Aligning with the Ecosystem
Aligning with the ecosystem refers to the process of ensuring that Enabling Teams understand and integrate the broader ecosystem vision, strategy, and current objectives into their own objectives and activities.
Purpose
Cross-functional teams are great for quick development but there is a challenge around individual skill sets. As people are siloed from the functional peers, they may not be able to learn from each other. Enabling Teams can fill this gap by providing a platform for sharing knowledge and skills across the organisation. However, there will always be numerous different ways in which Enabling Teams can help, so they need a way to be able to effectively prioritise where they can add the most value.
- Strategic Cohesion: Ensures that product development has the necessary skills and resources to support the ecosystem strategy.
- Resource Optimisation: Improve the quality and effectiveness of people within Stream Teams.
- Increased Market Competitiveness: Analysing the latest tools and technologies that can be used to improve the product development process.
Context
Industry Context
Enabling Teams can be seen as an easy target for cost reduction in times of financial difficulty. This is due to the fact that their value is often not as easily quantifiable as that of Stream Teams. By actively working to identify core, quantifiable metrics that demonstrate the value of Enabling Teams, they can better protect themselves from budget cuts.
ZeroBlockers Context
Enabling Teams are a critical component of the ZeroBlockers model. They streamline the operations of the Stream Teams, allowing them to focus on delivering value to the customer. By aligning with the ecosystem, Enabling Teams can ensure that they are prioritising the right work and providing the most value to the Stream Teams.
Methods
| Method | Description | Benefits | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Planning | A structured process for setting strategic goals and objectives for the upcoming year. |
| Annually |
| Quarterly Objective Setting Meetings | Interactive sessions to collaboratively explore the ecosystem vision and strategy, and agree on the Enabling Team goals. |
| Quarterly |
| Weekly Business Reviews | A recurring meeting focused on assessing progress against predefined metrics, rather than reviewing specific work items. |
| Weekly |
Anti-patterns
- Isolation: Failing to engage with the broader ecosystem, leading to misalignment and missed opportunities.
- Lack of Quantifiable Metrics: Not having clear, measurable objectives for Enabling Teams, making it difficult to demonstrate their value.
- Infrequent Check-ins: Failing to regularly review and monitor the effectiveness of the Enabling Team goals and activities.
