Context Mapping In Action

Context Mapping in action Stretching the strategic Domain Driven Design toolbox to the edge alberto.brandolini@avanscoperta.it

About me Ten years experience as a consultant, mainly in large software development projects Trainer Blogger Article Writer

Dropped in a new project every time

Foto del garage

Foto del garage Whatever they told you before … reality is a lot different

Foto del garage Whatever they told you before It’s always a mess … reality is a lot different

Whatever they told you before … reality is a lot different

Choosing Mentors

Choosing Mentors “I’m Mr. Wolf. I solve problems.” Harvey Keitel

“Every battle is won before it is ever fought” Sun Tzu

“Every battle is won before it is ever fought” Sun Tzu “Tactic without strategy is noise before defeat” Sun Tzu

Know your enemy Code is not your enemy Projects do not fail because of code Standish group put interaction with the users and requirements at the top of the list. … in a complex scenario, these are often second order effects

A limited resource game Brain cells Time Developers Skills

Enter Context Mapping

Context The setting in which a word or a statement appears that determines its meaning Context

… put in another way A context is a way to measure to which extent a vision could be effectively shared

Relations Context A Context B

Relations Pe o p l e of t probl e n so e ms l ve h e re ... Context A Context B

Relations Pe o p l e of t probl e n so e ms l ve h e re ... Context A ...o r h e re . . . Context B

Relations Pe o p l e of t probl e n so e ms l ve h e re ... Context A ...o r h ...b u t e re . . . the r a re s e al s ome w h o w- h e re s t o pp Context B in be t we e e rs n!!

Upstream Downstream Context A u d Context B

Whatever they told you before … reality is a lot different

Whatever theya difference if it does make told you before … reality is a lot different you’re going upstream

National Geographic, take it away http://www.munseysbearcamp.com/ Bear_salmon2005.jpg

Patterns Relations between different contexts tend to fall into repeatable patterns A speciﬁc pattern dictionary helps to describe the current situation Any pattern has a different beneﬁts/costs ratio.

Anti Corruption Layer Flexibility: 4/5, Maintenance: 3/5 Ski!s: 3/5 Organization: 1/5

Partnership Flexibility: 4/5, Maintenance: 2/5 Ski!s: 4/5 Organization: 5/5

Here’s our context B ig Ba ll map of Mu d Context Context F C ! u Context A AC d pe n L d O Hos t Context u B Context Context E D

It’s a MAP!

File 1 The very messy company

Scenario 1:

Scenario 1: A shared area among projects

Scenario 1: A shared area among projects Good Analysis team but separated from development

Scenario 1: A shared area among projects Good Analysis team but separated from development Low interaction with the user

Scenario 1: A shared area among projects Good Analysis team but separated from development Low interaction with the user Domain Expert

Our game set Money Brain Time Developers Skills

The initial scenario Payments Enrollment

The initial scenario h e ... e t or ik e f s l ag Payments ok s t Lo e c t rf pe Enrollment

Shared Kernel Flexibility: 3/5, Maintenance: 2/5, Ski!s: 3/5, Organization: 4/5

The initial stage Legacy Core u u d d Enrollment Payments

Shall we go for DDD?

Shall we go for DDD? Low starting skills

Shall we go for DDD? Low starting skills Long term project

Shall we go for DDD? Low starting skills Long term project Eager to learn

Shall we go for DDD? Low starting skills Long term project Eager to learn A complex domain that calls for sophisticated modeling

Shall we go for DDD? Low starting skills Long term project Eager to learn A complex domain that calls for sophisticated modeling Some developers-analysts already into DDD

“Every battle is won before it is ever fought” Sun Tzu “Tactic without strategy is noise before defeat” Sun Tzu

“Every battle is won before it is ever fought” Wrong question Sun Tzu “Tactic without strategy is noise before defeat” Sun Tzu

The masterplan Legacy Core u u d d Enrollment Payments

The masterplan Legacy Core u u d A CL d Enrollment Payments

Scenario 1 Update:

Scenario 1 Update: A freshly written legacy core.

