# Doing a LeSS Flip in Two Months with Org Topologies

> Roland Flemm on how Stacker, a Dutch EV-charging scale-up with 50 R&D people, did a LeSS flip in about two months using Org Topologies.

- Author: Roland Flemm
- Published: 2025-05-19 (updated 2025-05-20)
- Type: case study · industry: Energy
- Categories: Case Studies
- Canonical: https://www.orgtopologies.com/post/doing-a-less-flip-in-two-months-with-org-topologies
- Audio: https://www.orgtopologies.com/audio/post/doing-a-less-flip-in-two-months-with-org-topologies/male.mp3 · https://www.orgtopologies.com/audio/post/doing-a-less-flip-in-two-months-with-org-topologies/female.mp3

This video presents Roland's account of a Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS) transformation at Stacker, a Dutch company operating in the electric vehicle charging market. Stacker's 50-person R&D department faced challenges with increasing time to market and a decline in innovation, despite workforce growth.

There is also a [written case study by Roland on this.](https://www.orgtopologies.com/post/preventing-transformation-mistakes-with-org-topologies)

**Key Aspects of the Transformation:**

- **The Challenge:** As Stacker transitioned from a startup to a scale-up, adding more personnel did not resolve issues such as delivery delays, lengthening time to market, and a decreasing rate of innovation \[[03:14](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnB_k-4GwIA&t=194)\].
- **The Approach:** The engineering and product heads, influenced by employees familiar with LeSS, opted to implement the LeSS framework to tackle these problems \[[04:45](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnB_k-4GwIA&t=285)\].
- **Core Lessons Learned:**
    - The significance of management's comprehension and backing of LeSS \[[06:55](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnB_k-4GwIA&t=415)\].
    - The value of shared ownership of problems and solutions, aided by Org Topologies \[[07:38](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnB_k-4GwIA&t=458)\].
    - The necessity of monitoring a "critical mass of believers" for a smooth transition \[[08:21](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnB_k-4GwIA&t=501)\].
    - The importance of volunteering, adhering to a strict target date, focused coaching, and the ability to improvise \[[10:11](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnB_k-4GwIA&t=611)\].
- **Transformation Timeline:** The entire process, from initial discussions to the "flip" (the go-live date), spanned approximately two months \[[13:43](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnB_k-4GwIA&t=823)\].
- **Change Team & Focus:** A dedicated change team of 15 individuals from diverse roles was assembled to prepare for the LeSS implementation \[[16:13](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnB_k-4GwIA&t=973)\]. The transformation concentrated on three main areas: the product backlog, ways of working, and technology \[[18:17](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnB_k-4GwIA&t=1097)\].
- **New Team Structure:** The reorganized structure comprised three areas, each targeting a specific customer segment. Teams were assigned based on feature requirements \[[28:53](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnB_k-4GwIA&t=1733)\].
- **Training and Implementation:** Comprehensive training sessions were held to educate teams on Scrum, LeSS, and associated concepts \[[44:54](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnB_k-4GwIA&t=2694)\]. The "flip" day involved defining the "definition of done," clarifying product backlogs, enabling self-designing teams, and establishing team agreements \[[48:28](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnB_k-4GwIA&t=2908)\].
- **Post-Transformation:** The initial sprint following the flip prioritized learning, understanding customer needs, and addressing existing technical debt \[[01:05:16](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnB_k-4GwIA&t=3916)\]. A rotating support duty was established to manage bugs and foster continuous improvement \[[56:16](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnB_k-4GwIA&t=3376)\]. Coaching efforts centered on multi-learning, reducing complexity, and ensuring universal contribution \[[01:02:08](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnB_k-4GwIA&t=3728)\].
- **Observed Outcomes:** The transformation resulted in enhanced learning, a better grasp of customer needs, and the identification of technical debt \[[01:05:16](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnB_k-4GwIA&t=3916)\].
- **Role of Org Topologies:** Roland emphasized the utility of Org Topologies in comprehending and tackling organizational design challenges \[[01:11:55](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnB_k-4GwIA&t=4315)\].

```youtube
QnB_k-4GwIA
```

## Elevating Katas in this case

- Applied: [Enabling Team Self-Design](https://www.orgtopologies.com/elevating-katas#enabling-team-self-design). Teams designed themselves on flip day.
- Applied: [Volunteering for Work](https://www.orgtopologies.com/elevating-katas#volunteering-for-work). People volunteered for the new setup during the flip.
- Applied: [Forming a Team-of-Teams](https://www.orgtopologies.com/elevating-katas#forming-a-team-of-teams). Teams were grouped into three customer-segment areas.
- Applied: [Expanding and Sharing the Definition of Done Across Teams](https://www.orgtopologies.com/elevating-katas#expanding-and-sharing-the-definition-of-done-across-teams). A shared Definition of Done was defined on flip day.
- Applied: [Sharing Ownership Across Teams](https://www.orgtopologies.com/elevating-katas#sharing-ownership-across-teams). Rotating support duty shared bug ownership across teams.

The full catalog: https://www.orgtopologies.com/elevating-katas.md