# Managing Cross-Team Dependencies in Scaled Agile, From Planning to Real-Time Coordination | Christian Thordal

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/scrum-master-toolbox-podcast-agile-storytelling-from-the-trenches-445588/managing-cross-team-dependencies-in-scaled-agile-from-planning-to-real-time-coordination-christian-thordal
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/scrum-master-toolbox-podcast-agile-storytelling-from-the-trenches-445588/managing-cross-team-dependencies-in-scaled-agile-from-planning-to-real-time-coordination-christian-thordal.md
Podcast: [Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile storytelling from the trenches](https://stenobird.com/podcast/scrum-master-toolbox-podcast-agile-storytelling-from-the-trenches-445588)
Published: 2026-05-20T10:05:00+00:00
Episode link: https://scrummastertoolbox.libsyn.com/managing-cross-team-dependencies-in-scaled-agile-from-planning-to-real-time-coordination-christian-thordal
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/scrummastertoolbox/20260520_Christian_Thordal_W.mp3?dest-id=246429
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/scrum-master-toolbox-podcast-agile-storytelling-from-the-trenches-445588/episodes/managing-cross-team-dependencies-in-scaled-agile-from-planning-to-real-time-coordination-christian-thordal
Duration seconds: 977

## Resource

Christian Thordal: Managing Cross-Team Dependencies in Scaled Agile, From Planning to Real-Time Coordination Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes . "When one team's plan failed, the rest collapsed — deliveries and outcomes were delayed across the entire domain." - Christian Thordal In this episode, Christian Thordal shares the biggest challenge he faced as an Agile Coach working within a large Danish broadcast company's technology division, where 32 teams operate across multiple domains. Within his domain of 10 teams, they plan in three-month cycles using OKRs, but a critical blind spot kept undermining their results: nobody had a clear grasp of the dependencies between teams and sister domains. When one team's delivery slipped in a previous cycle, it triggered a cascade of failures across the organization. Christian and the agile coaching community escalated the issue to the portfolio and delivery department, pushing to synchronize cycle timing across domains. He introduced a "big room planning" approach within his domain to map out which teams they impact and who impacts them, structured around a three-week cadence: define OKRs, align, then commit. A key coaching insight reshaped his thinking: dependencies are not facts — they are decisions. By naming the specific people involved (the person who needs resolution and the person who provides it), teams can manage dependencies in real-time rather than waiting for a program management layer that only addresses problems after escalation. Christian now plans to establish dedicated coordination days during each cycle where teams actively collaborate and resolve dependency issues toge…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/scrum-master-toolbox-podcast-agile-storytelling-from-the-trenches-445588/episodes/managing-cross-team-dependencies-in-scaled-agile-from-planning-to-real-time-coordination-christian-thordal/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/scrum-master-toolbox-podcast-agile-storytelling-from-the-trenches-445588/managing-cross-team-dependencies-in-scaled-agile-from-planning-to-real-time-coordination-christian-thordal.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.