Dependency: Something your work relies on that you don’t fully control — another team’s API, access, a decision or someone else’s task.
Example
You can’t finish the payment screen until the backend team completes the payment API.
Why Dependency matters for IT interns
Mention dependencies early. It prevents last-minute surprises for you and the team.
Where you will hear it
You will hear this term in the tools and meetings teams use to plan, track, and discuss their work. If someone uses it and you are not sure what they mean in your project, it is completely fine to ask; every team uses terms a little differently.
Related terms
- Confluence: A documentation tool where teams write pages about projects, processes, decisions and how-to guides.
- Deadline: The date or time by which a piece of work must be finished.
- Deliverable: A specific output you are expected to produce, such as a feature, report, document or presentation.
- Documentation: Written information about a project — how it works, how to set it up, what was decided and how to use it.
- Escalation: Raising an issue to someone with more authority or context when it can’t be solved at your level, or when it…
- Jira: A widely used tool for tracking work items such as stories, tasks and bugs, usually on sprint or Kanban…
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Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What is Dependency?
Something your work relies on that you don’t fully control — another team’s API, access, a decision or someone else’s task.
What is an example of Dependency?
You can’t finish the payment screen until the backend team completes the payment API.
Why does Dependency matter for IT interns?
Mention dependencies early. It prevents last-minute surprises for you and the team.
Explore more internship terms
The IT Internship Glossary explains 199 terms you will hear before and during your internship, with simple definitions and real examples.
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About the author
Dhaivat has 16+ years of experience in the IT industry, working on AI and cloud technologies, project delivery, and engineering leadership. He has interviewed and mentored many interns, wrote The Lost Intern, and runs the non-commercial Career Impact Initiative, mentoring students for free.