Developing large software solutions requires multiple teams to work together, often on different platforms. The challenge in scaling from one team to multiple teams is alignment.
Finding the right level of alignment and the means to achieve it is a challenging task. Strong alignment promotes consistency and predictability, but comes at a high cost. In contrast, weak alignment entails little overhead and encourages innovation, but it prevents economies of scale.
This website presents a catalog of patterns from the perspective of alignment. These patterns are organized in an easy-to-understand framework with two axes: control/autonomy and governance/automation.
This framework is simple but powerful, as it brings a common perspective to patterns that may seem otherwise unrelated. Mastering these essential patterns is key to designing a great organization and unlocking productivity.
In the Q&A section, we reflect on the fundamental challenges related to alignment.
Scaled Development 