Organization and Roles
A delivery organization is more than an org chart. It is a system of roles, teams, and structures designed to move work from strategy to value — reliably and continuously.
How an organization is structured shapes how it behaves. Team boundaries determine where dependencies form. Decision rights determine where work slows down. The design of the delivery organization is itself a design decision — one with direct consequences for flow, quality, and adaptability.
ASP describes the delivery organization at three levels: portfolio, development value stream (DVS), and team. Each level has a distinct focus and set of responsibilities. The levels are interdependent — what is decided at portfolio shapes what DVS manages, which shapes what teams build.
Scope
The content in this section covers the delivery organization — the teams, functions, and roles responsible for developing and delivering value. It does not cover the line organization (people management, HR, capacity planning). The relationship between the two is described in Delivery Organization Scope.
Structure by Level
Portfolio
The portfolio level is responsible for strategy, investment decisions, and governance. It connects organizational goals to the development value streams that will realize them.
→ Portfolio Organization · Portfolio Roles
Development Value Stream (DVS)
The DVS level is the operational delivery organization. One or more teams work together within a shared backlog, cadence, and planning rhythm. Product management and program management are both functions at this level.
→ DVS Organization · DVS Roles
Team
The team level is where work is designed, built, tested, and operated. Teams are autonomous, cross-functional, and own their product or service end-to-end.
→ Team Organization · Team Roles
Enabling Areas
Alongside the three levels, a set of enabling areas — architecture, quality, CI/CD, UX, and agile enablement — provide shared principles, specialist support, and capability development across the organization.