#147 - Collaborative Software Design: How to Facilitate Domain Modeling Decisions - Evelyn Van Kelle & Gien Verschatse Tech Lead Journal

“Collaborative modeling is getting the relevant people into a room to solve a problem or get on the same page about what it is you’re solving and getting some directions for that solution."

Evelyn and Gien are the co-authors of “Collaborative Software Design: How to Facilitate Domain Modeling Decisions”. In this episode, we discussed collaborative software design and why we need it in software development. Evelyn and Gien started by explaining the Cynefin framework in software development and the importance of having heuristics for making quick decisions. We then dived deep into discussing what collaborative modeling is, how to get people involved to collaborate, and the important role of a facilitator. We also talked about the socio-technical aspects and skills required in collaborative modeling, in particular, understanding the influence of cognitive bias and ranking. Towards the end, we discussed when we should do a collaborative modeling exercise, how to structure it, and tips for doing it remotely.  

Listen out for:


Career Journey - [00:06:53]
Collaborative Software Design - [00:09:28]
Complicated vs Complex Problems - [00:12:24]
Heuristics - [00:15:07]
Collaborating Modeling - [00:19:03]


The Facilitator Role - [00:24:55]
Socio Technical Skills - [00:30:10]
Cognitive Bias - [00:33:10]
The Influence of Ranking - [00:38:51]
Collaborative Modelling Structure - [00:47:00]
When to do Collaborative Modeling - [00:51:38]
Remote Collaborative Modeling - [00:55:34]
3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:58:45]

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Evelyn van Kelle’s BioEvelyn van Kelle is a strategic software delivery consultant, with experience in coaching, advising, facilitating, and guiding organizations and teams in designing and maintaining socio-technical systems. She blends different techniques, tools and approaches from behavioral and social sciences, collaborative modeling and Domain-Driven Design, to help leadership teams achieve sustainable transformations. Evelyn loves to share her knowledge by speaking at international conferences and meetups.

Gien Verschatse’s BioGien Verschatse is an experienced consultant and software engineer that specializes in domain modelling and software architecture. As a Domain-Driven Design practitioner, she always looks to bridge the gaps between experts, users, and engineers. As a side interest, she’s researching the science of decision-making strategies, to help teams improve how they make technical and organizational decisions. She shares her knowledge by speaking and teaching at international conferences. When she is not doing all that, you’ll find her on the sofa, reading a book and sipping coffee.

Follow Evelyn:


LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/evelynvankell
X – @EvelynvanKell

Follow Gien:


LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/gien-verschatse
X – @selketjah

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Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/147
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