Presented to the Philips Personal Care executive team and the leadership of the de Bijenkorf department store in Amsterdam in 2015.

1. Innovation
and
Organization
Kevin Goldsmith
Vice President, Engineering - Consumer

2. Agenda
‣ IntroductiontotheSpotifyMatrix
Model
‣ Cultureofcontinuousimprovement
‣ ChangeisConstant
‣ WhatDoesn’tWorkWell?

3. TheSpotify
MatrixModel

4. VP
client
director
client
manager
client
manager
client
manager
client
manager
server
director
core
manager
infra
director
server
manager
server
manager

5. “Organizations which design systems ...
are constrained to produce designs
which are copies of the communication
structures of these organizations”
Melvin Conway

6. Server
Core Library
Platform Platform Platform Platform
Infrastructure

7. Server
Core Library
Platform Platform Platform Platform
Infrastructure

8. Server
Core Library
Platform Platform Platform Platform
Infrastructure

9. Server
Core Library
Platform Platform Platform Platform
Infrastructure

10. Server
Core Library
Platform Platform Platform Platform
Infrastructure

11. Server
Core Library
Platform Platform Platform Platform
Infrastructure

12. Inverse Conway Maneuver
evolve your team and organizational
structure to promote your desired
architecture.

13. The Spotify Model
8
Full-Stack Autonomous Teams (Squads)

14. The Spotify Model
8
Full-Stack Autonomous Teams (Squads)
PO
UX
iOS
Android
K&M
QA
Backend
Agile Coach

15. The Spotify Model
9
Full-Stack Autonomous Teams
PO
UX
iOS
Android
K&M
QA
Backend
Agile Coach
Fully empowered to fulfill their mission

16. The Spotify Model
10
Full-Stack Autonomous Teams
PO
UX
iOS
Android
K&M
QA
Backend
Agile Coach
Dependencies on other teams are minimized

17. The Spotify Model
11
Full-Stack Autonomous Teams
PO
UX
iOS
Android
K&M
QA
Backend
Agile Coach
Collective Responsibility

18. The Spotify Model
12
Full-Stack Autonomous Teams
PO
UX
iOS
Android
K&M
QA
Backend
Agile Coach
Individual Accountability

19. The Spotify Model
13
Full-Stack Autonomous Teams
PO
UX
iOS
Android
K&M
QA
Backend
Agile Coach
Ideal Size: 6-12 people

20. The Spotify Model
14
Full-Stack Autonomous Teams
PO
UX
iOS
Android
K&M
QA
Backend
Agile Coach
Innovation throughput over innovation velocity

21. The Spotify Model
15
Full-Stack Autonomous Teams
PO
UX
iOS
Android
K&M
QA
Backend
Agile Coach
No Manager?

22. The Spotify Model
18
Chapter Lead

23. The Spotify Model
19
Chapter Lead

24. The Spotify Model
19
Chapter Lead

25. The Spotify Model
19
Chapter Lead

26. The Spotify Model
20

27. The Spotify Model
21

28. The Spotify Model
22
Product Owner
Agile Coach
Chapter Lead
Chapter Lead

29. The Spotify Model
22
Product Owner
Agile Coach
Chapter Lead
Chapter Lead
POCLAC

30. Achieving Alignment
23
Squads

31. Achieving Alignment
24
Squads

32. Achieving Alignment
24
Squads
Chapter Leads

33. Achieving Alignment
25
Squads
Chapters

34. Achieving Alignment
25
Tribe Lead
Squads
Chapters

35. Achieving Alignment
26
Tribe
Squads
Chapters
Ideal size: 40-150 people

36. Achieving Alignment
27
Tribe
Squads
Chapters

37. Achieving Alignment
27
Tribe
Squads
Chapters
Product Owner

38. Achieving Alignment
27
Tribe
Squads
Chapters
Product Owner
User Experience

39. Achieving Alignment
28

40. Achieving Alignment
29

41. Achieving Alignment
29
Product Area Leads

42. Achieving Alignment
30
Design Leads

43. Achieving Alignment
31
Trio Trio
Trio

44. Achieving Alignment
32
Guild

45. Achieving Alignment
33
Trio Trio
Trio

46. Achieving Alignment
34
Alliance

47. Achieving Alignment
35
Alliance

48. Continuous
Improvement

49. “We believe that you need a great
company to build a great product,
and we are trying to do both”
Spotify tech belief

55. Culture of continuous improvement
‣ Leadershipspendssignificantamountsof
timeimprovinghowwework.
‣ Experimentonourselves
Each Squad, Chapter,Tribe, Guild,Allianceworks
differently
Best ideas are shared and evolve
Track metrics onteams inthe samewaywetrack
metrics onthe product

56. Changeis
constant

57. It looks like
chaos

58. It looks like
chaos
but it works for us.

59. It looks like
chaos
but it works for us. Mostly.

60. “Heisenberg Squads”

61. Chaos balanced with stability
‣ Chaptersaremorepermanentthan
squads
‣ Long-lasting(orperpetual)missions
havelong-lasting,stable,teams

62. Leadership supports the chaos
‣ Giveteamscontextsotheycanmake
gooddecisions.
‣ Keepinformationflowing.
‣ Supporttheteams,makethe
connections.
‣ Useinformalconnectingnetworks
Agile Coaches
UX
Product
Guilds

63. It is better to solve the problems
created by fluidity rather than
imposing more structure.
Minimum Viable
Bureaucracy

64. It requires
trust.

65. Whatdoesn’t
workwell?

66. Big Projects
‣ Autonomousteamsmakescoordination
difficult
‣ Nofull-timeprojectmanagersin
technologyorganization
‣ Veryunevenexecutionrecord
‣ Gotintosomebadanti-patterns

67. Big Projects - Lessons Learned
‣ Gooverboardoncommunication
‣ Haveexperiencedprojectmanagers
drivetheproject
‣ Respecttheculture

68. Growing Senior Leaders
‣ Tribeleadshavepeoplemanagement,
strategyanddeliveryresponsibility
‣ ChapterLeadshavepeople
managementresponsibilityandoperate
inhighlyconsensus-driventeams

69. Resource Efficiency
‣ Autonomousteamsareresourcehungry
becausetheyneedtobeself-sufficient
‣ Teamscangetfocusedonimproving
thingswithintheirsphereofcontrol,
ignoringlargerissues

70. Questions?