Excerpted from DomainDrivenDesignBook

Problem: The freewheeling development of the upstream team can be cramped if the downstream team has veto power over changes, or if procedures for requesting changes are too cumbersome. The upstream team may even be inhibited, worried about breaking the downstream system. Meanwhile, the downstream team can be helpless, at the mercy of upstream priorities.

Solution: Establish a clear customer/supplier relationship between the two teams. In planning sessions, make the downstream team play the customer role to the upstream team. Negotiate and budget tasks for downstream requirements so that everyone understands the commitment and schedule.

Jointly develop automated acceptance tests that will validate the interface expected. Add these tests to the upstream team?s test suite, to be run as part of its continuous integration. This testing will free the upstream team to make changes without fear of side effects downstream.

CustomerSupplierDevelopmentTeams is mentioned on: MessagesByTopic