Two Pizza Rule - Keep the team size small
"We try to create teams that are no larger than can be fed by two pizzas," (Jeff Bezos)
💡Agile Manifesto Value: Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
💡Scrum Artifacts: Sprint Planning, Daily Standup, Sprint Review, Retrospective
Origins
The Two Pizza Rule originated at Amazon, introduced by founder Jeff Bezos as a guideline for team size and organizational structure. The rule posits that teams should be small enough to be fed by two pizzas, which typically translates to 5-8 people. This concept was developed to promote efficiency, improve communication, and enhance decision-making processes within the organization (Stone).
Example with visuals:
In Agile development, particularly within Scrum frameworks, the Two Pizza Rule can be effectively applied. A typical Scrum team adhering to this rule might consist of:
One Product Owner
One Scrum Master
Three to six developers
This composition allows for a diverse skill set while maintaining a manageable team size that facilitates rapid communication and decision-making (Sutherland and Sutherland).
What can we, as an Agile team, do better?
Sprint Planning: Smaller teams can reach consensus more quickly on sprint goals and task allocation. The limited number of participants allows for more focused discussions and efficient planning sessions.
Daily Stand-ups: With fewer team members, stand-ups can be more concise and informative. Each team member has adequate time to provide meaningful updates without the meeting becoming protracted.
Sprint Review: Smaller teams can present their work more cohesively and gather feedback more effectively. Stakeholders can engage more deeply with the entire team, leading to more valuable insights and directions for future work.
Sprint Retrospective: Fewer team members allow for more in-depth discussions and faster implementation of improvements. The intimate setting encourages open communication and facilitates rapid problem-solving.Well-known examples:
Well-known examples in practical application by companies/people
While Amazon is the most well-known proponent of the Two Pizza Rule, other companies have adopted similar approaches
Google's "7 +/- 2" rule
Google implements a "7 +/- 2" rule for team size, suggesting that teams should have between 5 to 9 members. This guideline is based on cognitive psychology research indicating that humans can effectively keep track of about 7 items (plus or minus 2) in their short-term memory. In practice, this means Google's project teams are designed to be small enough for members to have a comprehensive understanding of each other's roles and contributions, fostering improved collaboration and accountability (Bock).
Amazon's practical application
At Amazon, the Two Pizza Rule is integral to their organizational structure and operational practices:
Team Formation: When forming new teams or projects, Amazon consciously limits the size to 5-8 people, ensuring that each team member has a significant role and can contribute meaningfully.
Meetings: Amazon's meeting culture reflects this rule. Meetings are kept small, focused, and efficient. If a meeting requires more than two pizzas to feed attendees, it's considered too large and needs restructuring.
Decision Making: The Two Pizza Rule empowers teams to make decisions quickly. With fewer people involved, there's less bureaucracy and more agility in responding to market changes or customer needs.
Communication: Amazon encourages direct communication within these small teams. This reduces the need for lengthy email chains or multiple layers of approval, speeding up processes.
Innovation: Smaller teams at Amazon are given autonomy to innovate. This structure allows for rapid prototyping and testing of new ideas without getting encumbered by corporate bureaucracy (Stone).
Takeaways:
By consistently applying the Two Pizza Rule, Amazon has created a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation, where small teams can operate with agility and make significant impacts. This approach demonstrates how a straightforward concept, when applied consistently, can shape an entire organization's approach to work and collaboration.
Related Laws of Agile:
References / Works cited:
Bock, Laszlo. Work Rules!: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead. Twelve, 2015.
Denning, Steve. "Why Jeff Bezos' Two-Pizza Team Rule Still Holds True in 2018." Forbes, 31 July 2018.
Kim, Gene, et al. The DevOps Handbook: How to Create World-Class Agility, Reliability, and Security in Technology Organizations. IT Revolution Press, 2016.
Stone, Brad. The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon. Little, Brown and Company, 2013.
Sutherland, Jeff, and J.J. Sutherland. Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time. Crown Business, 2014.