Summary
For investments in enterprise architecture to pay off, they must be based on a clear understanding of the organization. Whatever approach you choose to implement your enterprise strategy, an understanding of Conway's Law can help to make your alignment efforts successful. Conway observed that there is a strong relationship between the software created in an organization and both the structure of that organization, and how the people in that organization really communicate. To put this insight into practice, you need to use not just the formally documented structure and processes of your organization is, but you also need to observe and learn the informal communication paths as well.