Conway’s Law states that “organizations which design systems … are constrained to produce designs which are copies of the communication structures of these organizations“. This was stated in the context of computer programming in 1967 and still holds validity today.
It just shows how difficult it can be to abstract oneself from the social organization in which we are embedded. As a result, even information and data treatment approaches will tend to reflect organizational and social boundaries.
I find that this is particularly applicable in the context of large organizations, where taking a systemic view is generally difficult. Initiatives tend to develop locally and then to join at the organizational borders.
This law holds a lot of food for thought when it comes to designing data management systems in organizations. We should recognize it and at the same time iron out those interfaces that are really an issue for the effectiveness of the solution we are seeking.
In any case remember the social setting always influences the software system solution!
