1. Adaptive Socio-Technical Systems
w/ Architecture for Flow
Susanne Kaiser
Independent Tech Consultant
@suksr

2. What do these companies have in common ?
@suksr

3. @suksr

4. 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018
filed for bankruptcy
in 2010
filed for bankruptcy
in 2017
filed for bankruptcy
in 2012
filed for bankruptcy
in 2018
sold their business
in 2014
@suksr

5. 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018
filed for bankruptcy
in 2010
filed for bankruptcy
in 2017
filed for bankruptcy
in 2012
filed for bankruptcy
in 2018
sold their business
in 2014
Failed to
adapt to the
rise of online
streaming
services
Failed to
adapt to the
shift towards
digital
photography
Slow to adapt
touchscreen
technology &
mobile app
stores
Failed to
keep up w/
the rise of
online
retailers
Failed to
keep up w/
the rise of
online
shopping
@suksr

6. ~200,000
job losses
~$220 Bn
of costs for
creditors incl.
lost revenue,
market share
Failure to Adapt to
Changing Circumstances
@suksr

7. How to design
systems that can
evolve and thrive in
the face of
constant change?
Organizations have to
continously adapt
and evolve to
remain competitive
@suksr

8. How to design
systems that can
evolve and thrive in
the face of
constant change?
Understanding
the business
landscape and
external forces
acting on it
Knowing
the business
domain & closely
align system to
business & user
needs
Aligning teams
and evolving
their interactions
to the system &
strategy
@suksr

9. How to design
systems that can
evolve and thrive in
the face of
constant change?
Understanding
the business
landscape and
external forces to
design effective
strategies
Knowing
the business
domain & closely
align system to
business needs
Aligning teams
and evolving
their interactions
to the system &
strategy
Wardley Mapping Domain-Driven Design Team Topologies
@suksr
Understanding
the business
landscape and
external forces
acting on it
Knowing
the business
domain & closely
align system to
business & user
needs
Aligning teams
and evolving
their interactions
to the system &
strategy

10. Evolving a Legacy System
Image source: https://www.food-management.com
@suksr

11. Understanding
the business
landscape
Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Position
Movement
Wardley Map
@suksr

12. Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Students
Course Class Students
Content
Asking
for Help
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
Know
your users
Focus on
user
needs
Anchor
Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Invisible
The Landscape of the Current State
@suksr

13. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Students
Course Class Students
Content
BBoM
Data
Storage
Message
Broker
Search
Engine
Compute
VM
Online School
SMTP
Server
Asking
for Help
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
Invisible
Components
fulfilling
user needs
Anchor
Know
your users
Focus on
user
needs
@suksr

14. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Students
Course Class Students
Content
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search Engine
Compute
VM
SMTP
Server
Asking
for Help
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
@suksr
BBoM
Online School
Uncharted Industrialised
Components
mapped to
evolution
stages

15. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Students
Course Class Students
Content
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search Engine
Compute
VM
SMTP
Server
Asking
for Help
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
@suksr
BBoM
Uncharted Industrialised
Online School
Some
characteristics
of Evolution
Stages
High
change
rate
High
Uncertainty
Undefined
market
Stable
Known
Mature
market

16. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Students
Course Class Students
Content
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search Engine
Compute
VM
SMTP
Server
A Wardley Map of the Current State
Asking
for Help
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
@suksr
BBoM
Online School
Uncharted Industrialised
Common
understanding
of landscape
Challenge
assumptions
where to innovate,
improve efficiency,
or outsource

17. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Students
Course Class Students
Content
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search Engine
Compute
VM
SMTP
Server
External Forces Impacting the Landscape: Climatic Patterns
Asking
for Help
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
@suksr
BBoM
Online School

18. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Students
Course Class Students
Content
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search Engine
Compute
VM
SMTP
Server
External Forces Impacting the Landscape: Climatic Patterns
Asking
for Help
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
@suksr
BBoM
Online School
“Understanding
climatic patterns
is important when
anticipating
change”
Simon Wardley

19. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Students
Course Class Students
Content
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search Engine
Compute
VM
SMTP
Server
External Forces Impacting the Landscape: Climatic Patterns
Asking
for Help
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
@suksr
BBoM
Online School
Cloud-hosted services/
Serverless compute
Everything
evolves through
supply and
demand
competition
+ Competition
+ Efficiency
Large Language Model
+ Competition
+ Efficiency
“Understanding
climatic patterns
is important when
anticipating
change”
Simon Wardley

20. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Students
Course Class Students
Content
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search Engine
Compute
VM
SMTP
Server
External Forces Impacting the Landscape: Climatic Patterns
Asking
for Help
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
@suksr
BBoM
Online School
Cloud-hosted services/
Serverless compute
Everything
evolves through
supply and
demand
competition
+ Competition
+ Efficiency
Large Language Model
+ Competition
+ Efficiency
Content
Recommendations
Efficiency
enables
innovation
“Understanding
climatic patterns
is important when
anticipating
change”
Simon Wardley

21. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Students
Course Class Students
Content
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search Engine
Compute
VM
SMTP
Server
External Forces Impacting the Landscape: Climatic Patterns
Asking
for Help
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
@suksr
BBoM
Online School
Cloud-hosted services/
Serverless compute
Everything
evolves through
supply and
demand
competition
+ Competition
+ Efficiency
Assist
Content
Creation
Large Language Model
+ Competition
+ Efficiency
Content
Recommendations
Efficiency
enables
innovation
Higher order
systems create
new source
of value
+ Value
“Understanding
climatic patterns
is important when
anticipating
change”
Simon Wardley

22. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Students
Course Class Students
Content
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search Engine
Compute
VM
SMTP
Server
Understanding Landscape & Climatic Patterns
Asking
for Help
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
@suksr
BBoM
Online School
Cloud-hosted services/
Serverless compute
+ Competition
+ Efficiency
Assist
Content
Creation
Large Language Model
+ Competition
+ Efficiency
Content
Recommendations
+ Value
Understanding
our landscape &
climatic patterns
helps us to
anticipate
opportunities
Points of potential
change /
Where to invest?

23. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Students
Course Class Students
Content
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search Engine
Compute
VM
SMTP
Server
Assessing Responsiveness to Change
Asking
for Help
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
@suksr
BBoM
Online School
How well are
we equipped
to evolve and
to respond to
changes quickly?

24. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Students
Course Class Students
Content
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search Engine
Compute
VM
SMTP
Server
Assessing Responsiveness to Change
Asking
for Help
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
@suksr
BBoM
Online School
How well are
we equipped
to evolve and
to respond to
changes quickly?
“A system is more than the sum of its parts,
it’s a product of their interactions.”
Dr. Russell Ackoff

25. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Students
Course Class Students
Content
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search Engine
Compute
VM
Assessing Responsiveness to Change
Asking
for Help
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
@suksr
BBoM
Online School
How well are
we equipped
to evolve and
to respond to
changes quickly?
Analyzing
dependencies
within a system
SMTP
Server
“A system is more than the sum of its parts,
it’s a product of their interactions.”
Dr. Russell Ackoff

26. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Students
Course Class Students
Content
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search Engine
Compute
VM
Assessing Responsiveness to Change
Asking
for Help
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
@suksr
BBoM
Online School
How well are
we equipped
to evolve and
to respond to
changes quickly?
Analyzing
dependencies
within a system
Big ball of mud
leads to tight
change
coupling
How are
parts
within an
architecture
coupled?
SMTP
Server

27. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Students
Course Class Students
Content
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search Engine
Compute
VM
Assessing Responsiveness to Change
Asking
for Help
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
@suksr
BBoM
Online School
How well are
we equipped
to evolve and
to respond to
changes quickly?
Analyzing
dependencies
within a system
Big ball of mud
leads to tight
change
coupling
Big ball of mud
leads to
high cognitive
load and no
clear ownership
Mind
team
cognitive
load
How are
parts
within an
architecture
coupled?
SMTP
Server

28. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Students
Course Class Students
Content
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search Engine
Compute
VM
Assessing Responsiveness to Change
Asking
for Help
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
@suksr
BBoM
Online School
How well are
we equipped
to evolve and
to respond to
changes quickly?
Analyzing
dependencies
within a system
Big ball of mud
leads to tight
change
coupling
UI-Teams
Backend-Teams
Handover
Infrastructure-Teams
Handover
Big ball of mud
leads to
high cognitive
load and no
clear ownership
Functional silo
teams need
to hand off
work to other
teams
Mind
team
cognitive
load
How are
parts
within an
architecture
coupled?
Where do teams
depend on
other teams’
activities and
expertise?
SMTP
Server

29. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Students
Course Class Students
Content
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search Engine
Compute
VM
Assessing Responsiveness to Change
Asking
for Help
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
@suksr
BBoM
Online School
How well are
we equipped
to evolve and
to respond to
changes quickly?
Analyzing
dependencies
within a system
Big ball of mud
leads to tight
change
coupling
UI-Teams
Backend-Teams
Handover
Infrastructure-Teams
Handover
Mind
dependencies &
communication
bandwidth
between
teams
Big ball of mud
leads to
high cognitive
load and no
clear ownership
Functional silo
teams need
to hand off
work to other
teams
Handover
requires high
communication
and coordination
efforts between
teams
Mind
team
cognitive
load
How are
parts
within an
architecture
coupled?
Where do teams
depend on
other teams’
activities and
expertise?
SMTP
Server

30. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Students
Course Class Students
Content
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search Engine
Compute
VM
Assessing Responsiveness to Change
Asking
for Help
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
@suksr
BBoM
Online School
How well are
we equipped
to evolve and
to respond to
changes quickly?
Analyzing
dependencies
within a system
Big ball of mud
leads to tight
change
coupling
UI-Teams
Backend-Teams
Handover
Infrastructure-Teams
Handover
Mind
dependencies &
communication
bandwidth
between
teams
Big ball of mud
leads to
high cognitive
load and no
clear ownership
Functional silo
teams need
to hand off
work to other
teams
Handover
requires high
communication
and coordination
efforts between
teams
Mind
constraints
limiting the
system’s
performance
Mind
team
cognitive
load
How are
parts
within an
architecture
coupled?
Where do teams
depend on
other teams’
activities and
expertise?
Teams that
cannot keep
up w/ demand
become
constraints
SMTP
Server

31. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Students
Course Class Students
Content
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search Engine
Compute
VM
Assessing Responsiveness to Change
Asking
for Help
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
@suksr
BBoM
Online School
How well are
we equipped
to evolve and
to respond to
changes quickly?
Analyzing
dependencies
within a system
Big ball of mud
leads to tight
change
coupling
UI-Teams
Backend-Teams
Handover
Infrastructure-Teams
Handover
Mind
dependencies &
communication
bandwidth
between
teams
Big ball of mud
leads to
high cognitive
load and no
clear ownership
Functional silo
teams need
to hand off
work to other
teams
Handover
requires high
communication
and coordination
efforts between
teams
Mind
constraints
limiting the
system’s
performance
Mind
team
cognitive
load
How are
parts
within an
architecture
coupled?
Where do teams
depend on
other teams’
activities and
expertise?
Teams that
cannot keep
up w/ demand
become
constraints
Mind
potential
efficiency
gaps
Using
less evolved
components
could indicate
inefficiencies
SMTP
Server

32. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Students
Course Class Students
Content
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search Engine
Compute
VM
Assessing Responsiveness to Change
Asking
for Help
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
@suksr
BBoM
Online School
How well are
we equipped
to evolve and
to respond to
changes quickly?
Analyzing
dependencies
within a system
Big ball of mud
leads to tight
change
coupling
UI-Teams
Backend-Teams
Handover
Infrastructure-Teams
Handover
Mind
dependencies &
communication
bandwidth
between
teams
Big ball of mud
leads to
high cognitive
load and no
clear ownership
Functional silo
teams need
to hand off
work to other
teams
Handover
requires high
communication
and coordination
efforts between
teams
Mind
constraints
limiting the
system’s
performance
Mind
team
cognitive
load
How are
parts
within an
architecture
coupled?
Where do teams
depend on
other teams’
activities and
expertise?
Teams that
cannot keep
up w/ demand
become
constraints
Slow Responsiveness to Change
Mind
potential
efficiency
gaps
Using
less evolved
components
could indicate
inefficiencies
SMTP
Server

33. Optmizing Flow of Change
Functional silo
teams
Cross-functional,
small, long-lived
autonomous
teams
Repeated,
frequent
handover
between
teams
High on-going
communciation
& coordination
efforts between
teams
No
handover
between
teams
Minimizing
team cognitive
load
Monolithic,
tightly coupled
big ball of mud
w/ messy
model & fuzzy
boundaries
Efficiency
Gaps
Modular,
well-
encapsulated,
loosely coupled
architecture
Closing
Efficiency
Gaps
Eliminating
Constraints
Minimizing
communciation
& coordination
efforts between
teams
High team
cognitive
load
Delivery
Bottlenecks
Managing dependencies
@suksr

