The fast flow organization - using Team Topologies outside of IT and software - Matthew Skelton - Conflux

Keynote delivered at RebelCon 2023 - https://rebelcon.io

Description

Since the book Team Topologies was published in 2019, it has gained widespread adoption within the software/IT sector as the “go-to” reference for organizing business and technology teams for fast flow. Organizations of all sizes have found that the language, patterns, practices, ideas, and deliberate constraints of Team Topologies (TT) has helped them to move to a more humane, flow-oriented approach to building and running software-enriched services.

But can industry sectors outside software and IT also benefit from TT ideas and practices?

In this talk, Matthew Skelton (co-author of the TT book) explores how organizations in many sectors have begun to use the TT patterns to help with team-based knowledge work of all kinds. We explore the use of TT in sectors including: legal services, accountancy, clinical care in hospitals, COVID-19 emergency response, sales and marketing, HR/People, higher education, venue services (audio-visual equipment).

New tools such as TeamOS and TeamForm are also emerging in the market that explicitly use the TT principles to help organizations design and evolve the teams and dynamics for fast flow.

In effect, the core software engineering principles underlying Team Topologies - including Team API, decoupling, service boundaries, team interaction modes, Conway’s Law, organizational sensing, etc. - are being applied and tested in novel knowledge-work contexts. This presents a tremendous opportunity for people with software engineering awareness to help shape the future dynamics of digital-savvy organizations.

The talk closes by looking at some key principles around an operating model for fast flow organizations. Join the Team Topologies (r)evolution! 🤓

Audience: C-level and Exec teams, organization design practitioners, managers, plus people involved in the design, delivery, and operation of business-critical software systems.

Key take-aways: the ideas and patterns in Team Topologies (TT) are being applied worldwide not just in software/IT but increasing in non-IT contexts like legal services, healthcare, education, and HR. These applications of TT point the way to an operating model for fast flow organizations.

Length: 30-40 mins

Talk ref: K24

https://confluxhq.com/fast-flow

Transcript

1. The fast flow organization -
   using Team Topologies
   outside of IT and software
   Matthew Skelton, Conflux - co-author of Team Topologies
   RebelCon, Cork, IE | 25 April 2023
   

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2. Photo goes here
   Matthew Skelton
   Founder at Conflux
   Co-author of Team Topologies
   LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/matthewskelton
   Mastodon: mastodon.social/@matthewskelton
   2
   

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3. Team Topologies
   Organizing business and
   technology teams for fast flow
   Matthew Skelton & Manuel Pais
   IT Revolution Press, September 2019
   Order via stores worldwide:
   teamtopologies.com/book
   3
   

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4. View Slide

5. Team Topologies is the leading
   approach to organizing business and
   technology teams for fast flow,
   providing a practical, step-by‑step,
   adaptive model for organizational
   design and team interaction.
   5
   

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6. View Slide

7. What I have learned about TT
   Team Topologies outside of IT
   What is going on?!
   Applying this back to software/IT
   7
   

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8. What I have learned about
   Team Topologies since
   publication in 2019
   8
   

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9. Team Topologies is way more
   disruptive and useful than we
   ever imagined … but 🤷
   #sorrynotsorry
   9
   

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10. Team Topologies
    provides several things
    for organizations…
    10
    

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11. 11
    Language for dealing with flow,
    boundaries, architecture, dynamics
    

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12. 12
    Heuristics (clues) for organizing
    teams and software
    

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13. 13
    Ways for teams to define expectations
    + close gaps
    

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14. 14
    A focus on fast flow as a key driver
    

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15. 15
    Deliberate constraints on behaviors
    

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16. 16
    https://www.linkedin.com/posts/matthewskelton_tea
    mtopologies-activity-7009449368537726976-biXt
    “Team Topologies is … a set of
    constraints to encourage emergent
    behaviours.”
    

