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Towards Architecture Organization Topologies for Sustainable Fast Flow of Change

Eduardo da Silva
October 06, 2023
220

Towards Architecture Organization Topologies for Sustainable Fast Flow of Change

ℹ️ Keynote talk of Agile meets Architecture 2023.

Uncertainty and unpredictability are a reality faced by most organizations building software products - they are not optional! However, many modern orgs still apply old controlling operating models and architecture practices to respond to those environments. In this talk, I share several examples of why this is a big problem. In a nutshell, they are not enabling the proper levels of learning, designing, and decision-making in the organization, particularly in the teams/people close to the problems. Then, I share several examples of the organization and architecture evolution of bol.com over more than 20 years. This organization embraces this sort of change and provides a great example of the importance of doing that. I show those by using elements of the thinking models and practices that I call “Architecture Organization Topologies” (https:esilva.net/architecture-topologies) - a way to visualize and have more explicit discussions on how organizations are designed and approach architecture. On those, we can see how successful organizations embrace continuous change and evolution as a function of their internal and external environment, responding and adapting to it to achieve a constant sustainable fast flow of change (or Agility).

Eduardo da Silva

October 06, 2023
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  1. Towards Architecture
    Organization Topologies for
    Sustainable Fast Flow of Change
    Eduardo da Silva, PhD
    (esilva.net | modernarch.consulting | @emgsilva | [email protected])
    Agile meets Architecture 2023, 2023/10/05

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  2. Doing Agile & trying to achieve higher Agility?
    2

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  3. Trying to improve Architecture* for higher Agility?
    * ability to learn, Design & Decide on “important things”
    3

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  4. Towards Architecture
    Organization Topologies for
    Sustainable Fast Flow of Change
    Eduardo da Silva, PhD
    (esilva.net | modernarch.consulting | @emgsilva | [email protected])
    Agile meets Architecture 2023, 2023/10/05

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  5. Organizations that are not enabling sustainable
    Learning, designing and decision-making will struggle
    to respond to their environment
    5
    Photo by Cole Patrick on Unsplash
    5

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  6. 6

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  7. 7
    “Learning is a process that
    leads to change, which
    occurs as a result of
    experience and increases
    the potential for improved
    performance and future
    learning”
    Ambrose et al., 2010

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  8. 8
    ⚠ It is not just about
    learning, but how to
    leverage that learning to
    drive designs & decisions

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  9. 9

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  10. 10

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  11. 11

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  12. 12

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  13. 13

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  14. 14

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  15. 15

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  16. 16
    Photo by Simon Berger on Unsplash
    16

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  17. 17
    Image & Credits: https://thecynefin.co/about-us/about-cynefin-framework

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  18. 18
    Image & Credits: https://thecynefin.co/about-us/about-cynefin-framework
    Most modern orgs have a
    lot of activities here…
    “Best practices” and
    expert knowledge is not
    enough! We need to
    “probe > sense > respond”

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  19. 19
    Image & Credits: https://thecynefin.co/about-us/about-cynefin-framework
    ⚠Many organizations
    are using practices from
    these domains to work
    on their “Complex
    Domains”...

    Most modern orgs have a
    lot of activities here…
    “Best practices” and
    expert knowledge is not
    enough! We need to
    “probe > sense > respond”

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  20. 20
    Image & Credits: https://thecynefin.co/about-us/about-cynefin-framework
    Most modern orgs are
    here…
    Unpredictable but “all is
    inter-connected”
    “Best practices” and
    expert knowledge is not
    enough! We need to
    “probe > sense > respond”
    ⚠many organizations
    are using practices from
    these domains to work
    on their “Complex
    Domains”...
    ⚠classic “controlling operating models” and “Ivory
    Tower Architects” do not work well on Complex
    Domains!

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  21. 21
    Inspired by: Reflections: Sociotechnical Systems Design and Organization Change

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  22. 22
    Inspired by: Reflections: Sociotechnical Systems Design and Organization Change

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  23. 23
    stretching our teams/org & creating
    complex processes => increasingly
    messier social and technical systems
    (⚠Conway’s Law)
    Inspired by: Reflections: Sociotechnical Systems Design and Organization Change

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  24. 24
    Inspired by: Reflections: Sociotechnical Systems Design and Organization Change

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  25. 25
    Inspired by: Reflections: Sociotechnical Systems Design and Organization Change

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  26. 26
    Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash
    Outcome: continuously “fight” against the environment
    (external & internal)...

