When navigating the complexities of software design and development, new ideas and future requests frequently cross software and team boundaries. The most effective approach to these design challenges is through collaborative modelling sessions, where teams are directly involved in crafting the software design. Yet, this approach leads us to a critical dilemma: What happens when new capabilities increase the cognitive load on a team, hindering their ability to deliver on both new and ongoing business needs? And how do we address situations where these new capabilities clash with our current architecture, leading to necessary changes that don't fit our existing team structures? Our goal is always to create the best architecture for our business challenges, but this depends heavily on our teams' delivery capabilities. This brings us to a fundamental question: If our teams face difficulties in implementing what is ideally the 'best' architecture, can we still consider it the most effective solution?

Join us in this talk as we delve into a real-world software design challenge that spans both software and team boundaries. We will explore the case of an online food delivery service, outlining their current software landscape and the emerging challenges they face. We will present potential solutions to these challenges, illustrating our typical approach to such issues. By introducing you to the fundamental principles of Team Topologies, we will demonstrate the impact of cognitive load on software design. Understanding cognitive load is crucial as we examine more solutions to the design challenge. This talk will provide practical insights into how cognitive load influences your approach to software design and how to effectively integrate Team Topologies into your design decisions.