Lehman’s laws of software evolution, and, in particular, continuing growth, captures the evolutionary pressure to add capabilities as systems are used and new demands or opportunities are perceived.
The basic thesis [ . . . . ] is that organizations which design systems [ . . . . ] are constrained to produce designs which are copies of the communication structures of these organizations. We have seen that this fact has important implications for the management of system design. Primarily, we have found a criterion for the structuring of design organizations: a design effort should be organized according to the need for communication.1
Formal structure (the org chart)—facilitates compliance Informal structure—the “realm of influence” between individuals Value creation structure—how work actually gets done based on inter-personal and inter-team reputation
A sort of “revival” of Conway’s law took place around 2015, when microservices architectures were on the rise. In particular, James Lewis, Technical Director at Thoughtworks, and others came up with the idea of applying an “inverse Conway maneuver” (or reverse Conway maneuver), whereby an organization focuses on organizing team structures to match the architecture they want the system to exhibit rather than expecting teams to follow a mandated architecture design.
Dan Pink’s three elements of intrinsic motivation: autonomy (quashed by constant juggling of requests and priorities from multiple teams), mastery (“jack of all trades, master of none”), and purpose (too many domains of responsibility).11
Team Members Need a Team-First Mindset The team should be the fundamental means of delivery rather than the individual. If we follow this team-first approach, we need to ensure that the people within our teams also have (or develop) a team-first mindset. This may be unfamiliar to some people, but with the right coaching and time to learn, many people adapt. For teams to work, team members should put the needs of the team above their own. They should: Arrive for stand-ups and meetings on time. Keep discussions and investigations on track. Encourage a focus on team goals. Help unblock other team members before starting on new work. Mentor new or less experienced team members. Avoid “winning” arguments and, instead, agree to explore options.