34. Architecture for Flow
Building adaptive
socio-technical
optimized for a fast
flow of change
Wardley Mapping Domain-Driven Design Team Topologies
Architecture for Flow
@suksr

35. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Asking
Students for Help
Course Class Students
Content
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
BBoM
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search Engine
Compute
VM
Online School
SMTP
Server
Architecture For Flow
@suksr
Finding
suitable
streams of
change

36. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Asking
Students for Help
Course Class Students
Content
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Architecture For Flow
BBoM
Online School
@suksr
Finding
suitable
streams of
change
Discover
subdomain
types
Core
Domain
Build
Student
Problem Domain

37. Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Evolution
Cost advantage
Past Current Future
Differentiation advantage Competitive
advantage
The Core Domain And Evolution
@suksr

38. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Asking
Students for Help
Course Class Students
Content
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Architecture For Flow
BBoM
Online School
@suksr
Discover
subdomain
types
Core
Domain
Supporting
Subdomain
Build
Buy / Use
Student
Problem Domain
Finding
suitable
streams of
change

39. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Asking
Students for Help
Course Class Students
Content
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Architecture For Flow
BBoM
Online School
@suksr
Discover
subdomain
types
Core
Domain
Supporting
Subdomain
Generic
Subdomain
Build
Buy / Use
Outsource
Student
Problem Domain
Finding
suitable
streams of
change

40. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Asking
Students for Help
Course Class Students
Content
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Architecture For Flow
BBoM
Online School
@suksr
Discover
subdomain
types
Core
Domain
Supporting
Subdomain
Generic
Subdomain
Build
Buy / Use
Outsource
Student
Problem Domain
Finding
suitable
streams of
change
Strategic investment
Build/buy/outsource
decisions

41. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Asking
Students for Help
Course Class Students
Content
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Architecture For Flow
BBoM
Online School
@suksr
Core Domain
Supporting Subdomain
Generic Subdomain
Discover
subdomain
types
Finding
suitable
streams of
change
Decomposing
into bounded
contexts

42. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Asking
Students for Help
Course Class Students
Content
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Architecture For Flow
Content
Creation
Class
Mngmnt.
Learning
Support
Student
Evaluation
Identity &
Access
Notification H.
Course
Studies
@suksr
Decomposing
into bounded
contexts
Discover
subdomain
types
Finding
suitable
streams of
change
Group
related
behaviour
together
Serve as
well-defined
ownership
boundaries
Enforcing
high cohesion
& modularity
Domain
Experts
Development
Teams
Collaboration
Available Techniques:
- EventStorming
- Domain Storytelling
- Example Mapping
- Userstory Mapping
- etc.

43. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Asking
Students for Help
Course Class Students
Content
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Architecture For Flow
Content
Creation
Class
Mngmnt.
Learning
Support
Student
Evaluation
Identity &
Access
Notification H.
Course
Studies
@suksr
Decomposing
into bounded
contexts
Discover
subdomain
types
Find suitable
team
boundaries
Bounded
contexts as
team
boundaries for
stream-
aligned teams
Finding
suitable
streams of
change

44. Stream-aligned
team
Fast flow
of change
@suksr
Four Team Types of Team Topologies

45. Stream-aligned
team
Platform
team
Fast flow
of change
@suksr
Four Team Types of Team Topologies

46. Stream-aligned
team
Platform
team
Enabling
team
Fast flow
of change
@suksr
Four Team Types of Team Topologies

47. Stream-aligned
team
Platform
team
Enabling
team
Complicated
subsystem team
Fast flow
of change
@suksr
Four Team Types of Team Topologies

48. Stream-aligned
team
Platform
team
Enabling
team
Complicated
subsystem team
Increasing autonomy
Reducing cognitive load
Fast flow
of change
@suksr
Four Team Types of Team Topologies

49. Collaboration X-as-a-Service Facilitating
API
Rapid discovery Predictable
delivery
Active help
@suksr
Three Interaction Modes

50. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Asking
Students for Help
Course Class Students
Content
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Architecture For Flow
Content
Creation
Class
Mngmnt.
Learning
Support
Student
Evaluation
Identity &
Access
Notification H.
Course
Studies
@suksr
Decomposing
into bounded
contexts
Discover
subdomain
types
Find suitable
team
boundaries
Bounded
contexts as
team
boundaries for
stream-
aligned teams
Finding
suitable
streams of
change
Optimize
for team
cognitive
load
Limit
number, type,
size of
components
per team

51. Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Evolution
Rate of Change
Path to action
High Low
Clear
Unclear
Uncertainty
High Low
Novel
Practices
Emerging
Practices
Good
Practices
Best
Practices
High Low
Cognitive Load
Number and/or Size of Components a Single Team can handle (heuristic)
Architecture For Flow
@suksr
Optimize
for team
cognitive
load
Limit
number, type,
size of
components
per team

52. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Asking
Students for Help
Course Class Students
Content
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Architecture For Flow
Content
Creation
Class
Mngmnt.
Learning
Support
Student
Evaluation
Identity &
Access
Notification H.
Course
Studies
@suksr
Decomposing
into bounded
contexts
Discover
subdomain
types
Find suitable
team
boundaries
Bounded
contexts as
team
boundaries for
stream-
aligned teams
Finding
suitable
streams of
change
Optimize
for team
cognitive
load
Limit
number, type,
size of
components
per team
Create
clear
ownership
boundaries

53. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Evolution
Core Domain
Supporting Subdomain
Generic Subdomain
Build in-house
Use/buy off-the-shelf product
Outsource to utility suppliers
User
User need User need User need User need User need
Context Map Relationship
@suksr
Clear
ownership
boundaries
Bounded
contexts
assigned to
a single team
Bounded
contexts
not shared
across teams
One team
can own
several
bounded
contexts

54. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Asking
Students for Help
Course Class Students
Content
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Architecture For Flow
Content
Creation
Class
Mngmnt.
Learning
Support
Student
Evaluation
Identity &
Access
Notification H.
Course
Studies
@suksr
Decomposing
into bounded
contexts
Discover
subdomain
types
Find suitable
team
boundaries
Bounded
contexts as
team
boundaries for
stream-
aligned teams
Finding
suitable
streams of
change
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search Engine
Compute
VM
SMTP
Server
Identify
services
needed to
support reliable
flow of change
Services form
platform-as-
a-service for
stream-
aligned teams
Genesis
Optimize
for team
cognitive
load
Limit
number, type,
size of
components
per team
Create
clear
ownership
boundaries

55. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Asking
Students for Help
Course Class Students
Content
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Architecture For Flow
Content
Creation
Class
Mngmnt.
Learning
Support
Student
Evaluation
Identity &
Access
Course
Studies
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search E.
Compute
SMTP
Server
Stream-aligned
team 1
Stream-aligned
team 2
Stream-aligned
team 3
Notification H.
Stream-aligned
team 4
Platform team(s)
VM
@suksr
A possible
team
constellation

56. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Evolution
Explorer
Villagers
Townplanners
own own own own
Build in-house
Use/buy off-the-shelf product
Outsource to utility suppliers
Exploring &
Experimenting
Improving &
Stabilizing
Maturing &
Optimizing
A Mix of Mindsets per Team
@suksr

57. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Asking
Students for Help
Course Class Students
Content
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Architecture For Flow
Content
Creation
Class
Mngmnt.
Learning
Support
Student
Evaluation
Identity &
Access
Course
Studies
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search E.
Compute
SMTP
Server
Notification H.
VM
@suksr
Everything
evolves through
supply and
demand
competition
Identify & close
potential
efficiency
gaps
Efficiency
enables
innovation

58. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
BBoM
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search Engine
Compute
VM
Online School
SMTP
Server
UI Team
Backend Team
Infrastructure Team
Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
DBaaS
MBaaS
SEaaS
Serverless
Compute
SMTPaaS
IDPaaS
SA team 1 SA team 2
SA team 3
SA team 4 Platform team(s)

How to transition?
@suksr

59. Backend team Infrastructure team
Frontend team
Platform team
Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
BBoM
Data Storage
Message
Broker
Search Engine
Compute
VM
Online School
SMTP
Server
Replatforming
Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
BBoM
Online School
DBaaS
SEaaS
MBaaS
Elastic
Compute
SMTPaaS
Evolution of Team Topologies
@suksr

60. Backend team
Frontend team
Platform team Stream-aligned
team 1
Refactoring
Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
BBoM
Online School
DBaaS
SEaaS
MBaaS
Elastic
Compute
SMTPaaS
Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
BBoM
Online School
DBaaS
SEaaS
MBaaS
Elastic
Compute
SMTPaaS
Serverless
Compute
Evolution of Team Topologies
Discover and
assess cloud
options for the
future bounded
context
@suksr

