Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile storytelling from the trenches Scaling with Purpose, Managing Agile Team Growth While Avoiding Conway's Law Pitfalls | Mateusz Komander
Feb 12, 2025
Mateusz Komander, Scrum Master at Heineken with a rich background in Agile transformations, dives into the challenges of scaling teams. He shares insights on implementing a Flight Levels system to maintain focus, while warning of the pitfalls of team silos reflecting Conway's Law. Mateusz highlights the delicate balance between maintaining cross-functional collaboration and managing team identities. His anecdotes underscore the importance of adaptable team structures in fostering innovation and preventing inefficiencies as organizations grow.
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Scaling Challenges with Flight Levels
- A development team working on an employee app started small but grew rapidly, leading to the implementation of a Flight Levels system with small teams.
- While initially promising, this led to silos around architectural layers, highlighting the importance of team identities and platform team approaches.
Acknowledge Group Dynamics
- Acknowledge that group dynamics like strong identities around technical frameworks significantly impact work organization.
- Be aware of these dynamics to detect silos early and mitigate their negative effects.
Consider Platform Teams
- Consider platform teams supporting different product teams to address potential limitations of vertical splits when scaling.
- Adopt a wider view of organizational context and technology to determine the most suitable approach.