What are the benefits and challenges of using event storming for software design?

1 What is event storming?

Event storming is a workshop format that brings together different stakeholders, such as developers, domain experts, users, and managers, to create a shared understanding of a business problem and its potential solutions. The participants use sticky notes of different colors and shapes to represent events, commands, aggregates, policies, external systems, and other elements of the domain. They arrange them on a wall or board in a chronological order, forming a visual map of the process flow and the interactions between the components. Event storming helps to identify the core domain, the bounded contexts, the value streams, and the user stories of the software design.

2 Why use event storming?

Event storming has several advantages in terms of software design, such as fostering collaboration and communication between participants, enabling rapid discovery and validation of business requirements, supporting iterative and incremental development, facilitating alignment and consensus among participants, and providing a clear and concise representation of the domain logic. It encourages participants to share their perspectives, insights, and feedback in a dynamic way, helping to identify gaps, inconsistencies, and opportunities for improvement. The event storming model can also be modified, refined, and prioritized according to the feedback and changing needs of stakeholders. This allows for agreement on a common language, vision, and goal for the software design which can be used as a basis for implementing the software using domain-driven design principles and patterns.

3 What are the challenges of event storming?

Event storming can be a useful tool for software design, but it is not without its challenges. A skilled and experienced facilitator is needed to guide the participants, manage the time and space, ask the right questions, and resolve conflicts and misunderstandings. Additionally, the availability and engagement of the relevant stakeholders is essential as they may have different backgrounds, agendas, and expectations. Furthermore, event storming can be overwhelming and chaotic for large and complex domains due to the number of sticky notes and amount of information. It can also be biased and incomplete as the model may reflect the opinions of dominant participants or overlook important aspects or perspectives. Finally, it can be disconnected from implementation as the event storming model may not be translated into code, documentation, or testing.

4 How to use event storming effectively?

Event storming is an effective tool for software design that can help you create software that meets business needs and pleases users. To make the most of it, it's important to prepare for the workshop by setting goals, inviting the right people, and providing materials. Begin by capturing the main events and commands of the domain, then zoom in on the details. Encourage participation and interaction by asking questions and stimulating debates. Utilize simple language, symbols, and colors, and allow changes as understanding evolves. Validate and verify the model by testing it against real-world scenarios, then document and communicate the results with stakeholders and the development team.