Bernhard is an expert tester and whilst he likes the new model his organization has chosen, which means he is in a cross-functional team, he also…

A Community of Practice (CoP) is the most suitable solution for Bernhard. CoPs are voluntary groups formed around a shared interest, enabling members from different teams (and even different chapters) to share knowledge, discuss challenges, and explore emerging topics like AI-based testing. This directly addresses his need for a broader community beyond his formal chapter structure. It fosters a culture of continuous learning and collaboration, which is central to DevOps, without re-introducing the rigid silos that cross-functional teams are designed to break down. A CoP provides the perfect informal network for sharing specialized expertise and best practices across the organization.

B. Proposing a Center of Excellence (CoE) is often a move towards centralization and control, which can conflict with the autonomy and culture of DevOps teams.
C. Reverting to a functional silo would be a regressive step, undoing the benefits of the cross-functional team model his organization has adopted.
D. Limiting interactions to his chapter is insufficient, as the scenario explicitly states he seeks a broader community to supplement his chapter meetups.

1. Kim, G., Humble, J., Debois, P., & Willis, J. (2016). The DevOps Handbook: How to Create World-Class Agility, Reliability, & Security in Technology Organizations. IT Revolution Press.

Section: Part V, Chapter 23, "How to Get Started on Your DevOps Journey".

Content: The book advocates for creating Communities of Practice as informal, voluntary groups where people can meet to discuss common interests and share knowledge. This mechanism is presented as a way to "reinforce the desired culture" and connect specialists across different teams, which directly aligns with solving Bernhard's problem.

2. Wenger, E., McDermott, R., & Snyder, W. M. (2002). Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge. Harvard Business School Press.

Section: Chapter 1, "Introduction: A New Frontier".

Content: This foundational text defines CoPs as "groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis." This definition perfectly describes the type of group Bernhard needs to connect with others interested in AI-based testing.

3. Kniberg, H., & Ivarsson, A. (2012). Scaling Agile @ Spotify with Tribes, Squads, Chapters & Guilds.

Section: "Guilds".

Content: This widely referenced paper on the "Spotify Model" describes a Guild as a "community of interest" that is wider than a chapter, cutting across the entire organization. Anyone can join a guild, making it the ideal structure for someone like Bernhard who wants to connect with a broad group on a specific topic (e.g., a "testing guild" or an "AI automation guild").