Cognitive Load 1

One of the major takeaways from Team Topologies is the emphasis on Cognitive Load. Controlling cognitive load allows a team to thrive, and it is a great way to understand the mechanisms by which we think and learn.

In the key text Efficiency in Learning: Evidence-Based Guidelines to Manage Cognitive Load, John Sweller makes several statements about the benefits of Cognitive Load as a way of thinking about your team's workload.

Cognitive Load Theory Is Universal

Cognitive load applies to all the different types of content a person is looking at - whether they are listening to a conversation or watching someone else code. No matter the way of working, it still involves Cognitive load. It also applies no matter what your preferred learning style is. Cognitive load sounds very technical and highbrow, but it applies whether you are talking about writing code in a new language or figuring out how to put an Ikea bookcase together.

Cognitive Load Theory Offers Principles and Related Instructional Guidelines

It can be understood in the context of the principles and guidelines which allow you to take them into account. This is one of the advantages of looking at cognitive load theory - these aren't woolly things and suggestions and bulllshit - just a series of proven scientific principles that we can work from

Cognitive Load Theory Is Evidence-Based

Cognitive Load Theory is backed by plenty of solid research from fields like psychology and education. It shows that our working memory has limits, and when teaching methods respect those limits, learning becomes more effective and less stressful. What's great is that you can quickly check out the original studies for all the details, which adds a lot of credibility to the theory.

Cognitive Load Theory Leads to Efficient Learning

Cognitive Load Theory taps into the natural way our brains work to make learning much more efficient. Aligning teaching methods with cognitive strengths helps people grasp new ideas without feeling overloaded, making the whole process smoother and more effective.

Team Cognitive Load

Finding a good match between cognitive capacity, cognitive load, and complexity is essential. While this is impossible to achieve entirely, we must ensure the team's happiness.

Team Topologies tell us we should "limit the Number and Type of Domains per Team". We have to be realistic about this and not try to sweep any issues with cognitive load under the carpet. It is pointless to downplay the complexity of a domain or a piece of work so that you can pretend that a team can take on more domains than is sensible.

There is no way to define a right or wrong answer to the question, "Is this the correct number and type of minerals for each team?" Neither the complexity of the domain nor the understanding that the organisation and the teams have of the domains nor the team's cognitive load and cognitive capacity are fixed.

This is one of the main issues withthis being a bullshit industry - no matter how a salesman or CTO seeks to simplify a project or other peice of work it will still tax the teams cognitive load at its natural level.

It's also pointless to say that the team can take on more complexity than it can handle. Once it has reached capacity, it has reached capacity.

It's impossible to measure this exactly - the complexity of the domain can change as the requirements grow or get clarified. Also, the team's capacity can change as it grows or as the workload shifts. Nothing is fixed and nothing can be measured.

We must look at relative domain complexity and compare one domain to another.

Assessing cognitive load

There are quick and simple ways to determine whether a team is overwhelmed or thriving. The team must then ensure that this situation improves.

It won't be accurate, but it is essential to determine whether teams are feeling overloaded. If the answer is that the team doesn't feel they can deal with the work they are being asked to do, further investigation is possible to determine whether there is a problem and whether you can identify the reason for this.

If the answer is that it is too high, then we need to reduce it. This will allow the team to go back to being effective and to be able to deal with the workload. This is all part of thriving as a team.

This is why Mythical Man Month exists—cognitive load is a basic fact of human learning and knowledge work, and it always has been. Adding people to projects and teams does not make dealing with cognitive load easier.

Much of the Team Topologies book focuses on what the organisation can do to help. While this is important, it's also essential for the team to help themselves by highlighting when they feel they are overwhelmed and ensuring that they flag this for the rest of the organisation.