About the Book
Master Adaptive Socio-Technical Systems That Thrive Amid Change: Align Strategy, Architecture, and Teams for Continuous Flow of Value
In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, the ability to adapt to change is not just advantageous, it's essential for survival. Architecture for Flow: Adaptive Systems with Domain-Driven Design, Wardley Mapping, and Team Topologies, presents a holistic approach that integrates business strategy, software design and architecture, and team organization to create adaptive, socio-technical systems optimized for continuous change and feedback. By combining Wardley Mapping, Domain-Driven Design, and Team Topologies, this book offers a comprehensive toolset for organizations to anticipate change, unlock blockers to flow, and maintain competitive advantage in an increasingly uncertain world.
Author Susanne Kaiser addresses the fundamental challenge facing modern organizations: how to design and build adaptive systems that thrive amid constant change. Drawing from historical examples of companies that failed to adapt, she emphasizes that optimization requires treating organizations as socio-technical systems where social and technical aspects are aligned and designed together. Her "Architecture for Flow Canvas" provides practical tools and methodologies for designing systems that can evolve continuously while delivering sustainable value.
Understand competitive landscapes and anticipate change through strategic visualization
Analyze problem domains and design modular solution spaces aligned with business and user needs
Implement domain models that keep core business logic decoupled from external changes
Optimize team structures and interactions to reduce bottlenecks and enhance flow
Practical guidance for transforming monolithic systems into adaptive architectures
Foster organizational culture that sustains flow and embraces future change
This book offers a timely and essential perspective that goes beyond local optimization to address systemic improvement. For technical leaders, architects, and managers facing the challenges of continuous adaptation, this book offers a path forward that balances effectiveness with efficiency, ensuring that organizations deliver sustainable value in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world.
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Table of Contents:
Series Editor Foreword xv
Foreword xix
Preface xxi
Acknowledgments xxix
About the Author xxxi
Part I: The Concepts & Fundamentals 1
Chapter 1: Business Strategy with Wardley Mapping 3
The Strategy Cycle 4
The Purpose: The "Why" of Business 6
Visual Representation of the Landscape: The Wardley Map 7
Assessing Efficiency Gaps 19
Understanding Climatic Patterns 20
Applying Doctrinal Principles 29
Deciding on Strategic Actions (Leadership and Gameplay) 35
Summary 37
Chapter 2: Exploring the Problem Space with Strategic Domain-Driven Design and Wardley Mapping 39
Obtaining Domain Knowledge Through Collaboration 39
Domain-Driven Design Patterns and Practices 40
Discovering Subdomains and Mapping Their Evolution Stages 42
Build-or-Buy Decisions with Subdomain Types and Evolution Stages 48
Summary 50
Chapter 3: Designing the Solution Space with Strategic Domain-Driven Design 53
What Are Domain Models and Bounded Contexts? 53
Designing Domain Models and Bounded Contexts 56
Overview of Modeling Techniques 59
Bounded Contexts and Architecture Styles 66
Bounded Contexts and Evolution Stages 69
Strategic Design and Doctrine of Wardley Mapping 71
High Cohesion and Loose Coupling 72
Overview of Context Maps 74
Making Implicit Dependencies Explicit with Context Maps 80
Assessing Change Coupling When Integrating with the Core 81
Context Maps for the Conference Event Planner Example 84
Technical Communication Styles and Context Maps 85
Summary 86
Chapter 4: Implementing the Domain Model with Tactical Domain-Driven Design 89
The Building Blocks of Domain-Driven Models 89
The Ports and Adapters Architecture and Tactical Design 90
Summary 98
Chapter 5: Optimizing for Flow of Change with Team Topologies 101
System Impacts Identified by Conway's Law 101
Challenges with Functional Silo Teams 101
Requirements for Flow Optimization from a Team Perspective 103
Impact on Software Delivery Performance 104
Team Cognitive Load and Mental Workload 105
The Fundamental Team Topologies 106
Team Interaction Modes 108
Common Interactions Between Team Types 109
Team Topologies Applying Doctrinal Principles of Wardley Mapping 110
Summary 111
Part II: Architecture for Flow 113
Chapter 6 Connecting the Dots 115
Identifying Suitable Streams of Change 115
Assessing Flow of Changes 116
Analyzing Dependencies 118
Managing Constraints 120
Finding Suitable Team Ownership Boundaries 122
Targeting Small Teams 123
Optimizing for Team Cognitive Load 124
Considering a Mix of Mindsets for Adaptive Teams 129
Identify Services Supporting Flow of Change 133
A Possible Team Constellation 134
Identifying Capability Gaps 136
Summary 136
Chapter 7: Visualizing Team Perspectives with Wardley Maps 139
A Wardley Map from a Platform Team Perspective 139
The Value Chain from an Enabling Team Perspective 148
Summary 150
Chapter 8: The Architecture for Flow Canvas 151
Assessing the As-Is Situation 152
Designing the Envisioned To-Be Situation 156
Summary 162
Part III: Evolving a Legacy System for Flow 163
Chapter 9: Designing a Legacy System for Flow 165
