TBM 437: Tokens, Hours, Points, and Other Curious Proxies
Everyone is talking about “return on tokens.” Vendors love it (as long as the news is good).
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Explore Agile, ways of working and practical AI for teams. Find recent articles from six sources, then follow an idea back to its author.
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Updated dailyTBM 436: Tension-Based Prioritization (A Non-Framework)
I’ve come to believe that teams can prioritize much more effectively by focusing less on the specific things they’re prioritizing (which will naturally be important, and will naturally get attention) and more on the tensions they’re observing and acting out day after day.
Turning financial regulation into velocity with Team Topologies: the Golden Path advantage
To the CIOs out there: stop viewing your regulatory burden as an excuse for engineering sluggishness. A well-designed, product-led platform—anchored in the clear boundaries and cognitive-load principles of Team Topologies—turns the FCA, PCI-DSS, and FSA from a constant terror into a solved problem. Build a golden path so compelling that your engineers actively want to use it, bake your compliance directly into the pavement, and watch your cycle times plummet. Make the right thing the easy thing.
How do Team Topologies principles support an organization's readiness for agentic AI?
Clear organizational architecture serves as a foundational infrastructure for unlocking the true value of agentic AI. Ultimately, an organizational structure optimized for human flow and independent value streams inherently aligns with the operational requirements of agentic AI, allowing teams to integrate AI capabilities seamlessly without undergoing separate, technology-specific reorganizations.
TBM 435: 20 Unfiltered Operating Takes
I had a friend reach out recently for advice. I started writing...
TBM 434: How Maps Can Hide Problems
If what you are mapping is incoherent, don’t fall in love with the map (or your personal ability to navigate with it).
TBM 433: The Border Collie Faustian Bargain
(I have a question at the end, if you get there)
TBM 432: Bundling & Unbundling Capabilities (and AI)
Early in my product career, I wore many hats.
TBM 431: The Denominator That Matters
Here’s a simple model for thinking about AI success in organizations.
TBM 430: Incubate, Compound, Refinance, Liquidate
tl;dr: AI does not eliminate complexity, coupling, coordination, uncertainty, or decay.
Why Team Topologies is the Essential Foundation for AI ROI
Without the boundaries, practices, and governance provided by Team Topologies, localized AI productivity gains will simply vanish into downstream bottlenecks. But by actively shaping the organizational system for rapid value flow and reduced cognitive load, Team Topologies sets the vital foundation for unlocking exponential, sustainable ROI from AI.
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