Essentials
Essentials
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Done
Studio Mode is an organizational state for ambiguous, uncertain work that emphasizes synchronous communication, intensive collaboration, and creative problem-solving.
en-us
worksystems-design
dwd
Studio Mode optimizes ambiguous, uncertain work through synchronous communication, intensive collaboration, and creative problem-solving.
Done
Factory Mode optimizes well-defined, routine work through specialization and standardized processes for maximum efficiency while allowing for adaptability to creative tasks when necessary.
en-us
worksystems-design
dwd
Factory Mode is optimized for routine work, emphasizing specialization, standardized processes, and minimal coordination for maximum efficiency.
Done
Ineffective Iterations occur when ambiguous work is organized serially through asynchronous communication, leading to slow feedback loops, and can be resolved by shifting to direct collaboration in Studio Mode.
en-us
worksystems-design
dwd
Ineffective iterations occur when ambiguous work is organized serially without direct collaboration, leading to slow, costly feedback loops.
Done
The Axis of Frustration describes the destructive cycle organizations fall into when they fail to switch intelligently between Factory Mode and Studio Mode, leading to ineffective iteration and wasted attention.
en-us
worksystems-design
dwd
The Axis of Frustration describes the destructive cycle organizations face when they fail to switch properly between Factory Mode and Studio Mode.
Done
Fast Oscillation is a Dynamic Work Design pattern that enables organizations to quickly switch between Factory Mode for efficiency and Studio Mode for collaboration to solve problems effectively.
en-us
worksystems-design
dwd
Switch between Factory Mode (efficiency) and Studio Mode (collaboration) as needed, ensuring both efficiency and flexibility in work.
Done
Wasted Attention is an anti-pattern caused by excessive collaboration and meetings that hinders productivity in well-defined work, necessitating a shift back to efficient Factory Mode.
en-us
worksystems-design
dwd
Wasted Attention occurs when well-defined work is bogged down by excessive meetings, hindering productivity and causing team frustration.
Done
Dynamic Work Design Patterns provide strategies for organizations to effectively switch between efficient and flexible work approaches based on current needs.
en-us
worksystems-design
dwd
Organizations face two types of work: routine, which needs efficiency, and ambiguous, which needs flexibility. The solution is to switch between both as needed.
Done
Define and measure progress by setting clear metrics and goals to assess performance and identify areas for improvement.
en-us
flightlevels
worksystems-design
Measuring progress helps teams understand if they are improving. Without it, gauging the effectiveness of changes is difficult.
Done
Focus involves limiting the number of simultaneous initiatives to enhance efficiency and quality in organizations.
en-us
flightlevels
worksystems-design
Focus means limiting the number of initiatives at a time to avoid scattered efforts and delays in project completion.
Done
The 5 Core Activities of System Design from the Flight Levels model enhance business agility by aligning strategy, coordination, and operational execution across all organizational levels.
en-us
flightlevels
worksystems-design
The 5 Core Activities of System Design from the Flight Levels model align strategy, coordination, and execution for improving organizational agility.
Done
Agile interactions enhance communication and coordination among teams in complex organizations to align efforts with goals and adapt quickly to changes.
en-us
flightlevels
worksystems-design
communication
Agile interactions refer to how individuals and teams communicate effectively in complex organizations to align efforts with goals.
Done
Continuous improvement in business agility involves planning and implementing changes based on insights gained, ensuring organizations actively pursue enhancements within their workflows.
en-us
flightlevels
worksystems-design
change
Continuous improvement is essential for business agility, ensuring organizations act on insights gained and implement necessary changes.
Done
Visualization of work processes enhances understanding and transparency in knowledge-based tasks by making invisible work visible through boards that track progress and dependencies.
en-us
flightlevels
worksystems-design
This is about making invisible work visible. In knowledge-based work, tasks are often intangible, making it hard to grasp progress or identify bottlenecks.
