Conway's Law and Team Design

Engineering Organization and Team Leadership · 3:14

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Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Meet Conway, he discovered something true
Teams that talk will build what they can do
If you've got four groups working on one thing
Four components is what the code will bring
Communication flows like water down a hill
Your software mirrors how your people build

[Chorus]
Conway's Law says what you get is what you are
Teams shape code like wishes on a star
If you want clean systems, design your crew
Communication patterns will pull you through
Mirror, mirror, on the wall
Teams and code will match them all

[Verse 2]
Database team talks only to their side
Frontend crew keeps secrets they can hide
When silos form and people never meet
Your architecture gets messy incomplete
But when you plan the way your people connect
Amazing software systems you'll architect

[Chorus]
Conway's Law says what you get is what you are
Teams shape code like wishes on a star
If you want clean systems, design your crew
Communication patterns will pull you through
Mirror, mirror, on the wall
Teams and code will match them all

[Bridge]
Want microservices clean and bright?
Make small teams with ownership rights
Need a monolith that's built just right?
Keep your people talking day and night
Cross-functional squads will break down walls
When diverse minds collaborate and call

[Verse 3]
So before you write a single line of code
Think about the team communication road
Put the right people in the right formation
They'll build you systems beyond your imagination
Conway showed us fifty years ago
Your org chart is your software's flow

[Chorus]
Conway's Law says what you get is what you are
Teams shape code like wishes on a star
If you want clean systems, design your crew
Communication patterns will pull you through
Mirror, mirror, on the wall
Teams and code will match them all

[Outro]
Design your teams to get what you need
Conway's wisdom helps you succeed

The Four Team Topologies →