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  27. 🏭🤖 These mechanistic org structures & Controlling
    Operating models limit the dynamics & agility that
    modern orgs need (& create lot of waste!)
    27
    Photo by Cole Patrick on Unsplash
    27

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  28. 28
    Inspired by: Reflections: Sociotechnical Systems Design and Organization Change

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  29. 29
    💡Creating org cultures, structures and incentives that
    embrace the nature of the environments we “live in…”
    Photo by Ronaldo de Oliveira on Unsplash
    29

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  30. 30
    🔬Learning: minimal and
    made in isolation
    📝Designing: outside teams
    (by Architects and
    controlled Managers)
    🤝Decision-making: outside
    teams (by Architects and
    Managers (“boss”))
    🔬Learning: maximized
    across the org (no
    silos)
    📝Designing: in teams &
    with teams involvement
    🤝Decision-making: by
    teams close to problems

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  31. 31
    🔬Learning: minimal and
    made in isolation
    📝Designing: outside teams
    (by Architects and
    controlled Managers)
    🤝Decision-making: outside
    teams (by Architects and
    Managers (“boss”))
    🔬Learning: maximized
    across the org (no
    silos)
    📝Designing: in teams &
    with teams involvement
    🤝Decision-making: by
    teams close to problems
    How can we start doing that?

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  32. TL;DR: approaches to
    architecture in teams &
    organization will take
    different forms & change
    in time (to allow for
    sustainable flow of
    change in the org).
    Embracing that is key to
    understand and improve
    them more explicitly.
    32
    Architecture Topologies & Architecture as Enabling Team, Eduardo da Silva

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  33. 33

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  34. Architecture Organization Topologies, Eduardo da Silva
    34

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  35. Architecture Organization
    Topologies (AOTs)
    🔗 esilva.net/architecture-topologies
    35

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  36. 36
    bol.com 1999 - 2019

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  37. 37
    Tech
    Arch
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Prod
    Tech
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    bol.com 1999 - 2019 (Org + Tech + Architecture evolution)
    Arch.

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  38. 38
    Tech
    Arch
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Prod
    Monoliths
    Tech
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Waterfall
    Phase 1 (1999 - ~2010): Starting, waterfall & monoliths
    Arch. Centralized (by Architects)

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  39. 39
    Tech
    Arch
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Prod
    Monoliths
    Tech
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Waterfall
    Phase 1 (1999 - ~2010): Starting, waterfall & monoliths
    Arch. Centralized (by Architects)

    “need for scaling”

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  40. 40
    Architects doing all the
    design & decision making

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  41. 41
    Tech
    Arch
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Prod
    Monoliths
    Tech
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Waterfall Agile DevOps Teams
    (Micro)services
    ~30
    ~10
    Phase 2 (~2010 - ~2018): Autonomous Teams
    Arch. Centralized (by Architects) Teams + Archs
    “need for scaling”

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  42. 42
    Architecture in team
    (mostly) by the team;
    architects doing
    everything around teams

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  43. 43
    Tech
    Arch
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Prod
    Monoliths
    Tech
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Waterfall Agile DevOps Teams
    (Micro)services
    ~30
    ~10
    Phase 2 (~2010 - ~2018): Autonomous Teams
    Arch. Centralized (by Architects) Teams + Archs
    “need for scaling”

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  44. 44
    Tech
    Arch
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Prod
    Monoliths
    Tech
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Waterfall Agile DevOps Teams
    (Micro)services
    ~30
    ~10
    Phase 2 (~2010 - ~2018): Autonomous Teams
    Arch. Centralized (by Architects) Teams + Archs
    “need for scaling”
    Teams capable of
    iterating
    quickly on their
    scope

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  45. 45
    Tech
    Arch
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Prod
    Monoliths
    Tech
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Waterfall Agile DevOps Teams
    (Micro)services
    ~30
    ~10
    Phase 2 (~2010 - ~2018): Autonomous Teams
    Arch. Centralized (by Architects) Teams + Archs
    “need for scaling”
    Teams capable of
    iterating
    quickly on their
    scope
    Able to deploy
    quickly and
    independently

