DDD Europe 2023 - Evolution Patterns of Sociotechnical Systems

Sociotechnical systems are nonlinear, dynamic systems that can exhibit complex and unpredictable behavior. These systems are constantly changing to provide value to customers, gain a competitive edge in the market or simply survive. Understanding the evolution patterns of sociotechnical systems is important to anticipate their behavior, designing improvement trajectory and managing change.

In this talk, we explore evolution in its broadest scope, e.g., modernization, migration, adaptation, restructuring… We combine software evolution with the organization dynamics and people interactions to identify evolution patterns in sociotechnical systems. Finally, we study the impact of leadership and decision making on the success or failure of these cases.

Transcript

1. Evolution Patterns of Socio-technical Systems Amal TAHRI Socio-technical Architect
2. Amal TAHRI Socio-technical Architect & DDD Enthusiast /in/amaltahri/ @amal_tahri pro@amaltahri.com
3. a new competitive threat or a big opportunity emerges... <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/gestion-de-largent" title="gestion de l'argent icônes">Gestion de l'argent icônes créées par Satawat Anukul - Flaticon</a> <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/competitif" title="compétitif icônes">Compétitif icônes créées par Eucalyp - Flaticon</a> Competitive Time to Market Cost Reduction New value to customer
4. create strategic initiative, appoint your best people... Strategy People <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/gestion-de-largent" title="gestion de l'argent icônes">Gestion de l'argent icônes créées par Satawat Anukul - Flaticon</a> <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/competitif" title="compétitif icônes">Compétitif icônes créées par Eucalyp - Flaticon</a>
5. make a plan for change… <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/objectif" title="objectif icônes">Objectif icônes créées par Triangle Squad - Flaticon</a> As is Target Roadmap Constraints trigger
6. change does happen, not fast enough, not effective enough As is Target Roadmap Constraints
7. value gets lost … and system drift back to the default status As is Target Roadmap Constraints <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/alerte" title="alerte icônes">Alerte icônes créées par Freepik - Flaticon</a>
8. … and sometimes struggle to survive As is Target Roadmap Constraints <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/alerte" title="alerte icônes">Alerte icônes créées par Freepik - Flaticon</a> Alert
9. <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/gestion-de-largent" title="gestion de l'argent icônes">Gestion de l'argent icônes créées par Satawat Anukul - Flaticon</a> <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/competitif" title="compétitif icônes">Compétitif icônes créées par Eucalyp - Flaticon</a> What happened ?
10. technical Socio System NOT ALIGNED
11. …a little bit of theory
12. technical Socio System
13. System Brain Human
14. System Improvising Emotional Creativity Cartesian Rigor Analytical Logic Intuition Right Left
15. Socio-technical
16. Conway’s Law Any organization that designs a system will inevitably produce a design whose structure is a copy of the organization’s communication structure Melvin Conway
17. You architecture is a copy of your organization communication structure Organisation Architecture <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/chef-dequipe" title="chef d'équipe icônes">Chef d'équipe icônes créées par rukanicon - Flaticon</a>
18. one-system
19. one-architecture
20. <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/chef-dequipe" title="chef d'équipe icônes">Chef d'équipe icônes créées par rukanicon - Flaticon</a>
21. <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/chef-dequipe" title="chef d'équipe icônes">Chef d'équipe icônes créées par rukanicon - Flaticon</a>
22. ➔ Recurrent problem ➔ Observed from real world experience ➔ Solution or teaching (Why /How ) ➔ Name to form a language of patterns* Patterns Gregor Hohpe - YOW! 2017
23. Reference of Patterns - The System Archetypes William Braun System archetypes are causal feedback structures, formed by combination of reinforcing and balancing feedback loops, that exhibit characteristic outcome behavior over time • Limits to Growth • Shifting the Burden • Eroding Goals • Escalation • Success to the Successful • Tragedy of the Commons • Fixes that Fail • Growth and Underinvestment • Accidental Adversaries • Attractiveness Principle 10 Archetypes
24. Modernization Example
25. <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/gestion-de-largent" title="gestion de l'argent icônes">Gestion de l'argent icônes créées par Satawat Anukul - Flaticon</a> <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/competitif" title="compétitif icônes">Compétitif icônes créées par Eucalyp - Flaticon</a> Let’s consider an example of two insurance companies Company A Optimized for efficiency Company B Optimized for strategic business
26. Company A - Joy of the Youth ๏ Experimentation, novelty and innovation ๏ Optimized for efficiency > Fast and efficient flow > Remarquable delivery performance ๏ Autonomy of decision making