Scenario 1 Update: A freshly written legacy core. Distributed development teams

Scenario 1 Update: A freshly written legacy core. Distributed development teams Analysis team separated from development

Scenario 1 Update: A freshly written legacy core. Distributed development teams Analysis team separated from development Some teams closely integrated

Scenario 1 Update: A freshly written legacy core. Distributed development teams Analysis team separated from development Some teams closely integrated Some teams completely disconnected

Scenario 1 Update: A freshly written legacy core. Distributed development teams Analysis team separated from development Some teams closely integrated Some teams completely disconnected No interaction with the user

Scenario 1 Update: A freshly written legacy core. Distributed development teams Analysis team separated from development Some teams closely integrated Some teams completely disconnected No interaction with the user Fake Domain Expert

...the chaotic phase Legacy Core u u u d d d Payments Enrollment Payments

...the chaotic phase Legacy Core u u u d d d ACL Payments Enrollment Payments

Big Ball of Mud Flexibility: 1/5, Maintenance: 5/5, Ski!s: 1/5, Organization: 1/5

Exposing the bare truth Integration Legacy Core u u u d d d Payments Enrollment Payments Analysis

Exposing the bare truth Integration Legacy Core u u u d d d ACL Payments Enrollment Payments Analysis

Exposing the bare truth Integration Legacy Core u u u Th i t Ub is o u d iq u d is s AW L a d FU u ACL Payments L ! ag ng Enrollment No e Payments Analysis

Exposing the bare truth Integration Legacy Core u u u d d d Payments Enrollment Payments Analysis

Exposing the bare truth Integration Legacy Core u u u d d d ACL Payments Enrollment Payments Analysis

Exposing the truth

Exposing the truth Ultimately, Sun Tzu war right: though Entities, Value Objects, Aggregates etc. proved successful within their scope... ...That was ultimately not relevant in the large scale Exposing the truth via Context Mapping was relevant and led to major changes in management

File 2 The Strangelove Scenario M.A.D.

Scenario 2: Large government project Many different actors involved Great development team Domain was not the primary focus of the project

Our game set Money Brain Time Developers Skills

Not the perfect stage for DDD Complex domain but outside our project scope Focus on technology: Reliability Security Performance

Our Stage Agency A u X-Team (us) u Agency B u Agency C

Our Plan pp l ie r Agency A u e r/s us t om c X-Team pe n Op e n (us) O H os t Hos t Agency B Publ i s L angu he d ag e Agency C

Our Stage Agency A X-Team (us) Agency B “the others” Agency C

Our Stage Agency A X-Team (us) It’s a Agency B partnership “the others” Agency C

Photo courtesy of Rajarshi Roychowdhury

Choosing Mentors

Choosing Mentors “???” “Franco” Begbie

Choosing Mentors e d a r d i s c “???” D “Franco” Begbie

Cockﬁght Flexibility: 0/5, Maintenance: 5/5 Ski!s: 0/5 Organization: 0/5

e d a r d i s c D Cockﬁght Flexibility: 0/5, Maintenance: 5/5 Ski!s: 0/5 Organization: 0/5

Didn’t need any new pattern Despite my idea of “getting rich selling the Strategic DDD Expansion Set”, we didn’t need any new pattern Team was trapped in a Downstream Position “Ofﬁcial partnership” forced us to be conformist to an unreliable external team

Conformist Flexibility: 1/5, Maintenance: 4/5 Ski!s: 2/5 Organization: 2/5

Step 1 Protect our application from X-Team external inﬂuences (us) by introducing an ACL Anti Corruption d Layer (no u Conformist any “the others” more)

Step 2 focus all energies to go upstream

Step 2 focus all energies to go upstream Step 2: go upstream

Going upstream

Going upstream published and reliable planning

Going upstream published and reliable planning continuous integration

Going upstream published and reliable planning continuous integration steady pace

Going upstream published and reliable planning continuous integration steady pace effective partnership

Going upstream published and reliable planning continuous integration steady pace effective partnership jacket & tie

Project outcome Reversing the relationship had a positive outcome on all relationships Context Map exposed the right thing to do Delivered on time and on budget Benchmark for following projects

Some years later Overall project now seen as critical: it’s working perfectly (technology)... ...but it’s not doing the right thing. No user-driven evolution Importance of domain model largely underestimated