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  46. 46
    Tech
    Arch
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Prod
    Monoliths
    Tech
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Waterfall Agile DevOps Teams
    (Micro)services
    ~30
    ~10
    Phase 2 (~2010 - ~2018): Autonomous Teams
    Arch. Centralized (by Architects) Teams + Archs
    “need for scaling”
    Teams capable of
    iterating
    quickly on their
    scope
    Able to deploy
    quickly and
    independently
    Teams able to
    design and
    decide things
    on their scope

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  47. 47
    Tech
    Arch
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Prod
    Monoliths
    Tech
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Waterfall Agile DevOps Teams
    (Micro)services
    ~30
    ~10
    Phase 2 (~2010 - ~2018): Autonomous Teams
    Arch. Centralized (by Architects) Teams + Archs
    “need for scaling”
    Many
    teams
    Prod
    &
    Tech
    Silos

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  48. 48
    Tech
    Arch
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Prod
    Monoliths
    Tech
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Waterfall Agile DevOps Teams
    (Micro)services
    ~30
    ~10
    Phase 2 (~2010 - ~2018): Autonomous Teams
    Arch. Centralized (by Architects) Teams + Archs
    “need for scaling”
    Many
    teams
    Prod
    &
    Tech
    Silos
    Organic net of
    Microservices

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  49. 49
    Tech
    Arch
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Prod
    Monoliths
    Tech
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Waterfall Agile DevOps Teams
    (Micro)services
    ~30
    ~10
    Phase 2 (~2010 - ~2018): Autonomous Teams
    Arch. Centralized (by Architects) Teams + Archs
    “need for scaling”
    Many
    teams
    Prod
    &
    Tech
    Silos
    Organic net of
    Microservices
    Architects
    “keeping
    things
    together
    around teams”

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  50. 50
    Tech
    Arch
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Prod
    Monoliths
    Tech
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Waterfall Agile DevOps Teams
    (Micro)services
    ~30
    ~100
    ~10 ~600
    Phase 2 (~2010 - ~2018): Autonomous Teams
    Arch. Centralized (by Architects) Teams + Architects (anything around teams)




    “need for
    sustainable fast
    flow of change”

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  51. 51
    Architects managing a
    lot of the
    “dot-connecting” of
    multi-team activities
    and tems being “islands”

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  52. ● Team scope has all
    disciplines needed
    (including “product” and
    “tech”)
    ● Product scope groups teams
    working on related value
    streams
    Re-adjusting Organization Structure
    52
    Product Taxonomy, Ross Clanton, Amy Walters, Jason Zubrick, Pat Birkeland, Mik Kersten, Alan Nance, and Anders Wallgren

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  53. ● “Product Leadership” team
    (e.g., Engineering Manager
    + Product Manager + Tech
    Lead) works as an Enabling
    Team
    53
    Product Taxonomy, Ross Clanton, Amy Walters, Jason Zubrick, Pat Birkeland, Mik Kersten, Alan Nance, and Anders Wallgren
    Multi-team Leadership Enabling team

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  54. 54
    Teams owning
    architecture on
    their scope with
    clearer alignment
    to the multi-team
    scope (with
    Enabling
    Architects)

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  55. 55
    Tech
    Arch
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Prod
    Monoliths
    Products
    Tech
    Org
    (&
    Way
    of
    Work)
    Waterfall Agile
    Product Teams
    DevOps Teams
    (Micro)services
    ~30
    ~100
    ~10 ~600 ~50
    Phase 3 (~2017 - ??): Product organization
    Arch. Centralized (by Architects) Teams + Architects (anything around teams)
    Teams (+ Enabling Product Architects)
    “need for
    sustainable fast
    flow of change”

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  56. Products
    Waterfall Agile
    Product Teams
    DevOps Teams
    ~30
    ~100
    bol.com 1999 - 2019 “need for scaling” “sustainable fast
    flow of change”
    56

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  57. 57
    ⚠ Change & Uncertainty will not stop
    ✅ Embrace it, and thinking models and practices that
    help you notice it, learn & decide how to navigate it
    Photo by Ronaldo de Oliveira on Unsplash
    57

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  58. Thank you!
    Eduardo da Silva, PhD
    Independent consultant - Sustainable Fast Flow of Change
    Team Topologies Valued Practitioner (TTVP)
    # @emgsilva | esilva.net | modernarch.consulting | [email protected]
    💡stay tuned for “companion article”
    58
    esilva.net consulting

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