Conway's Law
The Mirroring Hypothesis · Isomorphism
Conway's Law states that organizations design systems that mirror their own communication structures. In other words, the way teams are organized and talk to each other will inevitably shape the architecture of whatever they build.
Origin
Melvin Conway, an American computer scientist, articulated the principle in his 1967 paper "How Do Committees Invent?" — which was rejected by Harvard Business Review before being published in Datamation in April 1968. Fred Brooks later dubbed it "Conway's Law" in his 1975 classic The Mythical Man-Month.
Everyday Use
You know that feeling when an organization's or company's app feels disjointed — like the checkout flow, search, and about pages were clearly built by three teams that never talked to each other? That's Conway's Law in action. It also explains why startups with small, tight-knit teams often ship more cohesive products than large corporations.