Posted on 2026-02-04 - 2 minute read

For our 10th anniversary, we have asked some of our speakers to reflect on how Domain-Driven Design, the community, or the conference itself has evolved over the past decade.

Gien Verschatse is an experienced consultant and software engineer at Aardling. She specialises in domain modelling and software architecture. She has experience in many domains such as the biotech industry, where she specialised in DNA building. She's fluent in both object-oriented and functional programming, mostly in .NET. As a Domain-Driven Design practitioner, she always looks to bridge the gaps between experts, users, and engineers.

10 years of DDD Europe – From Tactical Patterns and Back Again

by Gien Verschatse

I don’t remember the talk, but I do remember the question: “Who has read Part IV, Strategic Design, of the blue book?” I also remember the many hands that stayed down.

When I first encountered Domain-Driven Design (DDD), the focus was overwhelmingly on tactical patterns. What exactly is an aggregate, and how do you keep it from becoming unmanageable in your code? Questions like these dominated discussions. Jokes about oversized aggregates were common, too. The company I worked for at the time proudly declared, “We do DDD,” meaning they used tactical patterns. Everything revolved around tactical design.

Over the past decade, I’ve watched the DDD community shift its focus away from tactical patterns. People began to realise that Part IV of the book held valuable insights that shouldn’t be overlooked. Conversations increasingly turned to strategic design rather than tactical implementation.

As the community’s focus expanded to strategic design, the perspective broadened. It became about more than just software systems and their architecture. The concept of sociotechnical systems entered the DDD lexicon, bringing with it a new toolkit of techniques, practices, and principles. Wardley mapping is a good example of this evolution.

Today, we continue to think holistically, but we’ve also come to recognise that tactical patterns cannot be neglected. They’re making a comeback! My colleague Thomas is currently writing a blog post on this very topic. In it, he argues that “Tactical patterns are crucial,” and I wholeheartedly agree. To get the most out of Domain-Driven Design, you need both strategic and tactical design. I’m glad to see the community rediscovering this balance. Who knows, maybe the “Your aggregate is so big” jokes will make a comeback too!

Gien Verschatse is responsible for the Program of DDD Europe 2026. Check out our speakers and program to see who's joining us this year.