Presentable Episode 7
I’ve been thoroughly enjoying Jeff Veen’s new podcast, Presentable. In the latest episode (#7) with Stanley Wood the two discuss how style guides, process, and org structure fit together. One bit in particular that stood out to me was where (at the 32 minute mark) Jeff asked about the Spotify team structure and how Guilds come into play. It seems to break down like this:
- Squads are small interdisciplinary teams working on a specific feature
- Tribes are organized around a subject like performance or perhaps a business goal
- Chapters & Guilds cut across the preceding two groups to enhance communication and standardization around things like design, front-end, or even a platform like iOS
While this may not be totally unique to Spotify, hearing phrases like “cut across” paint a clear picture in my mind of how groups like these need to be able to move laterally across the entire organization as well as how these groups can coexist within the context of business goals and road maps. Great stuff—the entire episode is worth a listen.