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17. [quick overview]
    17
    

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18. 18
    Stream-aligned team
    ➔ Long-lived
    ➔ End-to-end care and evolution of the service
    ➔ No hand-offs to other teams
    ➔ Mix of skills (“cross-functional”)
    ➔ Small: around 8 people
    

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19. 19
    Stream-aligned team
    ➔ Long-lived
    ➔ End-to-end care and evolution of the service
    ➔ No hand-offs to other teams
    ➔ Mix of skills (“cross-functional”)
    ➔ Small: around 8 people
    Flow of change
    

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20. 20
    Platform
    grouping
    

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21. View Slide

22. 22
    Flow of change
    

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23. 23
    Cash
    Concept
    Flow of change
    

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24. 24
    User
    Need
    Flow of change
    

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25. 25
    Live
    service
    Version
    control
    Flow of change
    

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26. 26
    Flow of change
    Stream-aligned team
    Stream-aligned team
    

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27. 27
    Flow of change
    Stream-aligned team
    Stream-aligned team
    😢
    

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28. 28
    Flow of change
    Stream-aligned team
    Stream-aligned team
    😐
    Facilitating
    Enabling
    team
    

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29. 29
    Flow of change
    Stream-aligned team
    Stream-aligned team
    😊
    Facilitating
    Enabling
    team
    Complicated
    Subsystem
    team
    XaaS
    

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30. Platform grouping
    30
    Flow of change
    Stream-aligned team
    Stream-aligned team
    Complicated
    Subsystem
    team
    XaaS
    XaaS
    Collaboration
    UX
    

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31. Platform grouping
    31
    Flow of change
    Stream-aligned team
    Stream-aligned team
    Complicated
    Subsystem
    team
    XaaS
    XaaS
    Stream-aligned team xN
    

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32. Platform grouping
    32
    Flow of change
    Stream-aligned team
    Stream-aligned team
    Complicated
    Subsystem
    team
    XaaS
    XaaS
    Collaboration
    Stream-aligned team xN
    ⚠ Team Topologies
    diagrams are always just
    “snapshots in time”,
    never fixed designs
    

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33. View Slide

34. flow-centric roles
    34
    

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35. Almost all decisions need
    to use the twin ‘lenses’ of
    fast flow and
    team cognitive load
    35
    

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36. Team Topologies indicates:
    Almost ALL roles and teams should be
    focused on either:
    🔀 A flow of change -or-
    👐 Supporting flow(s) of change
    36
    

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37. 🔀 A flow of change:
    ● Software changes to a service/app
    ● Config changes to COTS software
    ● Onboarding a new employee
    ● Reviewing legal contracts
    ● Installing A/V equipment
    37
    

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38. 👐 Supporting flow(s) of change:
    ● An infrastructure platform for cloud
    services/apps
    ● A data platform for analytics
    ● A wiki or How-To guide
    ● Real-time data for decision-making
    38
    

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39. 39
    Continuously ‘untangle’
    business concepts
    

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40. 40
    Find and adjust team &
    system boundaries for flow
    

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41. 41
    Minimize hand-offs
    

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42. 42
    Avoid blocking
    dependencies
    

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43. 43
    Move some decision-making
    to teams
    

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44. 44
    Team Topologies exposes any
    lack of clarity in purpose,
    conflict in priorities, or
    misalignment of incentives
    

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45. Team Topologies outside of IT
    45
    

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46. Organizations outside IT and
    software are already using TT
    46
    

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47. 47
    https://mobile.twitter.com/amcunningham/status/1517912010599682052
    “Let's bring Team Topologies to the
    whole of the [National Health Service]!”
    

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48. 48
    “the concepts discussed in the book are very
    much applicable to other working environments
    and teams [outside software]”
    https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/team-topologies-matthew-skelton-manuel-pais-tara-hopkins/
    “Certain activities needed to be provided as a
    service that employees could easily access and
    get a quick and accurate result from. On other
    occasions we worked with a manager in a
    facilitative way, helping that manager to become
    better able to manage a situation in the team. In
    other situations we worked collaboratively with
    another team to pool resources and problem
    solve together, coming up with a better solution
    than either team would have arrived at on their
    own.”
    

