The Road to Faster Flow Is Paved with Missteps: A Retrospective

This is a recording of my talk at the Fast Flow Conf NL conference, on the 27th of March, 2025.

Two years ago, we set out on a journey to transition to a Team Topologies-inspired organization, aiming to unlock faster flow and better collaboration. Today, it’s time to reflect on the lessons learned along the way.

Looking back, what I see is not a straight road, paved with tarmac. No, it is a twisting road, with potholes and puddles, with some broken down and rusted vehicles here and there.

We often hear polished success stories, but we can also learn a lot about the bumps and wrong turns. These stories don’t need to be dark or cynical, there are many small successes and golden nuggets of insights to be found.

So let’s have a retrospective, and try and find some answers on what went wrong, and what worked well. Let’s try and identify patterns and anti-patterns to learn from our mistakes and build on our wins.

Key takeaways:

• Embrace the Mess
• Celebrate Small Wins
• Beware of Anti-Patterns

Take a ride with me on this bumpy road, and learn from our lessons, for a smoother road ahead.