Conway’s Law in real life

Conway’s Law in real life - why organizational development and software engineering have to go hand in hand.

Conway’s Law inevitably connects the architecture of an software system with the responsible delivery organization. Unfortunately, responsible persons for organizational development and architects of software systems often work in separation – especially in large enterprises. What are the negative effects of this separation and what can we do about it? In this talk Dr. Martin Strunk presents “real-world-examples” of the impact that arise from ignoring Conway`s law by decision makers. He also will propose ways, how companies might overcome and mitigate these problems.

- Teams as first-class citizens
- Design comes first, then comes the participation
- Don’t hope for emergence to solve structural problems

Transcript

1. Conway’s Law in Real Life Why Organizational Development and Software Engineering have to go Hand in Hand DB Systel GmbH | Dr. Martin Strunk | Enterprise DevOps Summit | 20/11/2023
2. About me 2 DB Systel GmbH | Dr. Martin Strunk | Enterprise DevOps Summit | 20/11/2023 • > 20 years experience in IT-industry • > 10 years experience in leadership roles • DevOps enthusiast • IT-Architect by accident • Open heart for nerds ❤ My current role: “Agility Master Einheit” (What the …?!)
3. About DB Systel 3 DB Systel GmbH | Dr. Martin Strunk | Enterprise DevOps Summit | 20/11/2023 https://www.dbsystel.de/dbsystel-en/about-us/profile-3714990 Shaping successful digitalisation at Deutsche Bahn DB Systel
4. DB Systel‘s Specific Organizational Design DB Systel GmbH | Dr. Martin Strunk | Enterprise DevOps Summit | 20/11/2023 4 > 600 Teams (7 +/- 2) 5 Enterprise-Einheiten 10 Cluster Geschäftsführung DB-Partner “Wir bilden ein lebendiges und anpassungsfähiges Netzwerk dezentral agierender selbstorganisierter Teams”
5. Conway‘s Law or “How to prevent to ship your orgchart.” 5 DB Systel GmbH | Dr. Martin Strunk | Enterprise DevOps Summit | 20/11/2023 https://bonkersworld.net/organizational-charts
6. Conway’s Law – One of the most Universal Principles in our Business! 6 DB Systel GmbH | Dr. Martin Strunk | Enterprise DevOps Summit | 20/11/2023 Taken from: https://martinfowler.com/bliki/ConwaysLaw.html “Any organization that designs a system will produce a design whose structure is a copy of the organization's communication structure.” Plausible Simplification: Communication Structure is highly defined by Organisational Structure
7. Real World Example: Sales Channels of DB (since the 90s!) DB Systel GmbH | Dr. Martin Strunk | Enterprise DevOps Summit | 20/11/2023 7
8. Change Is Tough! DB Systel GmbH | Dr. Martin Strunk | Enterprise DevOps Summit | 20/11/2023 8 https://www.bahn.de/info/willkommen
9. Org and Arc Are Inevitably Connected DB Systel GmbH | Dr. Martin Strunk | Enterprise DevOps Summit | 20/11/2023 9 Inverse Conway Maneuver “Evolve your team and organizational structure to promote your desired architecture.” Conway’s Law
10. Impediments for Change DB Systel GmbH | Dr. Martin Strunk | Enterprise DevOps Summit | 20/11/2023 10
11. Conway‘s Law 11 DB Systel GmbH | Dr. Martin Strunk | Enterprise DevOps Summit | 20/11/2023 “A paradox is not something you can solve, it’s something you have to manage!” Organisation Architecture Foto von Jasmin Egger auf Unsplash Foto von Ashish Bhandari auf Unsplash
12. Start with the Why … DB Systel GmbH | Dr. Martin Strunk | Enterprise DevOps Summit | 20/11/2023 12 … and align Org and Arc-Activities to Maximize Business Outcomes!
13. Continue with the How … DB Systel GmbH | Dr. Martin Strunk | Enterprise DevOps Summit | 20/11/2023 13 … and you will most likely talk about: velocity / flow / productivity / costs / risks / happiness …
14. It’s all about Alignment and Communication! DB Systel GmbH | Dr. Martin Strunk | Enterprise DevOps Summit | 20/11/2023 14 Business Architecture Org.- Development “Biz-Arc-Org-Cycle” • Build and develop standing product-oriented teams • Foster organizational change • Provide the system’s technical foundation • Focus on core elements which are difficult to change • Evolve and communicate a motivating and convincing business strategy and a sustainable business model
15. Communication Needs a Common Language DB Systel GmbH | Dr. Martin Strunk | Enterprise DevOps Summit | 20/11/2023 15 Helpful! https://teamtopologies.com
16. Visualization Fosters Communication DB Systel GmbH | Dr. Martin Strunk | Enterprise DevOps Summit | 20/11/2023 16 Team Types Interaction Types
17. Example from Pioneering Teams at DB Systel DB Systel GmbH | Dr. Martin Strunk | Enterprise DevOps Summit | 20/11/2023 17 Change driver: • Scaling • Cognitive load • Blocking dependencies Business Architecture Org.- Development
18. Conclusion DB Systel GmbH | Dr. Martin Strunk | Enterprise DevOps Summit | 20/11/2023 18 1. Awareness: Spread the Knowledge about “Conway‘s Paradox” among Business Leaders, Architects and Organizational Developers in your Enterprise 2. Alignment: Good Decision Making must include Perspectives of Business, Org and Arc. Visualization fosters Communication. Bring the people together! 3. Design: Both Architecture and Organizational Development need explicit Design Steps. Don’t fall into the “Emergence Trap”!
19. DB Systel GmbH | Dr. Martin Strunk | Enterprise DevOps Summit | 20/11/2023 19 The modular decomposition of a system and the decomposition of the development organization must be done together. This isn't just at the beginning, evolution of the architecture and reorganizing the human organization must go hand-in-hand throughout the life of an enterprise.” Martin Fowler
20. Thank you! 20 DB Systel GmbH | Dr. Martin Strunk | Enterprise DevOps Summit | 20/11/2023 Get more information and slides:
21. Contact Dr. Martin Strunk Agility Master DevOps Evangelist https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-martin-strunk-594387194/ martin.strunk@deutschebahn.com DB Systel GmbH Jürgen-Ponto-Platz 1 | 60329 Frankfurt am Main www.dbsystel.com