In progress
The Formal Structure outlines the official design of the organization, detailing roles, rules, governance, and accountability systems to ensure clarity and stability.
en-us
The Formal Structure defines roles, rules, and governance, ensuring clarity and stability in authority and responsibility distribution within the organization.
In progress
The Value-Creation Structure outlines how teams, processes, and resources interact to create value for customers through continuous adaptation and feedback.
en-us
The Value-Creation Structure illustrates how teams, processes, and resources engage with customers and markets to shape products and services.
In progress
The Informal Structure examines social networks in organizations, highlighting communication patterns, trust, and collaboration beyond formal reporting lines.
en-us
The Informal Structure captures social networks in organizations, revealing communication patterns and how influence and information flow beyond formal roles.
In progress
Three parallel organizational structures—Value-Creation, Informal, and Formal—interact to shape how enterprises function and evolve.
en-us
worksystems-design
Organizations consist of three parallel structures: Value-Creation, Informal, and Formal, each shaping how they function and evolve.
Done
Enabling Functions provide essential internal services and governance to enhance an organization's delivery capability and operational effectiveness.
en-us
flightlevel-2
Enabling Functions provide internal services and governance that enhance the organization’s ability to deliver value and maintain essential policies.
Done
Customer-Facing Products and Services deliver value directly to paying customers, integrating internal functions and external channels to shape reputation and drive revenue.
en-us
flightlevel-2
Customer-Facing Systems deliver directly to paying customers, encapsulating the customer promise and carrying accountability for value delivery and satisfaction.
Done
Supporting Products and Services provide internal products or services that enable and stabilize customer-facing systems through shared platforms and reusable components.
en-us
flightlevel-2
Supporting Systems provide internal products or services that enable and stabilize customer-facing systems to operate effectively and reliably.
Done
Pop-Up Systems are temporary, goal-oriented teams formed to address specific challenges and dissolve after achieving their objectives.
en-us
flightlevel-2
Pop-Up Systems are temporary, goal-oriented teams formed to address specific challenges and dissolve once their mission is completed.
Done
Work System Types provide a framework for understanding value-creating constellations in organizations to enhance design and coordination.
en-us
flightlevel-2
flightlevels
Work System Types provide a shared language to describe value-creating constellations in an organization, clarifying intent, boundaries, and governance needs.
Done
Flight Route Patterns reveal how work moves through an organization, helping leaders improve flow, collaboration, and adaptability.
en-us
flightlevels
Based on Klaus Leopold's Flight Levels: Leading Organizations, flight routes describe how work moves through an organization — from a trigger to a desired outcome. By mapping several routes, recurring patterns emerge that reveal how coordination, prioritization, and learning actually happen.
Done
Strategic Initiative pattern outlines the flow of work from strategy to delivery, emphasizing alignment while cautioning against command-and-control risks without feedback loops.
en-us
flightlevel-3
flightlevel-2
flightlevel-1
Work starts at the strategic level and flows downward from FL3 (strategy) to FL1 (delivery), adding context at each level.
Done
Local Coordination involves autonomous decision-making by local teams within delivery systems, promoting fast actions but risking strategic drift if overused.
en-us
flightlevel-2
flightlevel-1
Work originates within coordination systems, allowing local teams to identify opportunities, plan, and execute improvements autonomously.
Done
Bottom-Up Initiative involves elevating ideas from teams for validation and support while balancing the need for local action to maintain efficiency.
en-us
flightlevel-3
flightlevel-2
flightlevel-1
Ideas arise from teams (FL1), are validated at higher levels (FL3), and then flow back down for delivery through coordination.
Done
Cross-Level Learning involves fluid interaction between multiple levels in complex systems, emphasizing learning across boundaries and requiring intentional communication and shared purpose.
en-us
flightlevel-2
flightlevel-3
flightlevel-1
A hybrid and dynamic route where multiple levels interact fluidly, focusing on learning across boundaries rather than control or delegation.
