Product Therapy Coaching Team Topology
19 snips
Aug 7, 2025 
Christian talks with Marty Cagan, founder of Silicon Valley Product Group and author of "Inspired: How to Create Products Customers Love." They delve into the nuances of team topology, exploring how it differs from traditional org structures and its impact on autonomy and customer outcomes. Cagan highlights red flags for broken teams and the trade-offs between outcomes and velocity. The conversation also touches on the effects of cognitive load and trust on performance, addressing challenges in remote work and effective team restructuring for sustainable success.
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Team Topology vs Org Structure
- Team topology is not the same as org structure; it focuses on who is on each product team and their responsibilities.
- Org structure defines reporting lines, while team topology defines how the work is broken down among teams.
Symptoms of Topology Problems
- Watch for too many dependencies, poor team trust, or people feeling insignificant as signs of topology problems.
- Fixing these requires addressing autonomy, team chemistry, and providing meaningful ownership to teams.
Joint Ownership of Topology
- The head of product and head of engineering must collaborate to own team topology.
- This partnership balances architecture, product vision, and business needs to optimize team structures.