File 3 ...Not another framework, please

Scenario 3: Government backed (baked) project A “platform” upon which build many “services” Many different players A Family of similar projects in different locations

Payment Services School er Services li pp Certiﬁcates Su r- me s to Down (conformist) Cu Down (conformist) Up

Payment Services School er Services li pp Certiﬁcates Su r- me s to Down (conformist) Cu Down (conformist) Up Framework

Payment Services School er Services li pp Certiﬁcates Su r- me s to Down (conformist) Cu Down (conformist) Up Up Framework

Payment Services School er Services li pp Certiﬁcates Su r- me s to Down (conformist) Cu Down (conformist) Up Up Up Framework

Payment Services m i s t) o r o nf School Do w n (c er Services li pp Certiﬁcates Su r- me s to Down (conformist) Cu Down (conformist) Up Up Up Domain Model Framework

Payment Services m i s t) o r o nf School Do w n (c er Services li pp Certiﬁcates Su r- me s to Down (conformist) Cu Down (conformist) Up Up Up Domain Model Frameworkk Fram ewor

Payment Services m i s t) o r o nf School Do w n (c er Services li pp Certiﬁcates Su r- me s to Down (conformist) Cu Down (conformist) Up Up Up Domain Model Frameworkk Framework Fram ewor

Payment Services m i s t) o r o nf School Do w n (c er Services li pp Certiﬁcates Su r- me s to Down (conformist) Cu Down (conformist) Up Up Up Domain Model Up Frameworkk Framework Fram ewor

Payment Services m i s t) o r o nf School Do w n (c er Services li pp Certiﬁcates Su r- me s to Down (conformist) Cu Down (conformist) Up Up Up Domain Model Up Thi s Frameworkk Framework ewor sh o u deﬁn Fram ldn’t i te l y be lik e t hi s!!

The plan Consolidation of reference framework darwinian selection of features intensive testing wrapping existing features with ACLs releasing constraints on the application side domain --> published language freedom of choice, allowing different paradigms

… no outcome yet, but... Context mapping is driving the strategic decision process Map of the current situation (as far as we know it) Base for a pragmatic action plan Exposes the hot spots

Conclusions

Our context map Big Ba l l of Mu d Context Context F C ! u Context A AC d pe n L d O Hos t Context u B Context Context E D

It’s a MAP!

It’s a MAP This is where battles are win before they’re fought Taking advantage of the landscape concentrating our forces where it does matter avoiding to ﬁght if the odds are against us

Not only for the elite Context mapping has a broader scope of application than tactical DDD far from ideal scenario disconnected environments… … you got the idea… Might tell you whether to go for DDD or not

...Should be easy to draw...

...Should be easy to draw... ...but if it’s not, you’re already getting some very useful information Sometimes the process of gathering information to draw the context map is more important than the map itself

Software mirrors organizations

Organizational Dysfunctions

Organizational Dysfunctions Context Mapping often exposes the gap between the ideal communication ﬂow and the real one.

Organizational Dysfunctions Context Mapping often exposes the gap between the ideal communication ﬂow and the real one. ...and this is often in the grey area where nobody is responsible for anything and things simply happen.

Organizational Dysfunctions Context Mapping often exposes the gap between the ideal communication ﬂow and the real one. ...and this is often in the grey area where nobody is responsible for anything and things simply happen. How much does this cost to share a vision?

search - see - expose

search - see - expose Context Mapping gave great insights allowing us to do the right thing.

search - see - expose Context Mapping gave great insights allowing us to do the right thing. Did we discover new things?

search - see - expose Context Mapping gave great insights allowing us to do the right thing. Did we discover new things? Many things were “there” simply ﬂoating in the nobody’s land between a context and another.

search - see - expose Context Mapping gave great insights allowing us to do the right thing. Did we discover new things? Many things were “there” simply ﬂoating in the nobody’s land between a context and another. Context mapping helped us see the whole picture early and clearly.

Thanks more on http://ziobrando.blogspot.com twitter: ziobrando

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Context Mapping In Action

by Alberto Brandolini on Jun 23, 2009

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