The scary question of "Who's responsible for delivery here?" Presented at FlowConf 2021

3. Finding the SDM:
The scary question of
"who's responsible for
delivery here?"
The algorithm
to find the SDM
Implementation
Patterns
Understanding
Responsibility
Why is this
important?
Understanding
the SDM role
Because it's a common
barrier to Service Orientation
(and higher maturity)
Responsibility is
"choice of ownership"
* Taking responsibility for service
delivery and improvement
* Trusted partner for various "kings"
Look for who said "I promise"
and takes responsibility after
Learn to see them; drive
out dysfunction

4. Why is this important?
Where most of the market is
Where we want the market to be
Reminder: ML1-2 Barrier Categories
Not taking
responsibility
for a service
Services not
defined in
customer-
recognizable terms
Organizational
structure
obsession
Inertia created
by tooling
Teams are the focus
of management
Services are the focus of
management
Unfit-for-purpose
organizations
Fit-for-purpose
organizations
https://kmm.plus

5. Understanding Responsibility
"doing the right thing"
(that we don't want to)
taking
blame
Taking
Ownership
It's something you
"choose", not
something "assigned"
to you
https://responsibility.com/category/resources/workshop/responsibility-
quick-start/
Being "at
choice"
Accountability
Expectation of
responsibility placed
on you by someone
else
Owning your
actions, and their
ramifications

6. Understanding the SDM role
Autonomy
to Set policy
Trusted partner
for various
"kings"
Improve
over time
Commitment
Point
("I promise")
Delivery Point
("here it is!")
The Service
SDM: Takes
responsibility from
"I promise" to
"here it is"
Commitment
Point
("I promise")
Delivery Point
("here it is!")
The Service
Delivery of
outcomes/results
Customer
Delegation
Style
Organizational
Constraints
Customers
SDM Work Item
Types
Classes of
Service
SLAs
Capacity
Allocation
Replenishment
Policies
Service
Interface
SRM: helps Customers
refine their requests and
"marshal" them towards
the commitment point

7. What come's out (that is
"customer recognizable")?
1
Who said "I need it"?
2
Commitment
Point
("I promise")
When did it cross the
Commitment Point?
3
Who said "I promise"?
4
Your Service
Delivery Point
("here it is!")
Is this person taking
ownership and actively
managing all the way?
5
You found some
deliverable
(Work Item)
You found the
Customer for
that Work Item
You found
your SDM
The algorithm to find the SDM
It's not about looking
for titles, or explicit
roles
You may have one
already (or someone
attempting to be), but
it can be ambiguous

8. Implementation Patterns
SDM by
committee
SDM/SRM
Tandem
SDM owns only
part of the
output
SDM by
Functional
Authority
Too many SDMs
in the kitchen
SDM at the
Front Desk
SDM in
Denial

9. Digital Financial Product
Mario
(SM)
Rob
(Product
Manager)
Project 2
Project 1
Promotional
Campaigns
App
Feature(s)
Business
Line VP
CEO
SDM/SRM Tandem
Other common titles
- Product Owner
- Product Director
Other common titles:
- Team Lead
- Project Manager
-Dev Manager

10. Public Website Team
Fixes
Marketing
Teams
Mary
(Team
Lead)
Other Dev
Teams
New pages
SDM at the Front Desk
Other common titles:
- Product Owner
- Team manager
- Scrum Master
- Project Manager
Content
Updates
SM

11. Application Platform
Development
Marlene
(PO)
Project 2
Project 1
Enhancements
User
Support
Digital
Channels VP
Rob
(PO)
Mobile
features
Joseph
(Team
Lead)
Pat
(PM)
SDM by Committee
VPs for Various
Business Lines
SM
SM
SM
Typical challenge: accept
mutual, complete
responsibility for the whole
Necessary
condition:
environment
of high trust
SM

12. Karen
(Director
of IT)
Project 2
Project Delivery Service
Project 4
VPs for Various
Business Lines
Project 1
Project 3
Support
Other
Technology VPs
PMs
+ SMs
SDM by Functional Authority
"Bench"
Other common titles:
- Director of Engineering
- VP of [XYZ] Tech
- CTO
- CEO

13. Application Development
Service
Data
Extracts
Business
Line
Jane
(PO) Support
SDM in Denial
Project
Features
Dave
(SM)
PUSH
In denial of SDM
Role, playing it
partially
(commitments)
Who said "I promise"?
4
Is this person taking
ownership and actively
managing all the way?
5

14. Application Development
& Maintenance Service
New
Features
Business
Managers
Mike
(Product
Director)
Platform
updates
Upgrades
Coreen
(IT
Director)
Technology
VPs
Defect fixes
(Support issues)
External
users
Joyce
(Support
Manager)
Jacob
(Sr. IT
Manager)
Maude
(Sr. IT
Manager)
Too many SDMs in the kitchen
Technical
Enhancements
"Overfishing"
SM
SM
SM
SM SM
"All the service
capacity is mine!"
SDMs in Denial:
"Teams will self-
organize"

15. Business Line
Development Service
Customer-
specific Features
Market
Features
Projects
VP of Product
Development
End
Customers
Platform
Upgrades
Other Business
Functions
Special Tech
projects
Tech Debt
User
Support
VP of
Engineering
SDM owns only part of the output
Team
commits
without telling
SDM
Keith
(Dev
Manager)
Ann
(Prod
Manager)
Work pushed
through "back
door"

