The Spotify model is an approach for scaling agile that emphasizes autonomy, simplicity, and collaboration. It structures teams into small cross-functional Squads that focus on delivering features. Squads are supported by Tribes of related Squads, Chapters of specialists, and interest-based Guilds. The key benefits are less control promoting autonomy, collaboration over silos, shared goals creating a fail-safe environment, and no formal processes. Realizing the Spotify model requires focusing on productivity through motivation and environment, balancing autonomy with alignment, enabling system changes, trusting people over commands, servant leadership, and an experimentation culture.

1. Introduction To Spotify Model

2. Summary
If you are looking at scaling agile in your organisation and are considering the Spotify model as one of
your options , you have landed at the right place. In this blog, we will attempt to explain the basics of the
model listed below and why your organization should explore it as a serious scaling approach.
What is the Spotify Model?
What are the factors organisations need to consider to implement the Spotify model?
What are the benefits?
Does it suit your organisation?
History
Spotify, which is one of the biggest music streaming products, came up with a model of delivery which was
customised over years according to their needs, org culture and the way they wanted to manage their
teams and delivery.
Henrick Kniberg and Anders Ivarsson with the intention of showcasing how development teams are
organised at Spotify, published a whitepaper on the same. And because of the model’s inherent simplicity,
less need for control and significantly better collaboration, a wide range of companies using Agile were
attracted towards implementing Spotify and hence the model became popular.
What is the Spotify Model?
Definition : Spotify Model is a people driven, autonomous approach for scaling agile that emphasizes the
importance of culture and network. It is not a framework rather an example of how to manage and
organise multiple agile teams and Spotify’s view on scaling from both technical and cultural standpoint.

3. Structure And Key Elements
A typical org / team structure in a spotify model is as
depicted in the image below.
Spotify model emphasises around team autonomy and
simplicity and during their tenure of organizing the
development, they identified certain ways to organise
their teams as well.
Squad
Definition : The smallest unit of development, similar to a normal Scrum team
Traits :
•6-9 Members team
•Self Organising and Cross functional
•Fully capable of delivering a piece of work
Focus : One feature Area
Framework : Team’s Choice ( Scrum / kanban / scrumban etc )
Supported By : Agile Coach and Product Owner
Highlights:
•A squad does not have a leader designated
•Squad has full access to the management and all the support functions
•They set up their own workspace based on the team’s comfort
•Product Owner guides the squads on the priorities
•10% of their work capacity goes for hack days

4. Tribe
Definition : A collection of Squads working on one product area
Traits :
•100 and less membered team
•Internally manage dependencies
•Working on one part of the product ( Eg : Search Engine , etc )
Focus : One product Area / Module
Framework : Squad’s Choice ( Scrum / kanban / scrumban etc )
Supported By : Tribe Leader
Highlights:
•Help build common alignment within squads
•Tribe Leader ensures all squads are well equipped with the support they need
•Common ceremonies like Tribe demos , hack days , knowledge sharing
Chapter
Definition : Group of development team members with
same skill set or expertise from the same Tribe
Traits :
•Constant collaboration on expertise , challenges
•COE / Community structure which is self sustaining
and promoting learnability
•Setting norms and guidelines within skillset
Focus : Same technology / skillset
Supported By : Chapter Leader
Highlights:
•Managed by a chapter lead
•Frequent meetings to promote cross pollination of
skillset
•Resolving challenges , Promoting learnability as unit

5. Guild
Definition : A group of people who share a common
passion / interest ( Eg : Performance , Testing etc )
Traits :
•Community of interest
•Share coding practices, knowledge and new learnings
, tools etc
•Guilds cut across an organisations / multiple tribes /
squads
Focus : Same Interest / Passion
Supported By : Guild Leader ( optional )
Benefits / Advantages Of Spotify Model
•Less Control promotes autonomy and productivity – Squads are responsible for their own decision and the way they
choose their working model. This promotes self management and builds good team rapport and trust. Also Squads are created
keeping dependencies in mind and since they are mostly independent, they tend to have faster release cycles
•Encourages teamwork and collaboration over silo working – Spotify Model is a matrix type model i.e it is structured around
people and collaboration. This model allows everyone to communicate with anyone in the system, helping solve dependencies or
problems. At various levels, i.e be it squads, tribes or chapters, this model encourages a sense of belonging and collaborating
effectively to make better decisions among people.
•Shared Goals helps create a Fail Safe environment helping teams experiment more – No managers and informal
communications as well as team structure ( ownership and accountability ) enables a highly effective Fail Safe environment. Also
teams and individuals spare 10% of their productive time in hack days / projects. These aspects of spotify ensures there is
enough room for continuous experiments.
•No Formal Ceremony or Process – Spotify lets the teams decide their own framework for their delivery it does not have a set
template of ceremonies to be followed, rather it counts on the teams to align with other teams to become more productive
Faster Dependency solving – The model designed keeping in mind the teams at the center, promotes faster problem solving
and collaboration by avoiding formal approvals, calls which usually is the case with other scaling methods

6. Realisation of Spotify Model
Quite often in any agile transformation or any framework implementation, teams tend to become a slave of
the process than enjoying / realising the essense of what is being implemented. Below are a few points /
aspects / changes which an organisation should realise when spotify is being implemented.
Real value of Spotify’s model was its engineering and product development culture which Spotify created for
it’s fast growing , motivated decoupled agile teams. Below are a few cultural aspects which a team or a
company must realise / consider before implementing Spotify
• Productivity = Environment and Motivation – Productivity of the teams is very much dependent
on the Motivation and Environment they work in. ( Spotify’s productivity formula = Effort *
Competence * Environment * Motivation ). To create highly productive teams, appropriate
environment has to be maintained
• Healthy Balance of Autonomy and Alignment – Spotify pushes for a healthy balance between
Central Alignment ( product vision / goals etc ) and team autonomy ( Self sufficient teams ). For
instance, managers will tell the teams what to do but not interfere in how to do and when to do
• System Changes – Spotify changed their architecture to support decoupled , faster and easier
releases to support more and frequent production releases. Appropriate system changes might have
to be in place to support the model
• Trusting People Over Commanding – Spotify’s immense trust in their employees helped them
build a model which led to complete autonomy of the teams and thus the model itself. A culture of
trust and belief is a strong need to support spotify
• Managers to Servant Leadership – Management to align towards how they can be of help rather
than asking what they want to what the teams are doing.
• Continuous Improvement Culture – Teams constantly working on how to make their lives better
and easier. Shift of thought process where teams are deciding what best works for them without a
manager telling. Setting up dedicated people / resource to help teams get to their absolute best
• Experiment and Fail Safe Environment: Spotify strongly believed in encouraging their teams to
generate ideas and run experiments to measure their results. Which helped them imbibe a culture of
maximising value from their experiments by tweaking their approach.

7. With this, our blog on “Introduction to
Spotify Model” comes to an end. Please
reach out to us at “consult@benzne.com” for
any feedback , suggestions or questions.
Sujith S.
Agile Consultant – Benzne