relates to aspects of the task that need special attention for learning or high performance (e.g., “How should this service interact with the ABC service?”).
germane cognitive load
3 of our books and 1 talk define this term — and their definitions are worth reading side by side.
Germane cognitive load—relates to aspects of the task that need special attention for learning or high performance
— Team Topologies, in “Chapter 3: Team-First Thinking”, Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais
Germane cognitive load is load that we have to deal with because it is the part of the business problem we’re trying to solve.
— Monoliths vs. Microservices is Missing the Point, in “Monoliths vs. Microservices is Missing the Point”, Matthew Skelton, Manuel Pais
Germane cognitive load is load that we have to deal with because this is the part of the business problem we're trying to solve. If we're building an app for online banking, then part of the germane cognitive load of the software developer or tester or whoever is building the application might be: how do bank transfers work?
— Matthew Skelton, Manuel Pais · Monoliths vs Microservices is Missing the Point—Start with Team Cognitive Load, London 2019 · at 6:27
See also cognitive load · Brooks’s law · collaboration mode · complicated-subsystem team · Dunbar’s number · enabling team
Filed under Teams & Organization