Organizational Design
Organizational architecture: team topologies, value stream mapping, and streamlined governance.
Organizational design is the structural engineering of work. In accordance with Conway's Law, software architectures mirror communication pathways. The coach guides the creation of cross-functional topologies (Stream-aligned, Enabling, Complicated-subsystem, Platform teams), dismantling dependency gridlocks.
- Leverages Team Topologies and Dynamic Reteaming frameworks to structure resilient squads.
- Conducts Value Stream Mapping (VSM) to uncover structural friction and handoff delays.
- Guides transitions from functional component silos to autonomous, end-to-end product value teams.
- Clarifies team interaction modes (X-as-a-Service, Collaboration, Facilitating) to minimize cognitive load.
- Adopting agile rituals inside artificial silos (e.g., separate Agile-Frontend, Agile-Backend, Agile-QA teams).
- Building Byzantine matrix reporting structures that paralyze fast decision-making.
- Ignoring Conway's Law by trying to build microservices while maintaining monolithic departmental hierarchies.
Evolution in this Subcompetency
Understands basic cross-functional definitions but cannot restructure real-world department setups.
Hands-on applies Team Topologies and VSM across units of 50–150 engineers.
Architects global organizational topologies for multinational enterprises comprising thousands of staff.
Diagnostic & 1:1 Interview Questions
Use these questions during maturity evaluations, team audits, or developmental 1:1 conversations.
Can squads deploy customer value to production independently without depending on 5 other teams?
What is the average wait time for cross-team dependencies or external component approvals?
Does the team topology reflect business domain boundaries (Domain-Driven Bounded Contexts)?