Robotic Intelligence / Subsumption Architecture: Revolutionizing Agile Scaling

Robotic Intelligence for Scaling Agile: Exploring Subsumption Architecture

Can the Subsumption architecture used in robotics assist in scaling Scrum/Agile? Absolutely! Mike Beedle, the inventor of Enterprise Scrum and a signatory of the Agile Manifesto, demonstrated its effectiveness in Enterprise Scrum.

If you've tried scaling agile with frameworks like SAFe, LeSS, or Scrum at Scale, but are struggling with managing dependencies, bottlenecks, and delays as more agile teams are added, it may be time to consider leveraging the architecture used in robotics—specifically, Subsumption.

Mike used to say, "Ideally all hierarchy is in subsumption." Hierarchy isn't necessarily negative if it doesn't rely on hierarchical control from managers. Instead, an organization should be designed so that higher levels subsume lower levels while maintaining autonomy and enabling collaborative integration across the entire organization. Implementing an organizational structure based on the Subsumption architecture allows for self-managed teams that can deliver products and services faster to the market.

In this discussion, we'll explain the concept of subsumption, showcase its real-world application at Livelo in Brazil, provide insights on implementing and scaling Scrum with it at multiple levels, and discuss the main challenges and advantages associated with this approach.