Assessing the Status Quo of a Legacy System Example 165
Addressing the Why of Business: The Purpose 166
Examining the Teams of Today 167
Assessing the Current Flow of Change 168
Visualizing the Current Landscape with a Wardley Map 171
Identifying Suitable Streams of Change 174
Categorizing the Problem Domain and Discovering the Core 174
Modularizing the Solution Space: Designing Bounded Contexts 177
Designing Context Maps 182
Visualizing the Future Landscape 186
Finding Suitable Team Ownership Boundaries 189
Optimizing Team Cognitive Load 189
Identifying Services Supporting Flow of Change 190
The Future Team Constellation 192
Identifying Capability Gaps 196
Summary 197
Chapter 10: Implementing Flow Optimization 199
Sharing the Why of Movement 199
Aligning Teams and Evolving Interactions to the System to Build 200
Transitioning with Dynamic Reteaming 203
Forming a Platform Team for Discovery 205
Closing Efficiency Gaps with Cloud Migration Strategies 207
Starting the Cloud Migration Journey with Replatforming 208
Merging the Remaining Infrastructure Team Members into the Platform Team 211
Forming the First Stream-Aligned Teams: Kicking Off the Refactoring Journey 213
Decomposing the Big Ball of Mud Through Incremental Refactoring 214
Evolution of Team Topologies’ Interaction Modes 219
UI Handling 221
Refactoring the Next Bounded Contexts 223
Splitting the Merged Platform Team into Multiple Teams 224
Implementing a Bounded Context with Tactical Design and Serverless Technologies 225
Summary 238
Chapter 11: Fostering Continuous Improvement and Driving Future Change 241
What Is Being Left Behind, and What Is Being Adopted? 241
Providing Opportunity to Switch Teams 243
Organizational Culture and Safety Thinking 243
The Learning Organization 245
Where to Move Next? 248
Summary 251
Chapter 12: Conclusion 253
References 257
Index 265
About the Author :
Susanne Kaiser has more than 20 years of experience in software engineering and software architecture. Her journey began in 2002 and includes working as a startup CTO, where she gained valuable insights into technical, organizational, and strategic challenges. She is an independent tech consultant, supporting organizations in designing, building, and evolving adaptive, socio-technical systems optimized for a fast flow of change. With a deep passion for tackling complex systems, Susanne specializes in connecting the dots between Wardley Mapping, Domain-Driven Design, and Team Topologies. She regularly presents at international tech conferences on this topic.
Review :
"Architecture for Flow connects strategic thinking with software design. The integration of Wardley Mapping and Domain-Driven Design is particularly valuable, showing how business strategy can directly inform architectural decisions. Essential reading for those ready to think beyond code."
--Kent Beck, Rent-a-Kent.ai and creator of Extreme Programming
"One of the most important lessons from the eras of Cloud and Generative AI is that effective, adaptive organizations are designed. The book Architecture for Flow superbly articulates these key design principles that enable organizations to scale whilst remaining nimble and responsive to technology changes: highly recommended."
--Matthew Skelton, CEO/CTO, Conflux, and coauthor of Team Topologies
"Susanne brilliantly synthesizes Domain-Driven Design, Team Topologies, and Wardley Maps into a unified approach that truly works in practice. Her exceptionally clear writing and approachable practical examples navigate strategy, architecture, and team organization in a way that technical leaders and practitioners can immediately apply to their context."
--Aslam Khan, CEO, High Speed Training Limited
"Susanne brilliantly combines Wardley Mapping, Domain-Driven Design, and Team Topologies to show how meaningful software can be delivered quickly. It empowers software architects to help design the solutions correctly. It empowers engineering leaders to help shape the team correctly to deliver value for the business. This book is a must-read for anyone serious about modern software architecture."
--Indu Alagarsamy, principal engineer, domainanalysis.io
"Susanne Kaiser's book offers a powerful, practical framework that combines Domain-Driven Design, Wardley Mapping, and Team Topologies to build adaptive, resilient systems. A must-read for architects, tech leads, and anyone looking to navigate complexity and design systems that thrive in an ever-changing world."
--Dr. Carola Lilienthal, managing director, WPS
"Susanne Kaiser writes with the precision of an architect and the care of a guide. This book is a powerful call to stop treating business, tech, and teams as separate problems. A must-read for anyone trying to evolve legacy software, a growing org, or their own thinking about complex systems."
--Xin Yao, independent DDD consultant and sociotechnical architect
"Susanne's book finally provides a blueprint for combining three approaches (DDD, Team Topologies, and Wardley Mapping) that forward-thinking organizations have been leveraging for real Business-IT alignment (and in the process achieving highly motivated workforces as well). She has made them accessible and connected for everyone. The secret to fast flow of value to customers, with adaptive organizations supporting the business strategy in ever evolving landscapes is now at everyone's fingertips!"
--Manuel Pais, coauthor of Team Topologies
