In my last newsletter, I mentioned that I would talk about other methods. Conway’s Law, one of the fundamental theories we can refer to understand organizational dynamics, forms the basis of the method I’ll share today. In summary, Conway’s Law describes the connection between the communication structure of organizations and the systems they design.
Conway’s Law posits a direct correlation between the communication structures of organizations and the designs of the systems they produce. This principle suggests that the way teams are structured and communicate will inherently shape the products they develop. Building on this idea, James Coplien, in his renowned work “Organizational Patterns of Agile Software Development,” introduces an innovative application of CRC (Classes, Responsibilities, and Collaborators) Cards, a tool initially designed for software design by Beck and Cunningham.
Coplien repurposes CRC Cards to analyze organizational structures rather than just software architecture. Each index card represents a role within the organization, turning these simple cards into a powerful information-gathering technique. This approach is particularly effective in group settings, enabling the collection of data from an entire organization in just a couple of sessions lasting a few hours each. The analysis of data derived from CRC Cards can be approached quantitatively, revealing three significant measures:
Number of roles: This measure focuses on the roles themselves rather than the individuals filling them, providing insight into the complexity and division of responsibilities within the organization.
Communication saturation: This metric assesses the percentage of potential communication paths that are actively used, offering a glimpse into the efficiency and openness of the organizational communication landscape.
Communication intensity ratio: By comparing the number of communication paths of the busiest role to the average number of paths in the organization, this ratio highlights how communication is concentrated, indicating potential bottlenecks or points of strain.
By integrating Conway’s Law with the analytical power of CRC Cards, organizations can gain profound insights into how their internal structures impact their output. This method not only reinforces the importance of thoughtful organizational design for agile development but also provides a practical tool for identifying and addressing areas in need of improvement. Whether it’s streamlining communication, redistributing responsibilities, or reevaluating roles, the insights garnered from this approach can guide significant enhancements in both the process and product of software development, as well as in the dynamics of the organization as a whole.
İmage source: https://jeffsutherland.com/