17. Public Website Team
Understanding Responsibility
"doing the right thing"
(that we don't want to)
taking
blame
Taking
Ownership
It's something you
"choose", not
something "assigned"
to you
Application Development
& Maintenance Service
New
Features
Business
Managers
Mike
(Product
Director)
Platform
updates
Upgrades
Coreen
(IT
Director)
Technology
VPs
Defect fixes
(Support issues)
External
users
Joyce
(Support
Manager)
Digital Financial Product
Mario
(SM)
Jacob
(Sr. IT
Manager)
Maude
(Sr. IT
Manager)
Rob
(Product
Manager)
Project 2
Project 1
Promotional
Campaigns
App
Feature(s)
Business
Line VP
CEO
Business Line
Development Service
Customer-
specific Features
Market
Features
Projects
VP of Product
Development
End
Customers
Platform
Upgrades
Other Business
Functions
Special Tech
projects
Tech Debt
User
Support
VP of
Engineering
Finding the SDM:
The scary question of
"who's responsible for
delivery here?"
Understanding the SDM role
Autonomy
to Set policy
Trusted partner
for various
"kings"
Why is this important?
The algorithm
to find the SDM
Implementation Patterns
SDM by
committee
SDM/SRM
Tandem
SDM owns only
part of the
output
SDM by
Functional
Authority
Too many SDMs
in the kitchen
Improve
over time
Implementation
Patterns
Understanding
Responsibility
Why is this
important?
SDM/SRM Tandem
SDM owns only part of the output
Too many SDMs in the kitchen
SDM at the
Front Desk
Application Platform
Development
Marlene
(PO)
Project 2
Project 1
Enhancements
User
Support
Digital
Channels VP
Rob
(PO)
Mobile
features
Joseph
(Team
Lead)
Pat
(PM)
SDM by Committee
VPs for Various
Business Lines
Fixes
Marketing
Teams
Mary
(Team
Lead)
Other Dev
Teams
New pages
SDM at the Front Desk
Karen
(Director
of IT)
Project 2
Project Delivery Service
Project 4
VPs for Various
Business Lines
Project 1
Project 3
Support
Other
Technology VPs
PMs
+ SMs
SDM by Functional Authority
"Bench"
Technical
Enhancements
Team
comm
its
witho
ut
tellin
g
SDM
Understanding
the SDM role
What come's out (that is
"customer recognizable")?
1
Who said "I need it"?
2
Commitment
Point
("I promise")
When did it cross the
Commitment Point?
3
Who said "I promise"?
4
Your Service
Delivery Point
("here it is!")
Is this person taking
ownership and actively
managing all the way?
5
You found some
deliverable
(Work Item)
You found the
Customer for
that Work Item
You found
your SDM
The algorithm to find the SDM
It's not about looking
for titles, or explicit
roles
Where
most
of the
market
is
Where
we
want
the
marke
t to
be
Reminder: ML1-2 Barrier Categories
Not taking
responsibility
for a service
Services not
defined in
customer-
recognizable terms
Organizational
structure
obsession
Inertia created
by tooling
Teams are the focus
of management
Services are the focus of
management
Commitment
Point
("I promise")
Delivery Point
("here it is!")
The Service
SDM: Takes
responsibility from
"I promise" to
"here it is"
Commitment
Point
("I promise")
Delivery Point
("here it is!")
The Service
https://responsibility.com/category/resources/workshop/responsibility-
quick-start/
Being "at
choice"
Accountability
Expectation of
responsibility placed
on you by someone
else
Other common titles:
- Product Owner
- Team manager
- Scrum Master
- Project Manager
Content
Updates
SM
SM
SM
Typical challenge: accept
mutual, complete
responsibility for the whole
Keith
(Dev
Manager)
Ann
(Prod
Manager)
Necessary
condition:
environment
of high trust
SDM in
Denial
Application Development
Service
Data
Extracts
Business
Line
Jane
(PO) Support
SDM in Denial
Project
Features
Dave
(SM)
PUSH
Unfit-for-purpose
organizations
Fit-for-purpose
organizations
Owning your
actions, and their
ramifications
Delivery of
outcomes/results
Customer
Delegation
Style
Organizational
Constraints
Customers
SDM Work Item
Types
Classes of
Service
SLAs
Capacity
Allocation
Replenishment
Policies
Service
Interface
You may have one
already (or someone
attempting to be), but
it can be ambiguous
SRM: helps Customers
refine their requests and
"marshal" them towards
the commitment point
Other common titles
- Product Owner
- Product Director
Other common titles:
- Team Lead
- Project Manager
-Dev Manager
SM
In denial of SDM
Role, playing it
partially
(commitments)
"Overfishing"
SM
SM
SM
SM SM
Because it's a common
barrier to Service Orientation
(and higher maturity)
Responsibility is
"choice of ownership"
* Taking responsibility for service
delivery and improvement
* Trusted partner for various "kings"
Look for who said "I promise"
and takes responsibility after
Learn to see them; drive
out dysfunction
https://kmm.plus
SM
Who said "I promise"?
4
Is this person taking
ownership and actively
managing all the way?
5
"All the service
capacity is mine!"
SDMs in Denial:
"Teams will self-
organize"
Other common titles:
- Director of Engineering
- VP of [XYZ] Tech
- CTO
- CEO
Work
pushed
through
"back
door"