Towards sustainable learning, designing, and decision-making

This keynote talk articulates many threads of thinking and also work I am doing with different clients, trying to position and define how to help organizations genuinely advance on their journey towards sustainable learning, designing, and decision-making (which, in my view, is fundamental to achieve a sustainable fast flow of change). I discuss challenges and common pitfalls and then share some concrete things that seem to help advance in that journey (using several examples).

📽️ video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2281OTB-Ds8
✍🏻 article: https://esilva.net/articles/agile-tour-vienna-2023-keynote

Transcript

1. Towards sustainable learning, designing, and decision-making Eduardo da Silva, PhD (esilva.net | modernarch.consulting | @emgsilva | eduardo@esilva.net) Agile Tour Vienna 2023, 14/09/2023
2. 2 Sustainable Fast Flow of Change ❤ Sustainable Learning, Designing and Decision-making Photo by Ronaldo de Oliveira on Unsplash 2
3. Organizations that are not enabling sustainable Learning, designing and decision-making will struggle to respond to their environment 3 Photo by Cole Patrick on Unsplash 3
5. 5 “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
6. 6 ⚠ It is not just about learning, but how to leverage that learning to drive designs & decisions
7. 7 bol.com 1999 - 2019 Things sold Services Significant events
8. 8 bol.com 1999 - 2019 ℹ bol.com had no clue of their journey… They experimented & learned what works (and not)
9. 9 Photo by Simon Berger on Unsplash 9
10. 10 Image & Credits: https://thecynefin.co/about-us/about-cynefin-framework
11. 11 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”
12. 12 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” ⚠many organizations are using practices from these domains to work on their “Complex Domains”... ☹
13. 13 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!
14. 14 Inspired by: Reflections: Sociotechnical Systems Design and Organization Change
15. 15 Inspired by: Reflections: Sociotechnical Systems Design and Organization Change
16. 16 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
17. 17 Inspired by: Reflections: Sociotechnical Systems Design and Organization Change
18. 18 Inspired by: Reflections: Sociotechnical Systems Design and Organization Change
19. 19 Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash Outcome: continuously “fight” against the environment (external & internal)...
20. 🏭🤖 These mechanistic org structures & Controlling Operating models limit the dynamics & agility that modern orgs need (& create lot of waste!) 20 Photo by Cole Patrick on Unsplash 20
21. 21 Inspired by: Reflections: Sociotechnical Systems Design and Organization Change
22. 22 💡Creating org cultures & structures that nurture sustainable learning, designing and decision-making Photo by Ronaldo de Oliveira on Unsplash 22
23. 🎯 Sustainable Fast Flow of Change Operating Models 🌳 23 Sociotechnical Systems Evolution & Architecture, Eduardo da Silva
24. 🎯 Sustainable Fast Flow of Change Operating Models 🌳 24 Sociotechnical Systems Evolution & Architecture, Eduardo da Silva How to get there?
25. 25 🔬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: in teams close to problems
26. 26 bol.com 1999 - 2019
27. 27 Tech Arch Org (& Way of Work) Prod Tech Org (& Way of Work) bol.com 1999 - 2019 (SocioTechnical Architecture evolution) Arch.
28. 28 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)
29. 29 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”
30. 30 Tech Arch Org (& Way of Work) Prod Monoliths Tech Org (& Way of Work) Waterfall Agile DevOps Teams (Micro)services ~30 ~10 Phase 2 (~2010 - ~2017): Autonomous Teams Arch. Centralized (by Architects) Teams + Archs “need for scaling”
31. 31 Tech Arch Org (& Way of Work) Prod Monoliths Tech Org (& Way of Work) Waterfall Agile DevOps Teams (Micro)services ~30 ~10 Phase 2 (~2010 - ~2017): Autonomous Teams Arch. Centralized (by Architects) Teams + Archs “need for scaling”
32. 🟠 Many organizations stop here: • Many “autonomous teams” owning different parts • “Architects & Managers” managing things around them” • Product & Tech Silos 32
33. ⚠ Some Issues: • Blind focus on adding “little scopes” of work (to manage teams cognitive load) • ad-hoc connected islands - with product sending “messages in a bottle” …this does not help to maximize Learning “What is important” 33
34. 🟢 What to do? • Listen to the Awkward Interactions • Get Architects & Managers (& Coaches) - and other people around the teams, to help addressing those awkward interactions… 34
35. 35 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 - ~2017): Autonomous Teams Arch. Centralized (by Architects) Teams + Architects (anything around teams) ⚠ ⚠ ⚠ ⚠
36. 36 Photo by Alina Grubnyak on Unsplash 🕸 org is a network of teams and scopes. Looking at “team scope” in isolation is not enough!
37. 37 Photo by Alina Grubnyak on Unsplash 🎯 enable Learning across all the org “Scopes” so teams & org can better achieve their purpose & goals and respond to their environment
38. “A system is more than the sum of its parts… It loses its essential properties when it is taken apart…“ Russell Ackoff 38 On Systems Thinking, Russell Ackoff
39. 39 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”
40. Re-adjusting Organization Structure • Team scope has all disciplines needed (including “product” and “tech”) • Product scope groups teams working on related value streams • Product Group scope tends to be a way to scale related product (scopes) - less common 40 Product Taxonomy, Ross Clanton, Amy Walters, Jason Zubrick, Pat Birkeland, Mik Kersten, Alan Nance, and Anders Wallgren
41. • “Product Leadership” team (e.g., Engineering Manager + Product Manager + Tech Lead) works as an Enabling Team 41 Product Taxonomy, Ross Clanton, Amy Walters, Jason Zubrick, Pat Birkeland, Mik Kersten, Alan Nance, and Anders Wallgren Re-adjusting Organization Structures
42. 🟢 Semi-Autonomous Teams with clearer Alignment ✅ Team is involved into the important discussions to maximize learning ✅ Architects (& Managers) become “Enabling Architects” - “how can I help teams learn more, design and decide better and sooner?” 42
43. 43 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 bol.com 1999 - 2019 Arch. Centralized (by Architects) Teams + Architects (anything around teams) Teams (+ Enabling Product Architects) “need for scaling” “sustainable fast flow of change”
44. ⚠ Mind this middle… the “transformation” this seems to be the place where most orgs stop! What can we do? 44
45. Team topologies, Matthew Skelton & Manuel Pais 45
46. 46 Architecture Topologies & Architecture as Enabling Team, Eduardo da Silva Architecture & LEadership as Enabling Team
47. Architecture Organization Topologies (AOTs) 47 Architecture Organization Topologies, Eduardo da Silva
48. Architecture Modernization, Nick Tune 48
49. 49 Kickstarting Modernization
50. Architecture Modernization “Enabling Team” (AMET) 50 Architecture Modernization Enabling Team (AMET), Eduardo da Silva & Nick Tune
52. My Take home message: ⚠ Change & Uncertainty will not stop ✅ Embrace it, and thinking models and practices that help you notice it, learn & decide to sustainably navigate it 52
53. Thank you! Eduardo da Silva, PhD Independent consultant - Sustainable Fast Flow of Change Team Topologies Valued Practitioner (TTVP) # @emgsilva | esilva.net | modernarch.consulting | eduardo@esilva.net 53