When you experience blockers to flow or awkward interactions within your organization, it may signal that the team and service boundaries are not quite right and need to change. However,  discovering good boundaries for fast flow and knowing how to make the change can often be challenging. Independent Service Heuristics (ISH) is a simple, low-fidelity technique, often referred to as DDD-lite, that the authors of Team Topologies created to provide a new lens to identify and validate potential team and service boundaries. 

Workshop outcomes

This hands-on workshop helps participants learn how to use Independent Service Heuristics (ISH) to find and validate good team boundaries for fast flow. It is based on the principles of Team Topologies and covers the following areas:

• Understanding Independent Service Heuristics (ISH) and their importance

• How ISH helps in discovering effective team boundaries by considering natural fracture planes

• Applying ISH to assess, validate and refine existing team boundaries

• Enhancing flow with good boundaries and mitigating risks

• Improving communication and collaboration within and between teams

• Aligning team boundaries with organizational goals and value streams

Workshop format

The workshop is run across two separate 3-hour sessions:

• Session 1 - Introduction to Independent Service Heuristics and finding effective team boundaries

• Session 2 - Find and validate potential team boundaries for fast flow with ISH 

We recommend that these sessions are run on two half-days of the same week. This helps to keep the material and ideas "front of mind" for attendees while allowing some space for reflection (and normal work activities).

The workshops are facilitated by authorized Team Topologies Valued Practitioners (TTVPs).

A practical approach to organizational design

This workshop is designed to educate people on the practical application of ISH in assessing team boundaries for fast flow. Using hands-on exercises, this workshop enables participants to develop a deeper understanding of how ISH can help improve their organization's design and lead to higher-quality team interactions and faster flow.

What type of group is the workshop for?

This workshop is specifically designed for leaders, managers, and change agents within your organization who need a practical understanding of how to use Independent Service Heuristics to find and validate good team boundaries. The workshop is also suitable for anyone leading organizational change based on Team Topologies and ISH principles.

How should you prepare for the workshop?

We recommend that attendees:

• have a basic understanding of Team Topologies principles (if you want to do a more comprehensive preparation, you can check P818 and P822 workshops, which provide a kickstart and get started with Team Topologies)

• bring real-world examples of their team structures and boundaries for practical exercises

• bring enthusiasm and a willingness to contribute!