Work System Types provide a framework for understanding value-creating constellations in organizations to enhance design and coordination.
Work System Types provide a shared language to describe the kinds of value‑creating constellations that exist in an organization. Before designing boards, cadences, or improvement experiments, it helps to name the system you’re dealing with. Doing so clarifies intent, boundaries, interfaces, and the kind of coordination and governance it needs.
Use these types to:
- Frame conversations about scope, outcomes, and success signals
- Reveal dependencies between systems and the handoffs to design intentionally
- Choose fitting principles, practices, and pattern families (e.g., flight routes, reteaming)
Enabling Functions provide essential internal services and governance to enhance an organization's delivery capability and operational effectiveness.
Customer-Facing Products and Services deliver value directly to paying customers, integrating internal functions and external channels to shape reputation and drive revenue.
Supporting Products and Services provide internal products or services that enable and stabilize customer-facing systems through shared platforms and reusable components.
Pop-Up Systems are temporary, goal-oriented teams formed to address specific challenges and dissolve after achieving their objectives.