Product-decision autonomy is the degree to which a team can choose product direction, priorities, and roadmap decisions within its value stream. Teams with roadmap ownership make more decisions locally, improving flow and keeping judgment close to customers. Being told what to build can reduce innovation, motivation, and flow. section 11.3.1
Assess autonomy by asking:
- Can the team define its roadmap from what it discovers is best for the product and its users? section 11.3.1
- Does the team provide discrete value within a well-defined sphere of execution? section 11.3.1
- When another value stream influences priorities, does the team participate in discovery and design and retain final decisions for its own work? section 11.3.1
A legitimate constraint
A supporting subdomain team may reasonably let a core domain value stream heavily influence its roadmap. Autonomy remains healthier when the supporting team understands the purpose, participates in discovery and design, and decides what belongs in its own value stream. section 11.3.1
