Dependencies

The open dependencies

Status window closed Sep 28, 2026 1 dependency without a Fairhaven owner Oldest open 34 days

Every cross-workstream dependency of the Fairhaven store operations improvement program that was still open on Monday, September 28, 2026, tied to a Fairhaven owner, a due date and the milestone it holds up, with the one that has no owner marked for escalation. Prepared by Philippa Sinclair, program director at Ferncastle Operations Group, for Gareth Pryce, chief operating officer at Fairhaven Home Stores, and the Fairhaven workstream owners. Since the program started in June, 23 dependencies have been logged: 17 are closed and 6 are open. Two of the open six had no owner on the Fairhaven side until Sep 24, when Gareth Pryce assigned the store system data extract to the IT director. One still has none.

The register groups every open dependency by status, and each card shows the owner, the due date and the milestone it holds up. Six are open: one is Escalated (Store system data extract), one is Waiting for owner (Loss prevention data access) and four are Owned. Read the Waiting for owner and Escalated groups first, because nothing moves in them until a person acts.

Six dependencies, each with an owner and a milestone

Days open are counted to Sep 28. Owner is the Ferncastle person who chases it; Fairhaven owner is the person who has to deliver it.

What each one needs next. The data extract needs confirmation that Fairhaven IT has scheduled it. HR needs to give a sign-off date for the new shift template. The planogram file covered 9 of the 12 pilot stores when it was sent in August, so the file for the three missing stores is outstanding. The slotting window is a two-day window at the second distribution center outside the peak receiving days, and its dates are still to agree. The briefing slot is 30 minutes in the Oct 7 regional store manager call.

How old they are

Three of the six open dependencies are older than 15 days: Store system data extract (34 days), Shift template sign-off by HR (21) and Planogram file for the pilot stores (16). Two are 7 to 14 days old and one is under 7 days. Age is counted from the day the dependency was raised, not from its due date, so a dependency can be old and still on time.

What changed in the fortnight

Seven dependencies were open at the Sep 14 window. Three were raised since: Loss prevention data access on Sep 16, Distribution center slotting window on Sep 19 and Store manager briefing slot on Sep 24. Four were closed. Six are open now. A raised dependency and a closed dependency are counted separately, never netted off.

Escalation rules

No Fairhaven owner by day 10

The program director asks the sponsor to name an owner at the next steering meeting. The status stays Waiting for owner until someone accepts it.

Open 30 days or more

Escalated to the sponsor, who names or confirms the owner and a due date. The store system data extract reached 30 days on Sep 24 and was assigned to the IT director that day.

Past its due date

The Fairhaven owner gives a new date within two working days, and the milestone it holds up is re-dated or marked at risk.

Holds up a milestone due within 14 days

Checked at the weekly review, not only at steering.

Closing

Closed only when the Fairhaven owner confirms the commitment was met and the milestone it held up is released.

Recovery steps

The recovery path for the dependency without an owner, from the day it was raised to the first usable baseline:

1. Raised Sep 16, Ferncastle owner set
2. Day 10 passed on Sep 26, no owner
3. Sponsor asked at steering, Oct 8
4. Fairhaven owner accepts and sets a due date
5. Access request sent, due Oct 9
6. Baseline method drafted, due Oct 23

The two aged dependencies and the planogram file each have their own recovery path:

Loss prevention data access

Waiting for owner Owner: Philippa Sinclair

Path. Gareth Pryce names a Fairhaven owner on Oct 8. The owner accepts, sets a due date and approves the access request that Philippa has drafted. Saoirse Quigley then starts the shrink baseline method.

If no owner is named on Oct 8. The baseline method cannot start, the baseline cannot be agreed with the loss prevention lead before the November value review, and shrink stays not measurable.

Store system data extract

Escalated Fairhaven owner: IT director

Path. The IT director confirms the extract is scheduled and gives the date of the first daily extract of store stock positions. Saoirse Quigley then re-runs the store stock test on a one-week sample (due Oct 12). Owner on the Ferncastle side: Emeka Achebe.

If it is not scheduled by Oct 9. The Oct 16 replenishment pilot date resets for a second time, and Gareth Pryce decides whether to hold it.

Planogram file

Owned Fairhaven owner: Merchandising manager

Path. The merchandising manager sends the current planogram for the three pilot stores missing from the August file, due Oct 6. Saoirse Quigley checks it against the replenishment rules for all 12 pilot stores.

If it is late. The replenishment rules cannot be confirmed for three stores, and the Oct 16 pilot start is at risk for them.

Who is on this review

• PS
  Philippa SinclairProgram director, Ferncastle Operations Group, owns the review

• HA
  Hamish AldousWorkstream lead, Ferncastle Operations Group, owns the HR and slotting dependencies

• GP
  Gareth PryceChief operating officer, Fairhaven Home Stores, names the missing owner