A mathematical method to determine how many lines of communication exist between one node (person) and every other node in a group of people. A way to apply the Permutation Formula is to show that as team size increases, the lines of communication increase geometrically, to the point where effective 1:1 communication and team collaboration becomes more difficult and less effective. It is for this reason that the size of Agile teams most often falls in a range that falls between about 4 and 9. Drawing a series of dots to represent each node of communication, that is, each team member, and connecting those dots, is an effective way to illustrate this concept.
Related Media
Permutation Formula Video
Permutation Formula Podcasts
Permutation Formula Example
Related Subjects
Acknowledgements
Authored by Philip Rogers
Agile World Resources are provided as free resources to anyone seeking to learn more and are shared under a creative commons attribution license. This means if you use a resource elsewhere you must name Agile World Publishing as the source, who the author is, and the photo creator (if used).