Different levels of disintermediation

Level 0: Multiple intermediaries

For example, developers talk to a business analyst who talks to a project manager who talks to a business representative who talks to customers.

Multiple intermediaries

Level 1: Single intermediary not accountable for outcomes

For example, developers talk to a project manager / product manager who manages requests from customers.

Single intermediary not accountable for outcomes

Level 2: Single intermediary who is accountable for outcomes

For example, developers talk to a product manager OR business person who is accountable for outcomes. I see this as the Scrum ideal.

Single intermediary accountable for outcomes

Level 3: Team directly engaging with customers and data AND directly accountable for outcomes

For example, developers/engineers engage directly with customers and data. If there are product managers or analysts, they are facilitating this direct engagement, not acting as intermediaries. I see this as the Extreme Programming ideal.

Team directly engaging with customers and data

See also

In my expression of Agile doctrine, I mentioned “reducing the distance between problems and problem-solvers”, in other words, disintermediation.

Henrik also recently mentioned this in a recent talk:

Minimize the gap! slide from Henrik Kniberg’s Agile introduction talk to the
KTH Royal Institute of Technology in 2023