This diagram has gottem me thinking about management structure. We all (at least /we/ all) agree that cross functional teams is best for development. However, that cross-functional, colaborative structure disappears up the organization, where VPs, etc., are not a team at all. 1/
So we have a situation where there's a collaborative executive team, collaborative execution teams, and everybody in the middle are separate individuals, often working at odds. I don't really see how that can work. In fact it doesn't work very well. 2/
We have a tension betwen any hierarchical structure, which is about giving orders and single people in control, and collaborative cross-functional teams. The only soln that makes sense to me is to go to collaborative cross-functional teams everywhere, even at mgmt levels. 3/
That leads naturally to more of a network model. That's not to say that there isn't direction. Pure networks (e.g. Holacracy) haven't worked very well. It does mean that we need collaboration, though, rather than force. 4/4
Just to amplify, What I'm proposing is a team that wouild effectively be a VPE, VP of Product, etc. that worked collaboratively with each other and that whole team would work with collaborative dev teams.

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More from @allenholub

Mar 27, 2023
I don't believe that "bugs just happen." They are written by people. Sure, people make mistakes, so if you really want to reduce bug counts, work in a way that catches those mistakes early, 1/6
and also create a deployment system that recovers quickly and gracefully if any slip through. E.g., with mob/ensemble programming, you have multiple pairs of eyes reviewing the code as it's written (a 1-on-1 code review performed after the code is done doesn't do that). 2/6
A no-known-bugs-on-release policy helps people focus on quality. TDD introduces tests so early that bugs tend not to be in the code to begin with, and running those tests every few minutes or so makes them easy to fix when a test fails. 3/6
Read 6 tweets
Feb 20, 2023
Some thoughts on retros (and a much longer thread than is my wont—sorry). A poll over on LinkedIn asked, "How long does it take you to prepare and create a retro?" There's an entire thread talking about the destructive implications of that question, so let's do that! 1/15
IMO, a retro is a conversation focused on improvement, maybe triggered by something not working or going wrong in the recent past. You don't plan how to converse; you converse. The conversation happens continuously as you work. It is not a meeting. 2/15
The process of continuous improvement is just that—continuous. It is not an event. 3/15
Read 15 tweets
Feb 2, 2023
There are two approaches to making projections for business purposes. The one to avoid is estimation based on specification analysis. Unfortunately, that's what most ppl use, and it pretty much always fails because an up-front specification is invariably wong. 1/5
You need to deliver something and get feedback to validate the spec. Constant reestimation as you learn is both wasteful, and equally futile. More to the point they're useless for business projections given that they constantly change. 2/5
So, instead of making projections based on specification analysis, make projections based on flow metrics like throughput (stories completed per unit time) or lead time (time from initial idea to delivery). 3/5
Read 5 tweets
Jan 11, 2023
People talk about mob/ensemble programming being intense and exhausting, but when I hear that, I think there may be something wrong with your process. Personally, I find mobbing relaxing. So, here are a few must-dos 👇 1/6
(1) You can't mob without psychological safety—if you feel like you can't speak up, even if nobody else has your opinion, you don't have any. Speaking up should be a stress-free activity. Mobbing should be like a relaxed dinner with friends, not a cage fight. 2/6
(2) People flow in and out of the mob constantly. If you're feeling overwhelmed, take a walk. Ofc, to do this, you can't be the only person in the mob with an essential skill, so teach others your skills! 3/6
Read 6 tweets
Jan 10, 2023
I occasionally hear people diss mob/ensemble work on the grounds that they're "introverted." I'm a hard-core introvert. I love mobbing, as do many ppl I talk to. So maybe, the problem is in understanding what an introvert is. 1/5
I like Susan Cain's take on introversion (her book "Quiet" is worth reading). It's all about the need (or not) for stimulus. I hate large, noisy parties & restaurants. I'd rather relax over dinner with a few friends. 2/5
I don't need much stimulus, so I can focus well for long periods of time. I have no desire to bungee jump 😄. I speak in front of large groups of people all the time (I am not shy), but I recover in a quiet place, ideally with a few friends, but on my own if necessary. 3/5
Read 5 tweets
Jan 9, 2023
A periodic reminder that the vast majority of metrics are our destruction, not our salvation. Let's start with Deming:

“You can only measure three percent of what matters” (Deming, quoted by Peter Senge) 1/8
"It is wrong to suppose that if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it – a costly myth.” (Deming [The New Economics])` 2/8
"Tell me how you measure me, and I will tell you how I will behave." -Goldratt 3/8
Read 8 tweets

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