Establish and Document the Application's Dependencies - Application Management Best Practices
Establish and Document the Application's Dependencies
(Chapter 108 of Application Management Best Practices)
Executive Summary: Chapter Overview
IF4ITThe Bottom Line
Core Concepts
| Concept | Definition & Strategic Role |
|---|---|
| Dependency Types | The twelve IF4IT baseline categories of what an Application relies on, ranging from Technical Component and Platform and Runtime to Data, External and Vendor Service, Expiring, and AI Model and Provider. Organizing dependencies by type reveals ones that would otherwise be overlooked, and enterprises may customize the types. |
| Dependency Impact | The effect on the Application if a particular dependency fails or changes, recorded for every dependency alongside how that dependency differs between Instances. Capturing impact lets teams understand the consequences of a dependency’s failure or change rather than discovering them during an incident. |
| Linked Dependency Records | Connections from each documented dependency to its own record where one exists, such as an Application, technology, vendor, or Integration record. These links let the enterprise see, from either side of the relationship, everything affected by a change or failure. |
| Sequencing and Timing Dependency | A dependency type covering required startup order, Deployment order, and batch job sequences. Like shared services, devices, and AI models, it is one of the less obvious dependencies that are most often overlooked until they fail. |
Quick Q&A
Question: Which kinds of Application dependencies are most often overlooked until they fail?
Question: Where does the Third-Party Software and Library dependency type draw its contents from?
Read More Below
This chapter explains how to establish and document an Application’s dependencies using the twelve baseline dependency types. It extends the upstream and downstream dependencies identified during design, described in the chapter “Establish and Document the Application’s Upstream and Downstream Dependencies,” to every dependency type in the baseline framework.
The Baseline Dependency Types
The following dependency types are a baseline that IF4IT recommends; enterprises can customize them to their own needs.
| Dependency Type | What It Covers |
|---|---|
| Technical Component | Components within the Application Boundary, with their versions. |
| Third-Party Software and Library | Third-party and open-source software and libraries, with their versions, as listed in the Software Bill of Materials. |
| Platform and Runtime | Operating systems, runtimes, and middleware. |
| Infrastructure | The infrastructure the Application runs on, per environment. |
| Upstream and Downstream Application | Other Applications the Application relies on, or that rely on it, typically through Integrations and APIs. |
| Data | The authoritative sources of data the Application relies on. |
| Shared Enterprise Service | Shared services such as identity, messaging, email, logging, and monitoring. |
| External and Vendor Service | Services provided by vendors or external parties, such as externally hosted APIs. |
| Sequencing and Timing | Required startup order, Deployment order, and batch job sequences. |
| Expiring | Certificates, credentials, licenses, and vendor support end dates. |
| Hardware and Device | Printers, scanners, sensors, and other specialized devices. |
| AI Model and Provider | Internal or external AI models, and their version and deprecation schedules. |
Establish the Application’s Dependencies
Starting from the upstream and downstream dependencies established during design, identify, for each dependency type, the Application’s dependencies, the impact if each fails or changes, and how each differs between Instances.
Document and Share the Dependencies
Record dependencies by type in the Application Documentation, with their impact and Instance differences, and link each to its own record where it has one, such as an Application, technology, vendor, or Integration record. Record types that do not apply as not applicable. Review dependencies with every Release.
Best Practice: Establish and Document the Application’s Dependencies
It is a best practice to both establish and document the solution for everything an Application relies on: address every dependency type, record each dependency with its impact and Instance differences, and link it to its own record where it has one.
Benefits: A dependency record organized by type reveals the less obvious dependencies, such as shared services, devices, sequencing, and AI models, that are most often overlooked until they fail. Linking dependencies to their own records lets the enterprise see, from either side, everything affected by a change or failure.
Connections to Related IF4IT Practices and Inventories
The Software Technologies Inventory and Attributes, the Vendors Inventory and Attributes, and the Integrations Inventory and Attributes describe the records to which many dependencies link. The IF4IT Enterprise Model and Modeling Best Practices describes how such relationships are modeled across the enterprise.
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