27. Company B - Declining Fame ๏ Maturity & stability ๏ Optimized for strategic business > High notoriety in B2B market > Important client base ๏ Top down decision making ๏ Legacy system with modular architecture ๏ Problem with client satisfaction
28. …a new competitive opportunity emerges Merge & Acquisition
29. … define your integration strategy <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/gestion-de-largent" title="gestion de l'argent icônes">Gestion de l'argent icônes créées par Satawat Anukul - Flaticon</a> <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/competitif" title="compétitif icônes">Compétitif icônes créées par Eucalyp - Flaticon</a> Best of breed integration Fully integrated: Take over + (* adaptation) Greenfield Strategy
30. appoint your best team <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/gestion-de-largent" title="gestion de l'argent icônes">Gestion de l'argent icônes créées par Satawat Anukul - Flaticon</a> <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/competitif" title="compétitif icônes">Compétitif icônes créées par Eucalyp - Flaticon</a> People Decision making Day 2 day Operation
31. make a plan for change … <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/objectif" title="objectif icônes">Objectif icônes créées par Triangle Squad - Flaticon</a> As is Target Roadmap Constraints trigger
32. …as is …to be ? <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/super-heros" title="super héros icônes">Super héros icônes créées par itim2101 - Flaticon</a>
33. … decide about three focus area <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/objectif" title="objectif icônes">Objectif icônes créées par Triangle Squad - Flaticon</a> Business Technology Ways of working
34. <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/super-heros" title="super héros icônes">Super héros icônes créées par itim2101 - Flaticon</a> <a href='https://fr.freepik.com/vecteurs/match-vs'>Match vs vecteur créé par starline - fr.freepik.com</a>
35. … gap analysis of business strategy <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/objectif" title="objectif icônes">Objectif icônes créées par Triangle Squad - Flaticon</a> Business + Popular B2C offer in a niche market - Emergent business still in discovery mode - Business vision and next steps are not planned + B2B offer with an important client base + Strong ownership of business domains and client portfolio - Clients not satisfied with the quality of service
36. <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/objectif" title="objectif icônes">Objectif icônes créées par Triangle Squad - Flaticon</a> Technology + Cutting edge technology + AI based custom personalization + Cloud native applications + Modular architecture - More attention to technical debt resorption - Required enhancement on end 2 end testing - Legacy technology with obsolescence risks - On-premise hosting - Monolith architecture serving differents applications - Recurrents problems impacting service availability …gap analysis of technology
37. … gap analysis of ways of working <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/objectif" title="objectif icônes">Objectif icônes créées par Triangle Squad - Flaticon</a> Ways of working + Performance oriented culture + Collaborative leadership + Empowered Teams - Must retain key talent to ensure value continuity - Rule oriented culture - Directive leadership - Lack of initiative among teams & top down decision making - Important turn over
38. …as is …to be ? <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/super-heros" title="super héros icônes">Super héros icônes créées par itim2101 - Flaticon</a> BEST OF BREED
39. As is gap analysis & decision making Business strategy Technology Ways of working
40. Business Technology Ways of working <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/ui" title="ui icônes">Ui icônes créées par Abdul-Aziz - Flaticon</a> As is gap analysis & decision making
41. Business Technology Ways of working <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/ui" title="ui icônes">Ui icônes créées par Abdul-Aziz - Flaticon</a> As is gap analysis & decision making
42. change does happen, not fast enough, not effective enough As is Target Roadmap Constraints
43. Architecture modernization has started with different workstreams Technology Move 2 Cloud - Re-Architecture the Monolith Adaptation for B2B use case Decommissioning of adapted services As is maintenance As is maintenance
44. 1 year…
45. 2 years…
46. 3 years…
47. value gets lost … and system drift back to the default status As is Target Roadmap Constraints <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/alerte" title="alerte icônes">Alerte icônes créées par Freepik - Flaticon</a>
48. … and sometimes struggle to survive As is Target Roadmap Constraints <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/alerte" title="alerte icônes">Alerte icônes créées par Freepik - Flaticon</a> Alert
49. <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/gestion-de-largent" title="gestion de l'argent icônes">Gestion de l'argent icônes créées par Satawat Anukul - Flaticon</a> <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/competitif" title="compétitif icônes">Compétitif icônes créées par Eucalyp - Flaticon</a> What happened ?
