Topology
/təˈpɒlədʒi/
Definition
The structure describing how components of a system or organization are arranged and connected. Originally a network/mathematical concept, it is now widely used as "Team Topologies" — a framework for how to divide and connect engineering teams.
Examples
- • We redesigned our microservices topology in this overhaul.
- • We adopted Team Topologies to separate stream-aligned teams from platform teams.
Origin
Rooted in the mathematical/network concept of topology; popularized in software organizations after Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais's 2019 book "Team Topologies."
Description
Topology originally describes how nodes are connected in a graph or network. In modern engineering and organizational culture, it has been extended into Team Topologies — a framework for designing which team owns what, and how teams interact with one another.
It centers on four fundamental team types (stream-aligned, enabling, complicated-subsystem, and platform) and three interaction modes (collaboration, X-as-a-Service, and facilitating) to reduce cognitive load and clarify communication paths.
It's closely tied to Conway's Law — the idea that organizational structure
ends up shaping system design — and is often cited as the basis for the
"inverse Conway maneuver," where you shape the org first to get the
architecture you want.