Done
Team-Only Route allows teams to independently manage localized work, enhancing efficiency but risking siloed learning and misalignment with broader goals.
en-us
flightlevel-1
The flow stays within one delivery system (FL1), allowing the team to independently identify, prioritize, and complete work without cross-level coordination.
Done
Reaction card for expressing confusion or concern constructively.
en-us
communication
Done
The "I observe" reaction card helps highlight patterns, anomalies, or noteworthy elements that catch attention during observations.
en-us
communication
Done
The "I notice" reaction card facilitates pure observation of sensory input without interpretation or evaluation.
en-us
communication
Done
Sounding Reactions is a structured feedback method using visual cards for quick and inclusive feedback collection during presentations and review sessions.
en-us
communication
change
flightlevel-2
flightlevel-3
A structured feedback method using cards for quick, visual reactions during presentations, enabling efficient feedback collection without lengthy discussions.
Done
The "I wonder" reaction card encourages exploration and curiosity by expressing questions during presentations to expand conversations and perspectives.
en-us
communication
Done
Reaction card for offering constructive suggestions to improve drafts.
en-us
communication
Done
Quality measures in delivery include escaped defects, customer satisfaction, production rollbacks, and unplanned downtime, balancing too little and too much quality focus.
en-us
flightlevel-2
flightlevel-3
Done
Focus on delivering changes quickly while balancing quality and prioritizing valuable features, with metrics like Time in State, Cycle Time, and Lead Time to measure efficiency.
en-us
flightlevel-2
flightlevel-3
Done
Measure the flow of raw work product to balance demand and supply while maintaining quality and focusing on valuable features through metrics like throughput and velocity.
en-us
flightlevel-2
flightlevel-3
Done
Resilience in development and delivery systems is assessed through a "happiness" metric, indicating potential performance declines when teams overly focus on other metrics.
en-us
flightlevel-2
flightlevel-3
Done
Value assessment measures customer satisfaction and alignment to strategy while balancing immediate tasks and long-term goals to avoid technical debt.
en-us
flightlevel-2
flightlevel-3
Done
Consistency in delivery pace is crucial to avoid periods of low customer value and ensure process improvement without risk.
en-us
flightlevel-2
flightlevel-3
Done
Six Dimensions of Performance emphasizes balancing competing forces in organizations to enhance effectiveness and sustainability without over-relying on single metrics.
en-us
flightlevel-2
flightlevel-3
Success requires more than increased output; organizations need effective processes and sustainability to address complex issues and hidden costs.
Done
Paradigms are deep frameworks that shape perception and problem-solving, influencing both understanding and limitations in perspective.
en-us
Paradigms are frameworks that shape our perception and interpretation of problems, influencing our approach to solutions and limiting alternative perspectives.
Done
Overview of a hub and spoke network structure, commonly used in organizations and transportation.
en-us
communication
flightlevel-1
its-all-about-you
A structure with a central node connected to all other nodes, which are not connected to each other.
Common in organizational structures or transportation networks with a central hub.
Common in organizational structures or transportation networks with a central hub.
Done
Practices are adaptable, experience-based approaches that help solve recurring problems in work systems and promote effective organizational methods.
en-us
Practices are time-tested approaches used to solve recurring problems in work systems, requiring experience and maturity for effective application.
Done
Principles are foundational rules that guide decision-making in organizations, helping to adapt solutions to unique challenges.
en-us
Principles are foundational rules that guide decision-making in organizations and serve as the "why" behind what we do. Understanding core principles allows people to adapt them to their specific contexts rather than blindly following practices, ensuring solutions are properly matched to the unique challenges of each organization.
Done
Network patterns are visual archetypes that help teams understand relationships and information flow within a system using the Net‑Map Toolbox for mapping and intervention.
en-us
de-de
flightlevel-1
flightlevel-2
flightlevel-3
Network patterns are named, visual archetypes that describe how relationships and information flow in a system. The patterns give teams a shared vocabulary to spot structures like hubs, cliques, bridges, and silos, discuss implications, and choose interventions.
