CTO Playbook interview: Steel thread, event storming & target architectures

I was invited by Adam Horner to The CTO Playbook. Discover why having your own playbook is critical for complex projects and how to leverage it for success.

Steel Thread, Event Storming & Target Architectures — Zac Beckman's Guide to Predictable Delivery (on The CTO Playbook).

Recently, I was interviewed on The CTO Playbook with Adam Horner. This was a terrific opportunity and a tremendous pleasure.

I talk about what a Delivery Playbook is and why something as simple as a checklist is critical for complex software projects. We also talk about how event storming and steel threads prevent costly surprises in delivery, and how lessons from government projects, cruise lines, and iPhone launches shaped my own approach to better technical delivery.

We go deep on why a visual “subway map” model makes software development easier to navigate, and how to make customer needs front and center throughout an entire project.

Video timestamps

• [00:00] Introduction

• [01:57] Why software projects need a checklist approach

• [03:04] Mistakes early in Zac’s career that led to building a playbook

• [05:08] The role of structure and guardrails in complex delivery

• [06:04]…