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49. Legal services
    49
    

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50. 50
    Challenges for legal services
    Real-world cases span legal specialisms
    Fee earner lawyer prevents team ownership
    Per-hour billing encourages busy work
    Law-as-a-service?
    

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51. 51
    Flow of change
    Stream-aligned team
    Stream-aligned team
    Client A
    Individual vs
    Company
    

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52. 52
    Flow of change
    Stream-aligned team
    Stream-aligned team
    😊
    Facilitating
    Enabling
    team
    Complicated
    Subsystem
    team
    XaaS
    Cross-border
    M&A “Fee-earner”
    

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53. Platform grouping
    53
    Flow of change
    Stream-aligned team
    Stream-aligned team
    Complicated
    Subsystem
    team
    XaaS
    XaaS
    Collaboration
    M&A info
    managed as
    part of a flow
    platform
    Make the
    XaaS
    interaction
    more useful
    

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54. Platform grouping
    54
    Flow of change
    Stream-aligned team
    Stream-aligned team
    Complicated
    Subsystem
    team
    XaaS
    XaaS
    Stream-aligned team xN
    Teams making
    supporting
    workflows and
    checklists, etc.
    

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55. [Accountancy]
    55
    

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56. Clinical care / healthcare
    56
    

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57. 57
    Challenges for clinical care
    Real-world cases span medical specialisms
    > Pregnant car accident victim with COVID-19
    Consistent care over time without handoffs
    Managing team cognitive load
    

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58. 58
    Flow of change
    Stream-aligned team
    Stream-aligned team
    COVID-19
    complications
    Malnourished
    

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59. 59
    Flow of change
    Stream-aligned team
    Stream-aligned team
    😊
    Facilitating
    Enabling
    team
    Complicated
    Subsystem
    team
    XaaS
    X-ray or
    MRI scan Consultant
    surgeon
    

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60. Platform grouping
    60
    Flow of change
    Stream-aligned team
    Stream-aligned team
    Complicated
    Subsystem
    team
    XaaS
    XaaS
    Collaboration
    Make the
    XaaS
    interaction
    more useful
    X-ray or MRI
    scan managed
    as part of a
    flow platform
    

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61. Platform grouping
    61
    Flow of change
    Stream-aligned team
    Stream-aligned team
    Complicated
    Subsystem
    team
    XaaS
    XaaS
    Stream-aligned team xN
    Teams making
    supporting
    workflows and
    checklists, etc.
    X-ray or MRI
    scan itself may
    have “inner”
    teams
    

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62. Case Study
    NHS Digital - pandemic response
    software teams working with
    international healthcare experts
    used Team Topologies principles
    for rapid rollout of COVID-19 testing
    62
    https://axiologik.com/news-and-insights/delivering-digital-services-at-scale-in-a-crisis
    

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63. News and media
    63
    

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64. 64
    Challenges for news and media
    Changing consumption of news and media
    > TikTok, ChatGPT, AI/ML
    Remove editors from publication critical path
    Rapidly offer new digital products & tech
    

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65. Platform grouping
    65
    Flow of change
    Stream-aligned team
    Stream-aligned team
    Complicated
    Subsystem
    team
    XaaS
    Facilitating
    Enabling
    team
    Editors help to
    build capability
    in publication
    teams
    Editorial
    Editors help
    to define
    auto-
    approval
    systems
    

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66. Platform grouping
    66
    Flow of change
    Stream-aligned team
    Stream-aligned team
    Complicated
    Subsystem
    team
    XaaS
    XaaS
    Collaboration
    Shape the
    content
    boundaries a
    data
    structures
    Content platform
    provides composable
    media consumable
    by …
    Product
    …an ecosystem of
    digital products
    

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67. Education curriculum design
    67
    

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68. 68
    Challenges for education design
    Technology changing the relevance of ideas
    > ChatGPT for essay questions
    Long cycles (course description as ‘contract’)
    Avoid ‘big batch’ validation by committee
    

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69. Platform grouping
    69
    Flow of change
    Stream-aligned team
    Stream-aligned team
    Complicated
    Subsystem
    team
    XaaS
    XaaS
    Collaboration
    Discuss
    ruleset for
    auto-
    approval
    Chemistry
    Computer
    ethics
    

