56d1: Organizations should reduce cognitive load on stream-aligned teams

Stream-aligned teams are the most common but most mistaken teams. They are the bones of any organization, yet I have seen they often have many problems because other team topologies don’t exist, and organizations work only with these teams. This strategy becomes the major bottleneck for faster delivery. It results in teams not having that much autonomy, a lot of dependencies on each other, and accumulated tech debt with little-to-none experimentation.

When other teams exist (e.g., platform), stream-aligned teams thrive and become more successful. The organization’s goal should be to reduce the cognitive load of these teams. Then, these teams can deliver end-to-end customer and business value.

• Related Note(s):
  • 24: Strong teams are motivated by goals;
  • 33: Elevating Others Around You;
• Source(s): Team Topologies by Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais;

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