Organizing Agile Teams And ARTs: Team Topologies At Scale

This article introduces new models of Agile team organization and software development and ART for large systems. The use of four basic topologies can simplify the complex problem. Of course, all this involves the need to constantly consider whether the current organizational models are appropriate for you. Therefore, companies must constantly I&A (Inspect & Adapt) and, if necessary, restructure to monitor the value that drives the changing market.

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Four Fundamentals Of Team Topologies To Organize Agile Team

 



Figure 1: Four Fundamentals Of Team Topologies

(Source: Scaled Agile Inc.)

 

1) Stream-aligned Team

 

This term emphasizes the importance of organizing teams to ensure a constant "flow of value" in the development value stream (DVS) that develops, markets, and maintains a solution/product.

SAFe teams work with ART to meet higher DVS. Rarely, one stream-aligned team can create a complete solution. Additionally, they handle a DVS portion that satisfies one of the following:

1.      A specific solution/subset of solutions

2.      Feature set

3.      The specific personality of the client

4.      Concrete steps on the customer journey

5.      A specialized business domain

6.      Compliance & regulatory requirements

7.      Innovation of new products

2) Complicated-Subsystem Team

 

While simplified teams are a reasonable target, it is unlikely to be the only type of team required. As solutions grow and become more complex (mix of hardware & software components), they can also include subsystems. The development and operation of some of these subsystems require knowledge and experience.

Complicated subsystems can create things like:

1.      Highly specialized system components that are often used in many systems

2.      Safety-critical system components with high downtime costs

3.      Special algorithms/business rules required for domain authorization

4.      Part of a cyber-physical system

 

3) Enabling Team

 

Solution development tools and methods are constantly evolving, giving organizations the opportunity to introduce new technologies and practices on a regular basis. While this has many benefits, it is also challenging to develop the necessary skills and knowledge within the teams. The enabling team is considered as an important construct and thereby can support and lead other teams by helping them learn new skills and technologies.

The demand for SAFe Certification training courses has increased because of the increasing popularity of the SAFe framework.

 

4) Platform Team

A technology/computing platform is a set of services that can be accessed by stream-aligned teams, typically through an APIs set. Like complex subsystem commands, platform commands are designed to reduce the cognitive load of a stream-aligned team. In addition, they must be distributed in such a way as to increase the autonomy of those teams.

The platform team's responsibilities and conduct include:

1.      Work with stream-aligned teams - Make sure platforms are built to meet customer needs.

2.      Build the platform step by step - Build and implement step by step ensuring frequent customer feedback and acceptance.

3.      Focus on Ease of Use - Provide easy-to-use platforms with self-service capabilities and support documents.

4.      Make a commitment to support & maintenance - Ensure platform durability and availability and enter into appropriate service contracts.

5.      Lead an example - Keep platforms thin and build on other platforms if necessary.

Scaling agile involves the use of a framework to support scaling at all organizational levels, from teams to an entire organization. A scaled framework typically consists of repeatable processes and tools that allow an organization to scale, such as team topologies.

Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is a popular way for managing innovation and large-scale change. SAFe Certification is the way to go if you want to keep up with the trends in agile project development. Know more here!

 

 

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