Managing polarities in software design and engineering.

When can we actually start coding? How do you know when you have done enough collaborative modelling? How can we make our architecture and design really iterative? Domain-driven design puts a huge focus on collaborative modelling to build a shared understanding of your domain and we use a lot of tools like EventStorming, Example Mapping, Whiteboard sessions and Responsibility mapping to get to that shared understanding. But when it comes to questions like “when do we start coding?’, and “How much collaborative modelling is needed?”, it is often difficult to find a good answer or the answer you receive is “it depends”.

The reason that it is so difficult to answer those questions is because we are looking at these questions in the wrong way. We look at them like a problem we need to solve, instead of what it actually is: a polarisation that needs to be managed. If we don’t learn how to recognize and manage polarities, we will make compromises or stay on one side of the polarity and experience the downside of both. To identify and manage polarities, we need to discuss and start using polarity mapping.

In this session, we will interactively introduce you to polarity thinking. We will explore how to identify polarities and how to manage them with Barry Johnson Polarity Mapping. We will explore too much vs too little upfront design, by filling in the polarity map together, we show you the power of visualisation to manage the polarity. We will go from either-or thinking to both-and thinking, and this way include the entire team in managing that polarity. You will leave the session knowing when to go from collaborative modelling to coding and fill in the polarity map with your team the next day!

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A lot of knowledge is lost when designing and building software — lost because of hand-overs in a telephone game, confusing communication by not having a shared language, discussing complexity without visualisation and by not leveraging the full potential and wisdom of the diversity of the people. That lost knowledge while creating software impacts the sustainability, quality and value of the software product. Kenny Baas-Schwegler is a socio-technical organisation designer and software architect. He blends IT approaches like Domain-Driven Design and Continuous Delivery and facilitates change through using visual collaboration practices, the Cynefin framework and Deep Democracy. Kenny empowers and collaboratively enables organisations, teams and groups of people in designing and building sustainable quality software products.

One of Kenny’s core principles is sharing knowledge. He does that by writing a blog on his website baasie.com and helping curate the Leanpub book visual collaboration tool. Besides writing, he also shares experience in the Domain-Driven Design community as an organiser of Virtual Domain-Driven Design (virtualddd.com) and Domain Driven Design Nederland. He enjoys being a public speaker by giving talks and hands-on workshops at conferences and meetups.

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Gien Verschatse, a software developer with 10 years of experience, mainly in a .NET environment, who likes to start her day with coffee. She specialises in bridging the gap between users and developers by practicing domain driven design. Besides that she loves to learn how teams can improve the way they make decisions both on a technical and organisational level.

She is a strong believer of continuously learning by deliberate practice and knowledge sharing, which is why she dedicates a lot of her free time speaking at conferences or user groups. She also helps to organise an F# conference in the US, Open FSharp.

When she is not busy with all of the above, you will find her on the sofa, reading a book (yes, with coffee).

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Evelyn van Kelle is a strategic software delivery consultant, with experience in coaching, advising and guiding organisations and teams in designing socio-technical systems. Her Master’s degree in social sciences brings new and valuable perspectives when it comes to optimizing both delivery- and team processes.

Being a firm believer of context shaping meaning, she is focused on understanding company- and team culture before anything else. Finding the actual problem to solve and adding business value are starting points in her work. Evelyn is convinced that we need a shared sense of reality including shared values, goals and language in order to perform best as a team. She is curious, driven and pragmatic. “Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection” describes her line of reasoning.

Besides her daily work, she has a predilection for books and linguistics, and highly appreciates good food.