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70. HR/People
    70
    

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71. 71
    Challenges for HR / people mgt
    Rigidity in people placement prevents agility
    > 7 months to move someone to new dept
    Individual bonuses work against teamwork
    Conway’s Law
    

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72. Platform grouping
    72
    Flow of change
    Stream-aligned team
    Stream-aligned team
    XaaS
    HR as a platform
    with internal
    “customers”
    Onboarding
    Move
    department
    XaaS XaaS
    

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73. Venue services
    (e.g. audiovisual equipment)
    73
    

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74. 74
    Challenges for venue services
    Rapid deployment at scale
    Courtrooms, music venues
    Testing and validation
    

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75. The team-based
    operating system
    75
    

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76. 76
    TeamForm
    teamform.co
    

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77. 77
    TeamOS
    teamos.is
    Disclosure: Matthew Skelton has invested
    personally in the company behind TeamOS
    

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78. View Slide

79. WTF is going on?!
    79
    

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80. 80
    Time for some
    reverse engineering!
    

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81. 81
    legal services
    clinical care / healthcare
    news & media
    accounting
    education
    design
    HR/people OS
    ?
    

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82. knowledge
    work
    82
    

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83. language
    83
    

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84. interactions
    84
    

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85. ownership
    85
    

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86. boundaries
    86
    

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87. cognitive load
    87
    

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88. flow
    88
    

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89. 89
    language
    interactions
    boundaries
    ownership
    cognitive
    load flow
    

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90. Hypothesis:
    Team Topologies provides vital language,
    patterns, and constraints for almost all
    knowledge work situations in the context
    of fast flow and team ownership.
    90
    

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91. Applying these principles and
    ideas back to software/IT
    91
    

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92. Almost all decisions need
    to use the twin ‘lenses’ of
    fast flow and
    team cognitive load
    92
    

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93. 🧠
    Compliance mindset shift:
    “Permitting” to “Empowering”
    

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94. View Slide

95. 🧠
    Platform mindset shift:
    “We run it” to “We help flow”
    

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96. View Slide

97. 🧠
    Architect mindset shift:
    “Designing” to “Finding flow”
    

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98. View Slide

99. 🧠
    Expert mindset shift:
    “Validating” to “Enabling flow”
    

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100. View Slide

101. 🧠
     Developer mindset shift:
     “My area” to “No hand-offs”
     

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102. View Slide

103. 🧠
     Manager mindset shift:
     Coordinating to Flow-enabling
     or Flow-unblocking
     

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104. View Slide

105. 🧠
     Business mindset shift:
     Project to Product (or
     long-lived services)
     

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106. View Slide

107. Team Topologies indicates:
     Almost ALL roles and teams should be
     focused on either:
     🔀 A flow of change -or-
     👐 Supporting flow(s) of change
     107
     

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108. What I have learned about TT
     Team Topologies outside of IT
     What is going on?!
     Applying this back to software/IT
     108
     

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109. Almost all decisions need
     to use the twin ‘lenses’ of
     fast flow and
     team cognitive load
     109
     

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110. Hypothesis:
     Team Topologies provides vital language,
     patterns, and constraints for almost all
     knowledge work situations in the context
     of fast flow and team ownership.
     110
     

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111. 111
     Masterclass:
     Success patterns for fast
     flow and Team Topologies
     In association with:
     Expert-led group learning online with co-author
     of Team Topologies, Matthew Skelton
     21 & 22 June 2023, 13:30-16:30 GMT+1 (2x 3-hours)
     

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112. 112
     What’s your perspective?
     Which aspects resonate?
     Which things feel incorrect?
     

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113. 113
     expert-led group learning for adopting
     fast flow and Team Topologies
     confluxhq.com
     

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114. thank you
     confluxhq.com
     Copyright (c) 2017-2023 Conflux group of companies. All Rights Reserved.
     The name “Conflux” and the filled C device are Registered Trademarks ® in multiple jurisdictions.
     

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