Support autonomy with clear boundaries

Description

Ensure that there are explicitly agreed boundaries and constraints around the teams that make clear what they can and what they can not decide and act on independently. Team autonomy should be “Bounded”.

Examples of boundaries and constraints include:

• Definition of Done - shared DoD elements that concern inter-team touch points and cross-cutting standards
• Architectural standards
• Brand and design guidelines
• Platform standards
• Security standards and guidelines
• Applicable domain compliance rules and regulations

Rationale

Careful design and co-creation of team boundaries enable:

• Explicitly agreed boundaries – teams won’t have to guess what decision authority they have.
• Focus – the team have clarity of purpose and priorities guided by their Product Owner.
• Constraints – the team understand the technology, design and compliance standards within which they need to work.
• Emergence – boundaries should evolve when teams find that they limit value creation.

Related Principles

• Product solution design is driven from within development teams
• Technical leaders as coaches, mentors and community leaders
• Use the Definition of Done as an enabling constraint
• Shared context improves decisions
• Maximise the Scope of Product Increment
• Collective responsibility for complete product development