Ratika Gandhi discussed building better products by focusing on the human element. She explained that product design is constrained by an organization's communication structures according to Conway's Law. At MongoDB, communication flows emphasize downstream transparency and letting the best ideas win regardless of their source. Stakeholder management involves identifying impacted teams, requesting feedback, gaining approval, and keeping stakeholders informed throughout the process. By designing organizations and managing communication and stakeholders effectively, teams can build better products every day.

1. #MDBlocal
Ratika Gandhi
Program Manager, Server
LONDON
The human element in an
automated world: Building better
products everyday

2. #MDBLocal
Ø Conway’s Law
Ø Communication structures in organizations
Ø Stakeholder management
Ø How MongoDB does it?
Agenda

3. #MDBLocal
Ø How are some of the best products built?
Building products
ØBuilding successful products
isn’t a one person job
ØHuman element in building
better products over and over
again!
Developers
Infrastructu
re
DOCS
Operations
Customers
Sales
MarketingDesign
Product
Program
Manager

4. #MDBLocal
• Distributed teams à
Modular architecture
• Co-located large teams à
Monolithic architecture
System designs are mirrors of Org’s communication
structures
Conway’s Law:
Organizations which design
systems are constrained to
produce designs which are
copies of the
communication structures
of these organizations.

5. #MDBLocal
System designs are mirrors of Org’s communication
structures
Conway’s Law:
Organizations which design
systems are constrained to
produce designs which are
copies of the
communication structures
of these organizations.

6. #MDBLocal
Communication flows in an org
For a project team with 150 members, the required number of communication channels is
150*(150–1)/2 = 11,175.
Developers
Infrastructu
re
DOCS
Operations

7. #MDBLocal
Communication structures in an org
Start with
the product
you envision
Identify
important
stakeholders for
all decision
making
Identify important
stakeholders for
all decision
making
Run
communication
structure tests
periodically

8. #MDBLocal
Communication at MongoDB
Let the smartest idea win, not the loudest
Emphasis on downstream
communication
Transparency in communication with
an Opt-in model
Receive buy-in (LGTM!) from stakeholders

9. #MDBLocal
Stakeholder engagement
Identify your
stakeholders
Measure size
of impact per
stakeholder
Understand
their
communicati
on styles
Do they agree
that they are
your
stakeholders
?

10. #MDBLocal
Stakeholder engagement – Asynchronous communication
Ø Increased productivity
Ø Bridging the time zone gap
Ø Time for reflection
Ø Emphasis on data for decision
making
Ø Allows for process automation

11. #MDBLocal
Stakeholder management - Embracing the Human element
Establish a personal
connection
What problems is your project
alleviating for your
stakeholders?
Set clear goals and let the
discussion begin
Embrace disagree and commit

12. #MDBLocal
Identify
Identify
• Which teams
will your code
impact?
• Emphasis on
downstream
communication
Request for
Comments
• Transparency
in
communicatio
n
Request for
Comments
LGTM (or
not)!
• Receive buy-in
• Type away!
Keep them
posted
• 6 week
review
• Close-out
meeting
LGTM (or
not)!
Keep them
posted
Stakeholder management at MongoDB

13. #MDBLocal
Stakeholder management at MongoDB
Identify
• Which
teams will
your code
impact?
• Emphasis
on
downstrea
m
communica
tion
Request for
Comments
• Transparen
cy in
communica
tion
LGTM (or
not)!
• Receive
buy-in
• Type away!
Keep them
posted
• 6 week
review
• Close-out
meeting

14. #MDBLocal
Building better products everyday
ü Designing your org in a way that lets you create the best product
ü Creating communication structures for maximum efficiency
ü Identifying and engaging your stakeholders
ü Managing stakeholders

15. THANK YOU