Cognitive Load — Software Architecture

Software Complexity concept

Ousterhout's complexity definition: three symptoms (change amplification, cognitive load, unknown unknowns), two causes (dependencies, obscurity), incremental accumulation; strategic vs. tactical programming; technical debt as borrowed time

Team Cognitive Load concept

Sweller's three cognitive load types (intrinsic/extraneous/germane); team cognitive capacity as software boundary constraint; domain complexity heuristics; platform as extraneous load eliminator

Team Topologies Model concept

Four team types (stream-aligned, platform, enabling, complicated-subsystem); three interaction modes with constraints/matrix; Dunbar-based team sizing; team API; one-owner-per-component rule; promise theory / SemVer; organisational sensing; discovery-to-establish pattern; topology evolution triggers; TVP; fractal platforms; Spotify model; DevOps anti-patterns

Team Topologies: Organising Business and Technology Teams for Fast Flow source

*Team Topologies* — Skelton & Pais