Principles of Note

A list of select principles that have been particularly useful in helping design, refine, and debug complex systems (both computer & human)

Conway's Law

Any organization that designs a system (defined broadly) will produce a design hose structure is a copy of the organization's communication structure.

— Melvin E. Conway

Gall's Law

A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked. The inverse proposition also appears to be true: A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be made to work. You have to start over, beginning with a working simple system.

– John Gall

Postel's Law (Robustness principle)

Be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what you accept from others.

– Jon Postel

n.b. the above is often reworded in the context of systems design as: "be conservative in what you send, be liberal in what you accept"

Goodhart's Law

source: https://sketchplanations.com/goodharts-law

Parkinson's Law

Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion

– C. Northcote Parkinson, 1955

n.b. the above is reworded in "Four Thousand Weeks" to define "Work" as "what needs doing".