Laws of Software Engineering · Pattern
Pattern
The Ringelmann Effect
The bigger the group working on a shared task, the less effort each person puts in.
How to use it. Split shared work into individually owned pieces. Pair people or use small teams. The effect is strongest when contributions are invisible, so make them visible.
How it gets misused. Confused with Brooks's Law. Brooks is about coordination cost. Dunbar is about relationship capacity. Ringelmann is about social loafing. They are three different reasons big groups underperform.
Related
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Pattern
Brooks's Law
Adding people to a late project makes it later.
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Pattern
Dunbar's Number
A person can maintain about 150 stable relationships.
Clusters
- The Team Design cluster - How to organise people for software work.