Validation Error: Epic.Predecessors on epics that have dependencies in Rally

Products

• Rally SaaS

Issue/Introduction

Users may encounter a "Validation error: Epic.Predecessors" when attempting to update an Epic in Rally. This error message indicates that an Epic cannot be both a predecessor and a successor of another Epic, even when no such cyclic dependency exists.

Environment

Rally SaaS

Resolution

The validation error is triggered by a cyclic relationship (e.g., Epic A is both a predecessor and a successor to Epic B) existing somewhere within the dependency chain of the Epic C you are editing. Because Rally validates the integrity of the entire chain during an update, even an unrelated change will be blocked by this configuration issue.

Follow these steps to resolve the cyclic dependency:

1. Review the dependency chain of the Epic you are attempting to update.
2. Inspect all linked Epics within that chain for conflicting relationships. Look specifically for scenarios where two Epics are linked as both predecessor and successor to each other (e.g., Epic #### is a predecessor to Epic ####, and Epic #### is also a predecessor to Epic ####).
3. Remove one of the redundant links between the conflicting Epics so that they are only linked in one direction.
4. Once the cyclic dependency is corrected, attempt the update on the original Epic C again.