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Towards sustainable learning,
designing, and decision-making
Eduardo da Silva, PhD
(esilva.net | modernarch.consulting | @emgsilva | [email protected])
Agile Tour Vienna 2023, 14/09/2023
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Sustainable Fast Flow of Change
❤
Sustainable Learning, Designing and Decision-making
Photo by Ronaldo de Oliveira on Unsplash
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Organizations that are not enabling sustainable
Learning, designing and decision-making will struggle
to respond to their environment
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Photo by Cole Patrick on Unsplash
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“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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⚠ It is not just about
learning, but how to
leverage that learning to
drive designs & decisions
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bol.com 1999 - 2019
Things sold
Services
Significant events
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bol.com 1999 - 2019
ℹ bol.com had no clue of their journey…
They experimented & learned what works (and not)
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Photo by Simon Berger on Unsplash
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Image & Credits: https://thecynefin.co/about-us/about-cynefin-framework
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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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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”...
☹
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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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Inspired by: Reflections: Sociotechnical Systems Design and Organization Change
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Inspired by: Reflections: Sociotechnical Systems Design and Organization Change
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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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Inspired by: Reflections: Sociotechnical Systems Design and Organization Change
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Inspired by: Reflections: Sociotechnical Systems Design and Organization Change
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Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash
Outcome: continuously “fight” against the environment
(external & internal)...
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🏭🤖 These mechanistic org structures & Controlling
Operating models limit the dynamics & agility that
modern orgs need (& create lot of waste!)
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Photo by Cole Patrick on Unsplash
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Inspired by: Reflections: Sociotechnical Systems Design and Organization Change
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💡Creating org cultures & structures that nurture
sustainable learning, designing and decision-making
Photo by Ronaldo de Oliveira on Unsplash
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🎯 Sustainable Fast Flow of Change Operating Models 🌳
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Sociotechnical Systems Evolution & Architecture, Eduardo da Silva
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🎯 Sustainable Fast Flow of Change Operating Models 🌳
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Sociotechnical Systems Evolution & Architecture, Eduardo da Silva
How to get there?
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🔬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
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bol.com 1999 - 2019
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Tech
Arch
Org
(&
Way
of
Work)
Prod
Tech
Org
(&
Way
of
Work)
bol.com 1999 - 2019 (SocioTechnical Architecture evolution)
Arch.
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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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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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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”
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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”
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🟠 Many organizations stop here:
● Many “autonomous teams” owning different parts
● “Architects & Managers” managing things around
them”
● Product & Tech Silos
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⚠ 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”
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🟢 What to do?
● Listen to the Awkward Interactions
● Get Architects & Managers (& Coaches) - and other
people around the teams, to help addressing those
awkward interactions…
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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)
⚠
⚠
⚠
⚠
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Photo by Alina Grubnyak on Unsplash
🕸 org is a network of teams and scopes. Looking at
“team scope” in isolation is not enough!
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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
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“A system is more than the
sum of its parts… It loses
its essential properties
when it is taken apart…“
Russell Ackoff
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On Systems Thinking, Russell Ackoff
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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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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
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Product Taxonomy, Ross Clanton, Amy Walters, Jason Zubrick, Pat Birkeland, Mik Kersten, Alan Nance, and Anders Wallgren
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● “Product Leadership” team
(e.g., Engineering Manager
+ Product Manager + Tech
Lead) works as an Enabling
Team
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Product Taxonomy, Ross Clanton, Amy Walters, Jason Zubrick, Pat Birkeland, Mik Kersten, Alan Nance, and Anders Wallgren
Re-adjusting Organization Structures
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🟢 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?”
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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”
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⚠ Mind this middle…
the “transformation”
this seems to be the
place where most orgs
stop!
What can we do?
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Team topologies, Matthew Skelton & Manuel Pais
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Architecture Topologies & Architecture as Enabling Team, Eduardo da Silva
Architecture
& LEadership
as Enabling
Team
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Architecture Organization Topologies (AOTs)
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Architecture Organization Topologies, Eduardo da Silva
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Architecture Modernization, Nick Tune
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Kickstarting Modernization
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Architecture Modernization “Enabling Team” (AMET)
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Architecture Modernization Enabling Team (AMET), Eduardo da Silva & Nick Tune
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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
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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]
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