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Client case

European retail player

Search & Publication domain · 70 people · 6 sub-domains

Duration
Oct. 2023 → Apr. 2024
Team
70 people
Scope
6 sub-domains

In numbers

01 70 people onboarded
02 6 sub-domains redefined
03 3 months without delivery freeze
04 200+ business events surfaced
05 4 years of organisational lifespan

01

The context

Major European retail player, Search & Publication domain. Six entangled sub-domains, blurry team boundaries, 5 years of accumulated organisational debt. Product roadmap losing momentum, teams in tension on interfaces.

02

The mission

Map the value chain, surface the business contexts, and redefine an organisation aligned with value streams — without interrupting ongoing delivery. Engage leadership and teams in a shared decision-making process.

Before

5 major pain points

  • Blurry boundaries between 6 entangled sub-domains
  • Product roadmap losing momentum, diluted priorities
  • Recurring tensions on team interfaces
  • Cross-cutting topics orphaned, unclear ownership
  • 5 years of accumulated organisational debt

After

An organisation aligned with value streams

  • Wardley Map validated by COMEX, shared language across leadership and teams
  • 6 sub-domains re-bordered with explicit boundaries
  • Formalised team topologies + interaction matrix
  • 6-12 month evolution plan aligning strategy / organisation
  • Sub-domains still operational in 2026

03

The 3 steps

01

Wardley Map

Strategic framing

Two-day workshop with the leadership team. Collaborative construction of the domain's Wardley Map to align technical roadmap and business positioning. Identification of strategic initiatives and organisational inertia.

Strategic framing
02

Event Storming

Discovery

Event Storming workshops over 4 weeks, team by team. Surfacing business events, commands and natural bounded contexts across the 6 sub-domains. Over 200 stickies consolidated.

Discovery
03

Domain Storming + Team Topologies

Organisation decisions

Re-bordering sub-domains from the bounded contexts identified. Definition of team topologies (stream-aligned, platform, enabling) and formalised interactions. Executive debrief to the COMEX.

Organisation decisions

04

Artefacts produced

Anonymised glimpse of the deliverables built with the teams

Strategic framing — leadership alignment
01 Strategic framing — leadership alignment
6 core questions for the domain
01 6 core questions for the domain
Event Storming workshop
02 Event Storming workshop
Bounded context — Data Analysis
02 Bounded context — Data Analysis
Mapping of major pain points
02 Mapping of major pain points
Team Topologies + Domain Map workshop
03 Team Topologies + Domain Map workshop
Platform ↔ Stream topology
03 Platform ↔ Stream topology
Consolidated evolution plan
03 Consolidated evolution plan

05

The outcomes

  • 01 Wardley Map validated by the COMEX
  • 02 6 sub-domains re-bordered with clear boundaries
  • 03 Formalised team topologies + interaction matrix
  • 04 6-12 month evolution plan aligning strategy / organisation
  • 05 Sub-domains still alive in 2026

Client case

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