DDD Europe 2023 - Program

Applying Systems Thinking in Teams

Main Conference - Hands-on Lab

Speakers

Lorraine Steyn and Ayesha Bagus

Lorraine SteynAyesha Bagus
Schedule
Thursday 8 from 11:00 until 13:00 in Room 8+9
Description

(This is a hands-on lab with limited capacity)

This workshop goes beyond the definitions of Systems Thinking, to look at how we can apply the concepts in our teams, on projects, and across organizations.

Systems Thinking offers us the hope that we can look at our problems through a systems lens, and fix the systems that cause and perpetuate our problems rather than blaming the people who suffer under the systems. As W. Edwards Deming said "a bad system will beat a good person every time".

We'll work through case studies together, and share experiences. We'll explore techniques to help the attendees focus their system lenses, and see what lies under the surface of various team dysfunctions. There will be space to discuss questions and share ideas in this very interactive session.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

About Lorraine Steyn

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Lorraine founded the software development company Khanyisa Real Systems (KRS) in 1987. The company now employs around 60 technical staff, and has delivered large bespoke projects for hundreds of clients. Lorraine is a hands-on CEO who spends 3-4 days a week working on production code with her teams, mentoring, assisting with design, and driving quality and learning.

Lorraine has presented on such varied topics as Domain-Driven-Design, compassionate leadership, clean code and refactoring, women in tech, and many Agile topics dear to her heart (often based in XP practices).

About Ayesha Bagus

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An organisation needs someone who is solely focused on people.

It’s an ironic phenomenon that as our world becomes increasingly automated through technology, our businesses have become more people centered than ever before. Ayesha's focus is on the general attitudes and feelings of employees, knowing that these two factors largely contribute to working styles and actual work produced.

Ayesha is part of the KRS Leadership Team, and she looks at all aspects of organisational effectiveness with a Systems Thinking lens, bringing inclusion and compassion to ensure that the culture enables people to do their best work and that policies and processes do not hinder our progress.