Mastodawn

Considerations on cognitive load and organisational structure in sociotechnical systems.
A blog by Martijn Ras

In this article we present our rule of thumb for the sizing of solutions based on what an organisation can handle. Our primary goal is to make you aware of cognitive load theory and sociological considerations on organisational structure. Be...

#dev #softwaredevelopment #TeamTopologies #Cognitiveload #Sociotechnicalsystems #Domain-drivendesign #Agilescaling

https://jdriven.com/blog/2026/04/sizing-solutions/

Considerations on cognitive load and organisational structure in sociotechnical systems.

JDriven Blog

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Kenny (Baas) Schwegler Apr 17

But before you worry about AI agents taking over your architecture decisions, maybe first ask: are the teams in your organisation actually allowed to make them?

#SoftwareArchitecture #OpenSystemsTheory #SociotechnicalSystems #AI

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Kenny (Baas) Schwegler Mar 16

If you've ever walked out of a session where everyone agreed but nothing changed — these stories are for you.

Link to the stories as blog/vlog/podcast: https://virtualddd.com/facilitating-archdes/

#SoftwareArchitecture #FacilitatingSoftwareArchitecture #CollaborativeSoftwareDesign #SociotechnicalSystems #SFSAD #VirtualDDD

Stories of Facilitating Software Architecture & Design Archive - Virtual Domain-Driven Design

Virtual Domain-Driven Design

InfoQ Jan 12

Think AI is the magic wand that will clean up your infrastructure? Daniel Bryant has a reality check for you on the #InfoQ podcast.

While the industry is obsessed with “10x speed,” Daniel warns we’re driving old, battered cars down the freeway at 100 mph. The faster we go, the more likely the wheels come off.

🔑 Key takeaways from Daniel:
1️⃣ AI will expose brittle platforms far faster than it fixes them. If your platform is a mess, AI just becomes a 10x accelerator for technical debt.
2️⃣ We’re being forced to relearn the fundamentals - classic books on architecture and sociotechnical systems are more relevant than ever.
3️⃣ A platform isn’t just a collection of tools. If it’s not cohesive, it’s not a product - it’s an ecosystem of headaches.
4️⃣ Expect some major failures before the industry realizes guardrails matter just as much as speed.

🎧 Listen to the full 2025 Key Trends for deeper insights: https://bit.ly/4ptdvqH

#PlatformEngineering #SocioTechnicalSystems #SoftwareArchitecture #AI #DevOps

InfoQ Nov 19

Code that drifts and projects that fail often aren’t technical failures - they’re organizational ones.

Introducing #HolisticEngineering ⇨ the practice of designing technology by understanding and shaping all the intrinsic parts of the organic system.

A holistic approach views projects as Organic #SocioTechnicalSystems, influenced by:
⇨ External forces: world events, tech trends, market shifts
⇨ Internal forces: organization, product, people, engineering

Read the #InfoQ article by Vanessa Formicola to learn how to master this approach: https://bit.ly/43Ed7O1

#SoftwareArchitecture #SociotechnicalArchitecture #Agile

Virtual Domain-Driven Design Sep 9, 2025

We've scheduled a new session with Andrew Harmel-Law exploring what anarchist thought can offer socio-technical system design. Discover alternatives to top-down, hierarchical approaches and patterns for self-organising teams.

🗓 23 September
🕖 19:00 NZT

Details and registration:
https://virtualddd.com/sessions/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-anarchy-but-were-afraid-to-ask-andrew-harmel-law/

#DomainDrivenDesign #SocioTechnicalSystems #SoftwareArchitecture #TeamTopologies

Everything you ever wanted to know about anarchy (but were afraid to ask) - Andrew Harmel-Law

“Patterns of Anarchy” is a collection of writings published in 1966. We should care about it as software professionals because a) Christopher Alexander quotes from it in “A Pattern Language” and b) it offers perspectives on different patterns of self-organizing what are increasingly relevant in a flow-and-team-topologies world. This talk takes inspiration from the book section “Constructive Anarchism: Alternative Communities and Programs” that covers the how of anarchist organisation. I'll work through its key points, explaining what anarchist thought has to offer us, particularly in the world of socio-technical organisation design. I'll also mix in viewpoints and approaches from other anarchist ways of self-organizing. At the end of it you'll have a greater awareness of alternatives to the top-down, hierarchical approaches that dominate everything we do in software. It might even help you unlock those high-performing teams you've been searching for so desperately. About Andrew A highly enthusiastic, self-starting and responsible Tech Principal; Andrew specialises in Java / JVM technologies, agile delivery, build tools and automation, and domain driven design. Andrew is also an author and trainer for O’Reilly. They've written one book about facilitating software architecture and one chapter about implementing the Accelerate/DORA four key metrics. They also run regular online training sessions in Domain-Drive Design (First Steps) and Architecture Decision Making by Example. Andrew is experienced across the software development lifecycle and in many sectors including government, banking, and eCommerce. What motivates them is the production of large-scale software solutions, fulfilling complex client requirements. They understand that people, tooling, architecture and process all have key roles to play in achieving this. Andrew has a passion for open source software and its communities. They have been interested in and involved with OSS to a greater or lesser extent since their career began; as a user, contributor, expert group member, or paid advocate. Finally, Andrew enjoys sharing their experience as much as possible. This sharing is not only seen in their formal consulting engagements, but also informally through mentoring, blog posts, conferences (speaking and organising), and open sourcing their code.

Virtual Domain-Driven Design

goern Jul 31, 2025

🏗️ Wusstet ihr, dass eure Software-Architektur aussieht wie euer Organigramm? Conway's Law zeigt: Teams, die nicht miteinander reden, bauen auch keine integrierten Systeme!

🤯 Besonders spannend bei ML-Pipelines und verteilten Teams - da wird's richtig wild!

Was sind eure Erfahrungen mit Team-Strukturen und System-Design? 💬

https://goern.substack.com/p/research-report-architecture-and-people

#ConwaysLaw #SoftwareArchitektur #TeamTopologie #MLOps #DistributedTeams #SocioTechnicalSystems

Research Report: "Why Your Architecture Decisions Are Actually People Decisions"

During my vacation, I became interested in the intersection of software architecture, organisational design, and human dynamics, with a specific focus on Conway's Law, ML pipelines, distributed team experiences, and codebase social structures.

Christoph Görn

Harald Klinke Jun 4, 2025

In a world shaped by AI, what kind of ethics do we need?
@RainerMuehlhoff’s new book The Ethics of AI: Power, Critique, Responsibility offers a power-aware framework for understanding how AI technologies shape subjectivity, prediction, and control.
A compelling manifesto for collective responsibility, regulation, and systemic change.

#OpenAccess
🔗 https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-ethics-of-ai
#AI #Ethics #CriticalAI #AIPolicy #DigitalPower #PredictionCulture #PhilosophyOfTechnology #SociotechnicalSystems

Chris Lucian May 14, 2025

Ready to see the big picture? 🧐 Michael Feathers joins the Mob Mentality Show to discuss sociotechnical systems and how they impact software development. Learn how to navigate the human and technical elements for better team dynamics and project success! 🤝

➡️ Watch now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC4ZvN6riPE

#SociotechnicalSystems #SoftwareDevelopment #Teamwork #Collaboration #MichaelFeathers #MobMentalityShow