[OA.STD.4] Structure teams around desired business outcomes

Category: FOUNDATIONAL

To maximize value and effectiveness in product delivery, intentionally design team structures that reflect the desired architecture and interactions of the systems being built. Clearly define roles, responsibilities, and ownership for each team and align with the expected business outcomes. This approach increases the chances of building and supporting effective products optimized for full coverage of the full value stream.

Conway's Law, introduced by Melvin Conway in the paper How Do Committees Invent?, posits that the structure of an organization influences the design of the systems it builds. Organizations can use this concept to build more effective team structures by employing the Inverse Conway Maneuver, also known as Reverse Conway's Law, as described by Jonny LeRoy and Matt Simons. By designing teams and their communication structures to reflect the intended architecture and interactions of the system being built, organizations can achieve increased efficiency and more effective collaboration between teams, ultimately enhancing the overall product delivery process.

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