DDD Europe 2024 - Program

Systems Thinking for Innovation

Main Conference - Hands-on Lab

Speakers

Lorraine Steyn and Ayesha Bagus

Lorraine SteynAyesha Bagus
Schedule
Friday 31 from 14:30 until 16:30
Description

(This is a hands-on lab with limited capacity)

Systems Thinking encourages big-picture perspectives. Learn the basic techniques of being a Systems Thinker, with an emphasis on why the discipline is helpful for innovation.

This very practical workshop presents a number of hands-on scenarios for attendees to apply Systems Thinking to arrive at more innovative solutions. We review why Systems Thinking helps to reframe problems as opportunities.

We will also explore how to use a Systems Thinking lens to avoid complexity. Attendees will work in groups to create a checklist of ways to identify unnecessary complexity, from reviewing the big picture to looking for leverage points.

Prerequisites

Come willing to explore ideas :)

About Lorraine Steyn

Lorraine founded the software development company Khanyisa Real Systems (KRS) in 1987. The company now employs around 60 technical staff, and has delivered large bespoke projects for hundreds of clients. Lorraine is a hands-on CEO who spends 3-4 days a week working on production code with her teams, mentoring, assisting with design, and driving quality and learning.

Lorraine has presented on such varied topics as Domain-Driven-Design, compassionate leadership, clean code and refactoring, women in tech, and many Agile topics dear to her heart (often based in XP practices).

About Ayesha Bagus

An organisation needs someone who is solely focused on people.

It’s an ironic phenomenon that as our world becomes increasingly automated through technology, our businesses have become more people centered than ever before. I focus on being in tune with the general attitudes and feelings of employees and knowing that these two factors largely contribute to working styles and actual work produced.

I work closely with the Leadership Team on all aspects of organisational effectiveness, ensuring that the culture enables people to do their best work, and that HR policies and processes are aligned with the needs of the organisation and do not hinder our employees progress. Using an inclusion lens, I aim to be a thought partner to employees, guiding the company's talent strategy, and acting as a key steward of KRS’s culture. Success for me in this role is balancing compassion with integrity, strategy with intuition and rigor with humaneness.