Done
Essentials provide practical models for designing effective work systems, synthesized from various sources and mentors.
en-us
Done
Patterns offer standardized solutions for common challenges in work systems design, enhancing workflow management and resource allocation.
en-us
A pattern is a recurring solution to a problem, providing a standardized method for effective workflow management and minimizing redundant efforts.
Done
Switching team members between different teams fosters knowledge sharing and skill development but may disrupt continuity if not managed properly.
en-us
Team members switch between teams, fostering knowledge sharing and skill development, but it can disrupt continuity if not managed properly.
Done
Merge involves combining two or more teams into a single unit to enhance collaboration and resource pooling, while requiring careful integration of team cultures.
en-us
Two or more teams merge into one for closer collaboration and resource pooling, requiring careful integration of different team cultures.
Done
Reteaming occurs when team dynamics shift due to the addition or departure of members, impacting perspectives and ideas over time.
en-us
A team changes when someone joins or leaves, impacting dynamics as new perspectives are introduced and departures alter team interactions.
Done
A team grows too large and splits into smaller teams to maintain efficiency and carry on legacy and culture.
en-us
A team grows too large to function efficiently and splits into smaller teams, preserving some legacy and culture of the original group.
Done
A smaller team is isolated from an existing team to focus on a specific task or project, often for specialized attention on critical work.
en-us
A smaller team is isolated from an existing group to focus on a specific task, often used for critical work needing specialized attention.
Done
Summary of five key dynamic reteaming patterns that help teams adapt to change in fast-moving organizations.
en-us
flightlevel-1
In Dynamic Reteaming by Heidi Helfand, five key patterns of reteaming (team restructuring) are identified. These patterns help teams adapt to change in fast-moving organizations. Here’s a summary of the five patterns described in the book:
Done
Lonesome Twosomes describes disconnected pairs of nodes that are connected to each other but isolated from other pairs, representing isolated dyads within a larger network.
en-us
communication
flightlevel-1
Pairs of nodes are connected to each other but isolated from other pairs. Represents isolated dyads or partnerships within a larger network.
Done
Celebrating diversity through a heterogeneous network that values varied interactions and different node types or connection strengths.
en-us
communication
flightlevel-1
A diverse network with varying types of connections, representing a mix of different node types or connection strengths.
Done
The Boss Is the Boss discusses strict hierarchical structures commonly found in traditional organizations and military command chains.
en-us
communication
flightlevel-1
A tree-like structure with a clear top-down hierarchy.
Done
Homogeneous coalitions are groups of nodes that are densely connected internally with few connections to other groups, typical in networks with factions or cliques.
en-us
communication
flightlevel-1
Groups of nodes that are internally densely connected but have few connections to other groups.
Done
Get Past the Dragon discusses the concept of a Gate-Keeper as a node controlling access and filtering information in a network.
en-us
communication
flightlevel-1
A node that controls access to another part of the network, often acting as a bottleneck or filter. Found in scenarios where a person or entity controls the flow of information or resources.
Done
Disconnected individuals represent isolated entities with no communication or interaction.
en-us
communication
flightlevel-1
Nodes are isolated with no connections between them.
Represents isolated individuals or entities with no communication or interaction.
Represents isolated individuals or entities with no communication or interaction.
Done
The Inner Circle describes a core-periphery network where a central group is densely connected, while peripheral nodes connect only to the core.
en-us
communication
flightlevel-1
A central core group is densely connected, while peripheral nodes connect only to the core and not to each other.
Done
Boundary spanners are individuals in a network who connect different departments or communities within organizations.
en-us
communication
flightlevel-1
A network with a subgroup that connects to another group through a single or a few nodes (boundary spanners).
Done
"Everybody Holding Hands" describes a cohesive clique as a fully connected network where every node is linked to every other node, representing tight-knit groups with strong relationships.
en-us
communication
flightlevel-1
A fully connected network where every node is connected to every other node. Represents tight-knit groups with strong relationships.






















