Catalog
concept#Product#Delivery#Communication#Efficiency

Conway's Law

Conway's Law describes the relationship between an organization's structure and the architecture of the systems it produces.

Conway's Law states that an organization's structure influences the structure of the software it develops.
Established
Medium

Classification

  • Medium
  • Organizational
  • Design
  • Intermediate

Technical context

Integration into existing processes.Collaboration with other departments.Use of tools to support communication.

Principles & goals

The structure of an organization influences the software architecture.Cross-functional teams promote efficiency.Communication is key to the success of software projects.
Build
Enterprise, Domain

Use cases & scenarios

Compromises

  • Misunderstandings between teams can impair efficiency.
  • Difficulties in integrating new team structures.
  • Lack of management support can jeopardize success.
  • Regularly review team structures.
  • Promote an open communication culture.
  • Train employees in agile methods.

I/O & resources

  • Organizational Structure
  • Goals of Software Development
  • Current Software Architecture
  • Optimized Team Structure
  • Improved Software Architecture
  • Increased Efficiency

Description

Conway's Law states that an organization's structure influences the structure of the software it develops. If a company is organized in silos, the software is likely to be structured in silos as well. This has far-reaching implications for efficiency, communication, and ultimately the success of software projects.

✔

  • Improved team communication.
  • More efficient software development.
  • Increased flexibility in software architecture.

✖

  • Can lead to silos if not implemented correctly.
  • Requires continuous adjustment of team structures.
  • Can provoke resistance to change.

  • Team Productivity

    Measurement of team efficiency and productivity.

  • Communication Quality

    Assessment of the effectiveness of communication between teams.

  • Software Quality

    Measurement of the quality of the developed software.

Successful Transition to Agile Methods

A company changed its structure to integrate agile methods, resulting in a significant improvement in software quality.

Optimizing Software Architecture through Team Restructuring

By restructuring the teams, the software architecture was simplified and maintainability increased.

Increasing Efficiency through Cross-Functional Teams

A company found that cross-functional teams increased efficiency and reduced time to market.

1

Analyze the current team structure.

2

Identify areas for improvement.

3

Implement the new team structure.

⚠️ Technical debt & bottlenecks

  • Outdated technologies due to lack of adaptation.
  • Difficulties in integrating new systems.
  • Insufficient documentation of the software architecture.
Communication BarriersSilosResistance to Change
  • Introducing silos in the team structure.
  • Resistance to agile methods.
  • Insufficient training of employees.
  • Assuming that structure has no impact.
  • Overlooking the importance of communication.
  • Sticking to old habits.
Ability to lead teams.Knowledge of agile methods.Communication skills.
Adaptability of the software architecture.Integration of new technologies.Scalability of systems.
  • • Regulatory requirements for software development.
  • • Budget constraints.
  • • Technological limitations.