Platform Team Interaction Modes
This here article by Martin Fowler introduces a collection of collaboration patterns between platform teams and other teams. I found it very interesting because the patterns are presented in a framework that is organised along phases of interactions, and notes how the roles of the team that drives work and the team that stewards a codebase shift.
In brief, platform teams usually have internal customers - i.e., other teams -, which sets them apart from feature or product teams. In collaborations between platform and internal customer teams, one is usually driving the work, which is associated with having an interest in delivering it. The other (or, indeed, the same) team is the steward for the codebase that the work needs to be done in.
In the platform migration phase, the platform team drives changes to steward teams’ codebases to enable some new platform capability. During platform consumption, when product teams simply use platform capabilities, those teams are both drivers and stewards. Finally, during platform evolution, product teams drive changes they need in the platform stewards’ codebases.
Each of these phases necessitates different forms of collaboration. The article uses a clear pattern language to illustrate those. I’m not going to reproduce everything in detail here, but will strongly advise readers who are interested in shaping such collaborations to give it a look.
Tags: work