Software development is a complex field where communication and collaboration play crucial roles as it affects the way software is developed.
In this article we will talk about Conway's Law, which states that “software is a copy of the company that develops it, therefore poorly structured companies consequently develop poorly structured software”.
Created by Melvin Conway, he describes Conway's Law something like this: “Any organization that designs a system will develop a structure for that system that will be a copy of the organization's own communication structure . ”
To make it a little clearer, it offers insight into how organizations design software systems and how the way organizations were structured would have a strong impact on any systems created within them.
Software structures are “mirrors” of the structures of the organizations that develop them. And here’s a very important point: the interaction between teams shapes the way software is built .
If in a company each team works in a different way, on their chinese america data own pieces of the project and does not communicate and/or collaborate efficiently with other teams, does not fully understand what others are doing, the result can be fragmented and difficult to maintain software.
On the other hand, well-communicated teams are more likely to create an efficient and well-integrated system. Therefore, the quality of communication between teams is highly emphasized, because if this communication is complicated, communication between the layers of the software will also be.
An example in practice…
Imagine a company that is developing a sales website. If the team responsible for the shopping cart does not communicate well with the inventory team, for example, integration problems may arise.
This is why Conway's Law states that a lack of communication between teams can result in a less cohesive software design, which ends up causing many problems and even hindering the user experience.
Clear communication is therefore essential and this means that everyone must understand what each other is doing, whether through meetings, updates and clear documentation, which are key to ensuring everyone is on the same page.
And of course, collaboration is one of the main keys: software is made up of different parts that need to fit together . Conway's Law is a fundamental reminder that success in software development goes beyond the code.
Going beyond communication…
Organizations must be willing to adjust their communication and internal organization structures as projects evolve. While communication is a very important aspect of Conway’s Law, this concept goes beyond teams having good communication: it highlights the connection between organizational structure, inter-team communication, and software architecture.