61. Backend team
Frontend team
Platform team Stream-aligned
team 1
Refactoring
Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
BBoM
Online School
DBaaS
SEaaS
MBaaS
Elastic
Compute
SMTPaaS
Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
BBoM
Online School
DBaaS
SEaaS
MBaaS
Elastic
Compute
SMTPaaS
Serverless
Compute
Evolution of Team Topologies
API
Best practices,
standards,
tools, APIs
to easily
consume
cloud services
@suksr

62. Backend team
Frontend team
Platform team Stream-aligned
team 1
Refactoring
Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
BBoM
Online School
DBaaS
SEaaS
MBaaS
Elastic
Compute
SMTPaaS
Serverless
Compute
Stream-aligned
team 2
Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
BBoM
Online School
DBaaS
SEaaS
MBaaS
Elastic
Compute
SMTPaaS
Serverless
Compute
API
Evolution of Team Topologies
Facilation w/
sharing
knowledge &
internal
coaching
@suksr

63. Platform team Stream-aligned
team 1
Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
BBoM
Online School
DBaaS
SEaaS
MBaaS
Elastic
Compute
SMTPaaS
Serverless
Compute
Stream-aligned
team 2
API
Stream-aligned
team 3
Stream-aligned
team 4
Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
DBaaS
MBaaS
SEaaS
Serverless
Compute
SMTPaaS
IDPaaS
Evolution of Team Topologies
@suksr

64. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Planning
Create
Teacher
Helping Evaluating Signup/Signin
Student
Asking
Students for Help
Course Class Students
Content
Receiving
Evaluation
Feedback
Studying
Courses
Evolution
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
Content
Creation
Class
Mngmnt.
Learning
Support
Student
Evaluation
Identity &
Access
Course
Studies
DBaaS
MBaaS
SEaaS
Serverless
Compute
SMTPaaS
Stream-aligned
team 1
Stream-aligned
team 2
Stream-aligned
team 3
Notification H.
Stream-aligned
team 4
Platform team(s)
IDPaaS
Core Domain
Supporting Subdomain
Generic Subdomain
Build in-house
Use/buy off-the-shelf product
Outsource to utility suppliers
@suksr
Modular,
well-
encapsulated,
loosely coupled
architecture
Cross-functional,
small, long-lived
autonomous
teams
No
handover
between
teams
Closing
Efficiency
Gaps
Minimizing
team cognitive
load
Minimizing
communciation
& coordination
efforts between
teams
Eliminating
Constraints

65. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Build & test
service
Release &
deploy service
Monitor
service
Supporting/provision
infrastructure
VCS
Pipeline-as-
a-service
CI/CD-Pipeline
Build-server Test
automation
Artifact
repository/
container
registry
deployment
environment
Stream-aligned teams
Platform team 1
@suksr
API
X-as-a-Service Value Chain

66. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Build & test
service
Release &
deploy service
Monitor
service
Supporting/provision
infrastructure
VCS
Pipeline-as-
a-service
CI/CD-Pipeline
Build-server Test
automation
Artifact
repository/
container
registry
deployment
environment
Monitoring-
as-a-service
Observability Dashboards Alerts
Log
mngmnt.
Metrics
handling
Distributed
tracing
Stream-aligned teams
@suksr
Platform team 1
Platform team 2
API API
X-as-a-Service Value Chain

67. Build & test
service
Release &
deploy service
Monitor
service
Supporting/provision
infrastructure
VCS
Pipeline-as-
a-service
CI/CD-Pipeline
Build-server Test
automation
Artifact
repository/
container
registry
deployment
environment
Monitoring-
as-a-service
Observability Dashboards Alerts
Log
mngmnt.
Metrics
handling
Distributed
tracing
Stream-aligned teams
Platform-
as-a-service
Runtime
environment
Database Search
engine
Message
broker
Compute
VM
Storage Networking
@suksr
Platform team 1
Platform team 2
Platform team 3
API API
API
X-as-a-Service Value Chain
Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible

68. Build & test
service
Release &
deploy service
Monitor
service
Supporting/provision
infrastructure
VCS
Pipeline-as-
a-service
CI/CD-Pipeline
Build-
server
Test
automation
Artifact
repository/
container
registry
deployment
environment
Monitoring-
as-a-service
Observability Dashboards Alerts
Log
mngmnt.
Metrics
handling
Distributed
tracing
Stream-aligned teams
Platform-
as-a-service
Runtime
environment
Database Search
engine
Message
broker
Compute
VM
Storage Networking
@suksr
Platform team 2
Platform team 3
API
API
X-as-a-Service Value Chain
Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Design-system-
as-a-service
Style-
guides
Widget
Libraries
Design
Principles
Platform team 1
API
Platform team 4
API

69. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Build & test
application
Release & deploy
application
Monitor
application
Supporting/provision
infrastructure
Pipeline-as-
a-service
Monitoring-
as-a-service
Stream-aligned teams
Platform-
as-a-service
Platform teams
Software
design &
architecture
Application
security
UX &
Accessibility
Software
development
Testing & QA
Provide
X-as-a-service
Product
Management
Enabling teams
API
Temporary facilitation
Self-service X-as-a-Service
@suksr
API
Facilitation Value Chain
Design-System-
as-a-service

70. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Build & test
application
Release & deploy
application
Monitor
application
Supporting/provision
infrastructure
Pipeline-as-
a-service
Monitoring-
as-a-service
Stream-aligned teams
Platform-
as-a-service
Platform teams
Software
design &
architecture
Application
security
UX &
Accessibility
Software
development
Testing & QA
Provide
X-as-a-service
Standards APIs Templates Best
Practices
Documentation
Product
Management
Developer
Experience
Infrastructure
Security
Infrastructure
Maintenance
Backup &
Recovery
Infrastructure as Code
Infrastructure Provisioning
Monitoring &
Observability
API
Temporary facilitation
Self-service X-as-a-Service
@suksr
Enabling teams
API
Facilitation Value Chain
Design-System-
as-a-service

71. Past success breeds
inertia to change
Past success
+ Inertia
But we are successful, why should we change?
@suksr

72. Past success
+ Inertia
But we are successful, why should we change?
Inertia to change can kill an organisation
Past success breeds
inertia to change
@suksr

73. Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
DBaaS
MBaaS
SEaaS
Serverless
Compute
SMTPaaS
IDPaaS
SA team 1 SA team 2
SA team 3
SA team 4 Platform team(s)
Enabling teams
Value
Chain
Invisible
Visible
Genesis Custom-Built Product (+rental) Commodity (+utility)
DBaaS
MBaaS
SEaaS
Serverless
Compute
SMTPaaS
IDPaaS
SA team 1 SA team 2
SA team 3
SA team 4 Platform team(s)
Enabling teams
Responsive to Change Leading future Change
Differentiation
Fast Follower
of
uncharted
domains
First Mover
to industrialize
a component
Co-operation
& alliances
Sensing
Engines
(ILC)
@suksr

74. Start small
You could start with ...
… a Wardley Map
to understand your
competitive landscape,
and use the map as a
foundation for future discussions
… or your current teams
and analyse their current
cognitive load and
bottlenecks
… or identifying suitables seams
for modularisation
with subdomains & bounded contexts
@suksr

75. Start small
And their paths eventually cross ...
Architecture for Flow
@suksr

76. Key Takeaways
• Understanding the landscape an organization is
operating & competing in including the external
forces acting on the landscape
• Anticipate changes and identifying potential points
to invest
• Gaining domain knowledge & discovering the core
• Knowing what components to build, buy/use, or
outsource
Wardley Mapping Domain-Driven Design Team Topologies
@suksr

77. Key Takeaways
• Modular, well-encapsulated architecture & well-
defined ownership boundaries w/ bounded
contexts
• Aligning teams and evolving their interactions to
the system we build & the strategy we plan
• Eliminating delivery bottlenecks & increasing
software delivery performance
• Optimizing for a a fast flow of change to be able to
adapt, evolve and thrive in the face of constant
change
Wardley Mapping Domain-Driven Design Team Topologies
@suksr
• Understanding the landscape an organization is
operating & competing in including the external
forces acting on the landscape
• Anticipate changes and identifying potential points
to invest
• Gaining domain knowledge & discovering the core
• Knowing what components to build, buy/use, or
outsource

78. https://medium.com/wardleymaps
https://learnwardleymapping.com/
https://github.com/wardley-maps-
community/awesome-wardley-maps
https://githup.com/ddd-crew
https://www.dddheuristics.com
Some References
@suksr

79. If you are interested in more details ...
@suksr

80. Susanne Kaiser
Independent Tech Consultant
@suksr