One of the key success factors for fast flow in modern software services is alignment: alignment between mission objectives and domain terminology, alignment between domain terminology and engineering teams, alignment between engineering teams and software architecture, and so on.  NAV (Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration) is the largest public agency in Norway. Our mission is to assist people into work, and we provide a series of benefits related to pensions, disease, unemployment, and others.  Five years ago, IT in NAV was all about projects run by consultants. Today, we have 300 internal developers in over 100 cross functional, autonomous teams that deliver and evolve 250 software-based products for our users.  In this talk, we describe how we have succeeded to align our teams by using a mix of descriptive and normative techniques: Internal tech radar increases communication between teams, complemented by a weekly technical deep dive on a specific subject.  As principal engineers we have articulated a set of both strategic and operational changes we propose to each team. Finally, selected best practices are implemented in our platforms.  We also discuss the wider applicability of these techniques - could they be useful for creating alignment outside technology?

1. Audun F. Strand Truls Jørgensen
FAST FLOW
in Norway's largest bureaucracy
optimising for

2. tl;dR:
Norwegian Labour and
Welfare Administration
of state budget
1/3
assist people into work
child benefits
sickness benefits
unemployment benefits
pensions and more
2006
2016
EST.
103 000
dev hours
In a single
Release

3. 100
600
1300
Avg (#deploys to production/week) pr year
tl;dR:
Norwegian Labour and
Welfare Administration
of state budget
1/3
assist people into work
child benefits
sickness benefits
unemployment benefits
pensions and more
2020
2018
2006
2016
2022

4. 100
600
1300
Avg (#deploys to production/week) pr year
tl;dR:
Norwegian Labour and
Welfare Administration
of state budget
1/3
unemployment benefits
pensions
child benefits..
2022
2019
2009
2006
2016
0
In house developers
2022
2009 2016
150
300
450
2018 2020

5. 100
600
1300
Avg (#deploys to production/week) pr year
tl;dR:
Norwegian Labour and
Welfare Administration
of state budget
1/3
unemployment benefits
pensions
child benefits..
2022
2019
2009
2006
2016
0
In house developers
2022
2009 2016
2014
150
300
450
2018 2020
0
Product teams
2022
2009
2016
30
60
90
2018 2020

6. FAST FLOW
what we left behind

7. what we adopt and prefer
FAST FLOW

8. what we adopt and prefer

11. sickness benefit

12. sickness benefit
cross functional team

13. sustainable system,
adaptive to change
efficient case handling
better compliance
more user friendly service
sickness benefit
£

14. machine
theory OK COMPUTER
human
practice
sickness benefit

15. machine
theory OK COMPUTER
human
practice
sickness benefit

16. sickness benefit
sustainable system,
adaptive to change
efficient case handling
better compliance
more user friendly service
£

17. software development is a
LEARNING PROCESS
working code is a side effect
-Alberto Brandolini

19. support

20. vs

21. everybody wants to go to heaven
nobody wants to die

22. what could these do
to set the teams up for
success?

23. what could these do
to set the teams up for
success?

24. ALIGNMENT
in the age of autonomy

25. in the age of autonomy

26. principles on the company wiki
ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH!
ALIGNMENT
in the age of autonomy

27. with RESPECT for the team autonomy
make the team WANT to do it
and provide HELPFUL GUIDANCE
adapted to their CONTEXT and ABILITIES
without exceeding their COGNITIVE CAPACITY
ALIGNMENT
in the age of autonomy
for (team in teams) {
}

28. technology RADAR

29. weekly technical DEMO
X

30. weekly technical DEMO
X

31. technical DIRECTION

40. BE
OPEN
AND USE
OPEN
SOURCE
^

44. short
FEEDBACK
loop

45. short
FEEDBACK
loop

46. nais.io
GOLDEN PATH platform

47. CAKE driven development

48. CAKE driven development

49. CAKE driven development

50. CAKE driven development

51. CAKE driven development

52. SPEED AND FAST FLOW
in Norway’s largest bureaucracy
what we adopt and prefer when optimising for

53. with RESPECT for the team autonomy
make the team WANT to do it
and provide HELPFUL GUIDANCE
adapted to their CONTEXT and ABILITIES
without exceeding their COGNITIVE CAPACITY

54. with RESPECT for the team autonomy
make the team WANT to do it
and provide HELPFUL GUIDANCE
adapted to their CONTEXT and ABILITIES
without exceeding their COGNITIVE CAPACITY
alignment
fast flow

55. FAST FLOW
in Norway's largest bureaucracy
optimising for

56. THANK YOU!
@audunstrand @trulsjor
nais.io