports two distinct types: Blocks for active impediments that need action now, and Depends On for planned sequencing that belongs in planning conversations. Amber arrows on the canvas are Blocks relationships. Teal arrows are Depends On. The signal stays meaningful because the two situations are kept separate.
There is also a third concept: the Blocked checkbox on any story, which is a manual flag for external impediments — a vendor, a decision, a meeting — that have nothing to do with another story in the project. All three serve different purposes and none of them replaces the others.
The dependency canvas
The canvas arranges your stories by sprint, left to right, with the backlog at the far right. Click any story to see its full dependency graph drawn immediately, with arrows color-coded by type. Arrows flow from predecessor to successor, so left to right is expected. An arrow going right to left means a later sprint story is blocking or being depended on by an earlier one — worth investigating before the sprint starts.
You can add and remove relationships directly from the canvas panel or from the Dependencies section in any story modal. Full how-to in the guide: How to Track Story Dependencies in a Sprint.
Available now on all plans
Dependencies are available to all Orvezo users today. Circular dependency protection is built in — the canvas will not let you create a cycle, and the server rejects any attempt that would produce one. Every change is recorded in the workspace audit log under the Dependencies filter.
Two things not yet supported: cross-project dependencies and the canvas on mobile. Both are on the roadmap. On mobile you can view and manage dependencies through the story modal in the meantime.
For a deeper look at how dependencies work and when to use each type, read: How to Track Story Dependencies in a Sprint and Why Sprint Blockers Get Ignored and How to Fix It.