Defined Interaction Modes
Defined Interaction Modes refer to the structured ways in which teams within an organisation communicate and collaborate to achieve their objectives. These modes are explicitly defined to optimise interaction and minimise friction in the workflow.
Goal
The goal of defining interaction modes is to minimise the overhead involved in cross-team communication.
Context
If you need to collaborate with another team in order to deliver your work, this dependency becomes an excuse for why you haven't achieved your outcomes. In ZeroBlockers, we want to remove all of the blockers so we need to ensure that collaboration between teams is as frictionless as possible.
Interaction Modes
| Modes | Description | Best Suited For |
|---|---|---|
| Collaboration | Teams work closely together on a temporary basis, sharing knowledge and skills to solve complex problems or to innovate. | Situations requiring rapid innovation or problem-solving where expertise from multiple teams is needed. |
| X-as-a-Service | One team provides a service (e.g., a software service or a platform) that other teams use to build their own solutions more efficiently. | Stable, well-understood domains where the service can be clearly defined and consumed without ongoing collaboration. |
| Facilitating | One team helps another team improve or unblock their work, often through sharing expertise or tools. | When a team needs to rapidly acquire new skills or overcome specific challenges. |
| Aligning | One team provides direction and context to another team, often through a clear set of objectives or requirements, without specifying how to achieve them. | When a team needs to provide clear guidance to another team on what to do. |
Inputs
| Artifact | Description |
|---|---|
| Stream Team Charter | A clear definition of the scope of work for each Stream Team. |
Outputs
| Artifact | Description | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| API Specifications | Establishing well-defined interfaces between different systems or services managed by separate teams. |
|
Rationale
API contracts, which are an example of the X-as-a-Service mode, ensure that teams can collaborate without any overhead. If work requires closer collaboration then a project should be created to facilitate this. Facilitating mode is used by Enabling Teams to upskill the Stream Teams. Finally, Aligning mode is the form of interaction between a Product Team and a Stream Team.
Anti-patterns
- Failing to specify mode: Not defining interaction modes can lead to confusion and inefficiency in cross-team collaboration.
- Over-specification: Defining interaction modes in excessive detail can lead to rigidity, stifling creativity and agility.