Shared-specialist engagement
How the pooled specialists — AI, Security, DevOps, Data, Design, Agile Coach — serve squads as enabling teams, building capability rather than becoming permanent dependencies.
The four modes
A squad engages a specialist in one of four ways:
- Embedded for a phase — the specialist joins the squad for a defined stretch (e.g. Security through Design).
- Office hours — regular slots for questions and quick reviews.
- Gate reviewer — the specialist signs a specific gate (e.g. Security at Design Review).
- Incident on-call — pulled in when something breaks.
The rule that keeps it healthy
Specialists build capability in squads, not dependence. An enabling team that does the work forever becomes a bottleneck and a single point of failure. The goal is that the squad can do more itself next time — the specialist teaches the pattern, then steps back.
How to engage
- Embedded — request via the Delivery Manager at phase planning; agreed for a defined phase, not open-ended.
- Office hours — book a slot; published calendar per specialism.
- Gate review — request in the PR / gate checklist itself; the specialist signs there.
- Incident — via the on-call escalation path in the service runbook.
Expected response: office-hours within the week; gate reviews within the gate's SLA; contention is arbitrated by the Delivery Manager. (Named calendars and rotas are set up when the specialists are pooled — pending staffing.)
Standards referenced: Team Topologies (enabling teams).