50. technical Socio System NOT ALIGNED
51. No decision made on … Business Technology Ways of working <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/ui" title="ui icônes">Ui icônes créées par Abdul-Aziz - Flaticon</a>
52. … and was waiting on Technology to deliver Business Technology Ways of working <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/ui" title="ui icônes">Ui icônes créées par Abdul-Aziz - Flaticon</a>
53. Your architecture is a copy of your organization communication structure Ways of working Technology
54. This archetype states that a reinforcing process of accelerating growth (or expansion) will encounter a balancing process as the limit of that system is approached. It hypothesizes that continuing efforts will produce diminishing returns as one approaches the limits. System Patterns 1 - Limits to growth Archetype
55. Results Efforts Slowing action + - + System Patterns 1 - Limits to growth Archetype + Reinforcing loop Balancing loop
56. Results Delivery efficiency Technical issues System Patterns 1 - Limits to growth Archetype Experimentation Maturity
57. Experimentation Maturity Results Delivery efficiency Technical issues System Patterns 1 - Limits to growth Archetype
58. Ways of working Technology Your architecture is a copy of your organization communication structure
59. This archetype states that a gap between a goal and an actual condition can be resolved in two ways: • by taking corrective action to achieve the goal • or by lowering the goal. Hypothesis: when there is a gap between a goal and a condition, the goal is lowered to close the gap. Consequence: lowering the goal will deteriorate performance. System Patterns 2 - Eroding Goals Archetype
60. System Patterns 2 - Eroding Goals Archetype Goal Gap Actual Action to improve conditions Pressure to adjust Reinforcing loop Balancing loop
61. Goal Gap Actual Action to improve conditions Pressure to adjust Decision making Day 2 day Operation System Patterns 2 - Eroding Goals Archetype
62. Problem- No prioritisation and too much workload and not enough people <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/nuevo-sol" title="nuevo sol icônes">Nuevo sol icônes créées par Mayor Icons - Flaticon</a> Move 2 Cloud - Re-Architecture the Monolith Adaptation for B2B use case Decommissioning of adapted services As is maintenance As is maintenance
63. Info. flow Info. flow <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/grappe" title="grappe icônes">Grappe icônes créées par samlakodad - Flaticon</a> <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/formes-et-symboles" title="formes et symboles icônes">Formes et symboles icônes créées par Irfansusanto20 - Flaticon</a> How to prioritize ? what decision to make ? Decision making Decision making Day 2 day Operation Information flow as an indicator of organization culture Info. flow
64. <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/super-heros" title="super héros icônes">Super héros icônes créées par itim2101 - Flaticon</a> <a href='https://fr.freepik.com/vecteurs/match-vs'>Match vs vecteur créé par starline - fr.freepik.com</a> Cultural gap Company A Company B
65. … gap analysis of ways of working <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/objectif" title="objectif icônes">Objectif icônes créées par Triangle Squad - Flaticon</a> Ways of working + Performance oriented culture + Collaborative leadership + Empowered Teams - Must retain key talent to ensure value continuity - Rule oriented culture - Directive leadership - Lack of initiative among teams & top down decision making - Important turn over
66. People Motivation Personality Performance Culture Values Leadership Events Process Chain of responsibility Routines Documentation Ways of working is about people, culture and process
67. What is Culture ?
68. Pattern of basic assumptions Invented, discovered or developed by a … group… Learning to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration Worked well enough to be considered valid Taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, to think and feel in relation to these problems What is Culture ? Edgar Shein
69. Leadership is the management of culture Edgar Shein
70. What leaders failed to do is to enable a common culture Westrum Model for organizational culture focusing on the structure of information flow Power-Oriented Rule-Oriented Performance-Oriented Cooperation low modest high Messengers “shot” neglected trained Responsibilities shrinked narrow shared Bridging discouraged tolerated encouraged Failure scapegoating justice inquiry Novelty crushed problems implemented
71. What could they have done better ?
72. https://www.strategicdesigntoolkit.com/two-loops What is the change that you want to see The two loop of change
73. Visionary Type Incubating Type Directive Type Collaborative Type Compose your pioneers teams with diverse leadership types Source: Leading with Strategic Thinking: Four Ways Effective Leaders Gain Insight, Drive Change, and Get Results - Author:B. Keith Simerson and Author:Aaron K. Olson
74. Event Storming, Team topologies and DDD tools to collaborate Core Supporting G e n e r I c Domain Complexity Business Differentiator Import ant Import ant Low EventStorming Delimit business domains Architecture big picture Team Topologies Core Domain Chart Context Map Define your teams and their relationships Identify your differentiator and prioritize Define your domain interaction
75. Based on DDD workshops outputs, revist the scope and define priorities <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/fr/icones-gratuites/nuevo-sol" title="nuevo sol icônes">Nuevo sol icônes créées par Mayor Icons - Flaticon</a> Move 2 Cloud - Re-Architecture the Monolith Adaptation for B2B use case Decommissioning of Adapted services As is maintenance As is maintenance Deprioritized
76. Be aware of the cognitive load
77. Enable your team culture What kind of culture are you creating ?
78. Thank you