If it is one thing that I have learned at a large software company it is the fact that Conway's Law is fundamentally true. Any software system is a mirror of th

If it is one thing that I have learned at a large software company it is the fact that Conway's Law is fundamentally true. Any software system is a mirror of the team setup and the interactions between the involved people. And many bugs are found in the interfaces/interactions between components of isolated teams. However, this also means that as a software developer you are unable, or at least very constrained, in the ability to improve or refactor any complex legacy system. You are basically fighting uphill battles in such situations, because you are not in the authority to change/improve the organizational structure. This also means that as programmers we may need to take more time and care to invest in human relationships and in our communication skills, as this could have an significant effect on code and product quality.