Cognitive Load¶

Cognitive Load describes the mental capacity consumed by a task, drawn from the psychological concept of working memory limits first described by John Sweller. In software teams, it accumulates from domain complexity, tooling overhead, and organisational coordination work, and it has a hard ceiling: teams cannot simply absorb more responsibility by working harder. Architects and team leads who actively track and limit cognitive load create conditions where teams can sustain a healthy, productive pace.

See also: Team Topologies · Stream-Aligned Team · Architecture for Flow

Methods: Architecture for Flow Workflow