Every wondered why high-performing tech teams gradually deteriorate despite unchanged people and priorities?
“I watched our standups bloat from 15 to 45 minutes while our velocity plummeted.”
In <a href="https://notthecode.com/entropy-in-teams-the-unseen-force-of-decline" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">Entropy in Teams: The Unseen Force of Decline</a> we can explore how entropy—that universal force of disorder—manifests in software teams, with practical strategies to combat it:
<ul>
<li>Entropy-focused retrospectives that ask “What process worked three months ago but feels broken now?”</li>
<li>Documentation gardening sessions to prevent information rot</li>
<li>Improvement budgets that make maintenance non-negotiable</li>
</ul>
Rather than heroic interventions, the answer lies in “constant gardening”—small, consistent acts of resistance against disorder.
From velocity metrics to the human toll of working around problems instead of solving them, discover why fighting entropy isn’t about perfection—it’s about respect.
#TeamDynamics #Engineering #Leadership
<img src="https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--gHxmrvnd--/f_auto/v1746817073/ugc/content_cec3eca8-7add-4037-a3f2-de775e9877d8?_a=BAMClqUq0" alt="Entropy in Teams The Unseen Force of Decline">

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The Dev Craft

Software teams naturally deteriorate over time due to entropy, where processes that once worked efficiently become bloated and ineffective. The solution involves constant maintenance through entropy-focused retrospectives, regular documentation updates, and dedicated improvement budgets rather than waiting for major interventions. Success comes from consistent small actions that prevent disorder from accumulating.

Entropy in Teams: The Silent Productivity Killer

This is a great write up on a lot of sources that contribute to decay in both performance and honestly satisfaction as a team over time. I think there’s another that might be worth exploring and can affect teams of 5 people and teams of 100: pain insulation. When you have processes or particular pain points that only some people feel, but are continually reinforced by another part of the team or organization then you have a disconnect from an overall shared goal. In that case I’d say part of your garden is wilting while the rest is blissfully unaware or uninvested.
When you break the dam and encourage empathy across the team, you can move toward fixing the underpinnings of that problem and make your garden healthier again. Align the whole team to shared outcomes and shared goals and you can increase your positive loops within your teams.
Really interesting write up. Thanks for sharing!

The link is broken. But you can read it here too:
<a href="https://notthecode.com/entropy-in-teams-the-unseen-force-of-decline/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">https://notthecode.com/entropy-in-teams-the-unseen-force-of-decline/</a>