Domain-Driven Transformation

Navigating Legacy Systems with Domain-Driven Design
Carola Lilienthal and Henning Schwentner

Domain-Driven Transformation

Domain-Driven Transformation

Carola Lilienthal and Henning Schwentner
🇬🇧 English
Advanced

Online
Total duration: 10h30

Timezone: Europe, Amsterdam
Monday April 20 09:00 - 12:30
Tuesday April 21 09:00 - 12:30
Wednesday April 22 09:00 - 12:30
 
Timezone: Asia, Kolkata
Monday April 20 12:30 - 16:00
Tuesday April 21 12:30 - 16:00
Wednesday April 22 12:30 - 16:00


Starting a new project from scratch with a clean slate is one thing; tackling legacy systems with chaotic architectures is another. Many teams inherit systems described as “Monoliths” or “Big Balls of Mud,” and this workshop focuses on how to bring order to such challenges.

Who should attend?

This workshop is created for software developers and software architects. You already have an understanding of fundamental DDD concepts like strategic design, tactical design, and ubiquitous language.

Learning objectives

Participants will learn how to evaluate their current systems and identify steps to introduce—or restore—structure. After an introduction to key principles, the workshop will explore three levels of transformation: tactical, socio-technical, and strategic. The Modularity Maturity Index (MMI) will guide teams to determine their best path forward, starting with a focus on understanding the domain. Using Collaborative Modeling, attendees will gain actionable insights to design a clear and future-ready architecture.

A mix of foundational theory and hands-on exercises will equip participants with practical strategies to address common challenges, such as BBOM architecture, anemic domain models, and disorganized teams. By the end of the workshop, attendees will have a catalog of proven refactorings, actionable heuristics, and concrete tools to immediately evolve their own projects.

Agenda

  • Opening story
  • Introductory example
  • Diagnosis of legacy software
  • Strategic Transformation:
    • Step 1: Domain re-discovery
    • Step 1 exercise
    • Step 2: Modeling the target architecture
    • Step 3: Aligning current with target architecture
    • Step 4: Do the move
  • Tactical Transformation
  • Team transformation
  • Conclusion

Tickets

Early bird: €900 (ex VAT) — Save €300 until February 28, 2026
Regular price: €1,200 (ex VAT)

Get your ticket
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What participants say about this workshop

"The slides were great to follow—simple but therefore very good to understand. A few concepts are now clearer in my head and I have better arguments for what DDD is good for. In the short term, I'll ask myself what of the learned things we already use in our project and for what reason we may do things differently on purpose. Long term, the session has given me clarity on several concepts and better arguments for what DDD is good for."

- Benjamin Rosemeier, Maibornwolff GmbH - workshop participant 2025

"Really useful content with a great presentation by and discussions with Carola. I will share the approaches with my team and there are multiple principles we can apply. 9/10"

- Workshop participant 2025

Domain-Driven Transformation: Modernize Legacy Systems and Mitigate Risk

Written by Carola Lilienthal and Henning Schwentner - Published by O'Reilly

book cover

Get the book

To prepare legacy software for the future, it's essential to modernize it. Domain-Driven Transformation provides an effective approach for transforming large legacy systems—either by breaking them into microservices or by converting them into maintainable modular monoliths.

In this guide, Carola Lilienthal and Henning Schwentner present their method, a comprehensive approach for transforming architecturally eroded software systems at the strategic, technical, and team organizational levels. You'll learn how to analyze business processes, break them down into bounded contexts, and apply domain-driven refactorings within Agile teams. Finally, this book offers guidance on designing the transformation process based on the current state of the existing architecture.

Packed with real-world examples and case-driven insights, you'll uncover the tools you need to build systems that scale, support business agility, and remain resilient over time.

  • Assess your system's modularity and architectural health with the Modularity Maturity Index (MMI)
  • Apply strategic and tactical domain-driven design (DDD) to manage complexity
  • Reorganize and align your teams with Team Topologies
  • Use EventStorming, domain storytelling, and Scenario Casting to clarify design
  • Refactor incrementally with patterns that reduce risk while delivering value

Carola Lilienthal

About Carola Lilienthal

Dr. Carola Lilienthal is a software architect at WPS - Workplace Solutions and has been developing software architectures according to the principles of Domain Driven Design with her teams for almost 20 years. She shares her knowledge in books and articles as well as through presentations at conferences. Her new book "Domain-Driven Transformation" will be published in 2024.

All workshops by Carola Lilienthal
@cairolali
carola-lilienthal-a1331073
Henning Schwentner

About Henning Schwentner

Henning loves programming in high quality. He lives this passion as coder, coach, and consultant at WPS – Workplace Solutions in Hamburg, Germany. There he helps teams to structure their monoliths or to build new systems from the beginning with a sustainable architecture. Henning is author of “Domain Storytelling – A Collaborative Modeling Method” and the www.LeasingNinja.io as well as translator of “Domain-Driven Design kompakt”.

All workshops by Henning Schwentner
@hschwentner

Domain-Driven Transformation

Carola Lilienthal and Henning Schwentner
🇬🇧 English
Advanced

Online
Total duration: 10h30

Timezone: Europe, Amsterdam
Monday April 20 09:00 - 12:30
Tuesday April 21 09:00 - 12:30
Wednesday April 22 09:00 - 12:30
 
Timezone: Asia, Kolkata
Monday April 20 12:30 - 16:00
Tuesday April 21 12:30 - 16:00
Wednesday April 22 12:30 - 16:00


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