Tech Lead Journal

“It’s great if developers have understanding about the domain, because then they can propose better solutions, that’s not necessarily the same solution that the users have in mind, which are often limited by what they know."

Stefan Hofer is the co-author of Domain Storytelling–a collaborative, visual and agile way to build domain-driven software. In this episode, Stefan shared the story of how he came up with Domain Storytelling and explained how this technique can help us understand business domain better and bridge the misunderstandings between software developers and domain experts. Stefan walked us through how the modeling works, including the notations and other pictorial aspects of it, and emphasized the importance of the collaborative aspect of Domain Storytelling. Stefan then explained how Domain Storytelling differs from other similar modeling techniques, such as Event Storming, and gave practical tips on how to run a successful online collaborative workshop.

Listen out for:

• Career Journey - [00:05:51]
• How Domain Storytelling Started - [00:07:01]
• Misunderstandings are Common Problems - [00:09:52]
• Importance of Understanding Domain - [00:12:08]
• Domain Storytelling - [00:13:46]
• The DDD Angle- [00:19:01]
• When Domain Expert is Unavailable - [00:20:34]
• Domain Storytelling Tools - [00:22:59]
• Pictographic Language - [00:25:51]
• Translating into Software - [00:30:23]
• Difference with Event Storming - [00:33:24]
• Online Collaborative Workshop - [00:38:00]
• 3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:43:13]

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Stefan Hofer’s Bio
Stefan Hofer is bad at drawing. However, he thinks he can build up domain knowledge by drawing domain stories. Stefan studied software engineering in Austria and earned a PhD in computer science. Since 2005, he has been working for WPS – Workplace Solutions in Hamburg, Germany. His job there is to help teams develop software that does the right job the right way. He maintains domainstorytelling.org.

Follow Stefan:

• Twitter – @hofstef
• LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/hofstef/
• Website – https://domainstorytelling.org/
• Egon.io – http://egon.io/

Our Sponsor

Today’s episode is proudly sponsored by Skills Matter, the global community and events platform for software professionals.
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For more info about the episode (including quotes and transcript), visit techleadjournal.dev/episodes/75.