Satisfying Software

João Rosa joins Gien Verschatse to unpack what it really means for teams to deliver value, covering the three dimensions of value most companies collapse into one, why "autonomy" is often just a recruitment story, and why satisfying software should ultimately be invisible. Full transcript and notes at https://aardling.eu/en/insights/the-learning-organisation-with-joao-rosa

Gien Verschatse sits down with Andrea Magnorsky, an independent consultant and creator of Bytesize Architecture Sessions. In their conversation they touch upon:- Why companies struggle to make good decisions- How to document decisions and make them useful- Involving the right people, not necessarily the most senior- The Decision "KP" mapAnd of course, Andrea answers what Satisfying Software means to her.A transcript can be found on the Aardling website https://aardling.eu/en/insights/how-to-fix-your-decision-making-processes-with-andrea-magnorsky

Gien Verschatse sits down with Hannes Lowette, a software consultant and head of learning and development at Axxes. They discuss how software engineers can make the most of their L&D budget and share practical tips for organisations looking to upskill their teams in the age of AI.

Visit aardling.eu for the full transcript and more notes.

This time on Satisfying Software, Gien Verschatse talks with Kenny Baas-Schwegler, co-author of Collaborative Software Design and Software Architecture Enabler at DHL.
In this conversation, Gien and Kenny get into the nuts and bolts of designing software systems which solve business problems. They cover:
The difference between domains, subdomains, and bounded contexts
Why subdomains and bounded contexts don't need a one-to-one relationship
How organisational structure and software design interact — and where they conflict
Why interaction between bounded contexts matters more than the contexts themselves
How to name bounded contexts in a way that keeps teams focused on problems, not solutions
The common frustrations Kenny sees when teams practice DDD
What truly satisfying software looks and feels like in practice
⠀Shownotes:
Collaborative Software Design book
Kenny’s session at DDD Europe, Interactively designing distributed systems integration with collaborative modelling
Follow Kenny on LinkedIn
A transcript can be found on our website

Susanne Kaiser is a software consultant and author of “Architecture for Flow” which details an approach which meshes together Domain-Driven Design, Wardley Mapping, and Team Topologies.

In this conversation, Gien Verschatse and Susanne Kaiser explore why so many teams build technically impressive systems that still don't deliver real business value.

They dig into:
Why developers jump into solution space before truly understanding the problem
How Wardley Mapping helps you anchor architecture decisions to actual user needs (and why Susanne prefers it over other strategic tools)
The important links between team structure, Conway's Law, and system design
What climatic patterns are and how companies like Nokia and Blockbuster ignored them.
Why AI amplifies existing processes (good and bad) and what that means for your architecture right now.

Shownotes:
Susanne’s book: https://architectureforflow.com/
Wardly Mapping: https://www.wardleymaps.com/
Architecture for Flow workshop at DDD Europe: https://2026.dddeurope.com/program/architecture-for-flow/