Quick Reference

Category	Law	Summary
Complexity, Context & Agile Foundations	Adapted Stacey Matrix	Helps determine when Agile is appropriate based on problem complexity.
	Cynefin Framework	Provides dynamic sensemaking domains for decision-making under uncertainty.
	Denning's Agile Laws	Frames Agile as a response to complex, adaptive challenges.
	Occam's Razor	Encourages simplicity in system design and decision-making.
Agile Decision Heuristics & Mental Models	Hick's Law	The more choices, the longer the decision time; design for simplicity.
	Simon's Satisficing Principle	People choose 'good enough' options in uncertain conditions.
	Goodhart's Law	When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.
	Sayre's Law	Conflicts in low-stakes environments are often the most intense.
	Dude's Law	Value = Why ÷ How; prioritize purpose over process.
Learning & Adaptation Models	Shu-Ha-Ri	Describes how people master practices through stages of learning.
	Double-Loop Learning	Challenges assumptions to support deeper reflection and lasting change.
	Chesterton's Fence	Understand the purpose of a system before changing it.
	OODA Loop	Adaptive decision cycle that enables teams to sense, reframe, decide, and act in uncertainty.
	Boyd's Law of Iteration	Fast, repeated cycles enable learning and adaptability.
	Lehman's Laws of Software Evolution	Software evolves continuously; change is inevitable.
	Wirth's Law	Unchecked software grows bloated; reminds us to improve continuously.
Product Thinking & Customer Behavior	Jobs-To-Be-Done Framework	Build what people truly need by understanding the job they're hiring your product to do.
	Law of 3	People can remember only a few items at once; simplify communication.
	Golden Circle	Inspires purpose-driven product thinking through why, how, and what.
	Kano Model	Not all features create the same value; focus on delighters.
	Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule)	Most results come from a small set of causes.
	Fitts' Law	Time to target is a function of distance and size; important for UX.
	Zeigarnik Effect	Unfinished tasks are remembered more; supports engagement strategies.
	Law of Triviality (Bike Shed)	Teams focus on minor issues to avoid big decisions.
	Lindy Effect	Long-lasting practices tend to endure longer.
	Miller's Law	People can hold about 7±2 items in working memory.
	Shalloway's Law of Requirements	If it can be misunderstood, it will be.
	Krug's First Law of Usability	Don't make users think; simplicity rules.
	Van Rest's Law	Simpler visuals are easier to remember and act on.
Agile Complexity & Uncertainty	Ziv's Law	Requirements are never fully known until implementation begins.
	Gall's Law	Complex systems evolve best from simple ones; justifies MVPs.
	1 in 60 Rule	Small early misalignments can cause major downstream drift.
	Murphy's Law	What can go wrong, will go wrong.
	Humphrey's Law	People behave differently when observed.
	Weinberg's Law	Fixing a problem may introduce new ones.
Continuous Improvement	Deming Wheel (PDCA)	Grounds improvement in an inspect-and-adapt loop.
	Shingo Model	Aligns principles, behavior, and systems to sustain cultural improvement.
	Lean Thinking	Maximizes value and flow by eliminating waste and promoting learning.
	Kaizen	Make small, continuous changes driven by the team.
	Toyota Kata	Practice improvement routines to build a culture of learning.
	Gemba Principle	Go to the source to see the real work and surface true problems.
	DMAIC	Apply structured steps to define, measure, analyze, improve, and control processes.
Iterative Delivery & Flow	Little's Law	Connects throughput, WIP, and cycle time; enables system design.
	Boehm's Curve	The cost of change increases the later it's made.
	Kingman's Formula	Variability in demand or process increases wait times.
	Ninety-Ninety Rule	The last 10% of work takes 90% of the effort.
Cognitive Biases & Decision-Making Pitfalls	Bias Blind Spot	We see others' biases but not our own.
	Ladder of Inference	We act on assumptions and beliefs built from filtered observations.
	Dunning-Kruger Effect	Inexperienced people often overestimate their ability.
	Status Quo Bias	People prefer familiar patterns even when flawed.
	Sunk Cost Fallacy	People continue bad plans due to past investment.
	Dead Horse Theory	Satirizes stubborn adherence to failed practices.
	Einstellung Effect	Past success can blind us to better solutions.
	Law of the Instrument (Hammer)	Over-reliance on familiar tools.
	Streetlight Effect	People search where it's easy, not where the answer is.
	Hanlon's Razor	Never attribute to malice what can be explained by ignorance.
	Icebergs of Ignorance	Important information is often trapped at lower levels.
Productivity & Estimation	Parkinson's Law	Work expands to fill the time available.
	Hofstadter's Law	Everything takes longer than you think.
	Triple Constraints	Only two of scope, time, and cost can be fixed, Agile favors fixed time and cost, letting scope flex.
	Scotty Principle	Underpromise and overdeliver to appear heroic.
Systems Thinking & Organizational Complexity	Theory of Constraints	Focus improvement on the system's constraint.
	Deming's System of Profound Knowledge	Understand systems, variation, learning, and psychology to lead effective change.
	Deming's 14 Points for Management	Guides systemic improvement through leadership and quality focus.
	Deming's 94/6 Principle	Most problems stem from the system, not the people.
	Deming's 7 Deadly Diseases	Identifies management habits that hinder long-term performance.
	Amdahl's Law	Optimizing a part doesn't always improve the whole.
	Ashby's Law of Requisite Variety	To control complexity, you must match it.
	Requisite Organization	Aligns role structure and decision authority with the complexity of work using time-span-based strata.
	Second-Order Cybernetics	Observers are part of the system they seek to understand or change.
	Wegner's Lemma	Interactive systems can't be fully specified.
	Langdon's Lemma	Local optimization may harm global performance.
	Kranzberg's First Law	Technology is never neutral; context matters.
	Martec's Law	Technology changes faster than organizations adapt.
	Shirky Principle	Systems preserve the problems they were designed to solve.
	Prescott's Pickle Principle	Systems preserve dysfunction as well as value.
Organizational Change & Transformation Models	Kotter's 8 Steps for Leading Change	Drives change through urgency, coalition, and vision.
	Kotter's XLR8 Framework	Accelerate strategic change without slowing down delivery.
	ADKAR	Maps change into five actionable building blocks: Awareness to Reinforcement.
	Roger's Diffusion of Innovations	Describes how innovations spread among users.
	Change Handbook	Offers dozens of models and approaches for leading change.
	Lewin's 3 Stage Theory of Change	Classic unfreeze-change-refreeze pattern.
	Satir Change Model	Adds performance dynamics to team-level transitions.
	Bridges' Transition Model	Emphasizes internal psychological transitions.
	Kübler-Ross Change Curve	Charts emotional reactions during disruption.
Collaboration & Team Dynamics	Prime Directive	Promotes safety and trust during team Retrospectives.
	Tuckman's Ladder	Teams evolve from forming to performing.
	Five Dysfunctions of a Team	Highlights core breakdowns in team trust, conflict, and accountability.
	Flexible Framework for Retrospectives	Outlines five elements for effective, adaptable Retrospectives.
	2 Pizza Team Rule	Teams should be small enough to be fed with two pizzas.
	Johari Window	Team awareness expands through feedback and disclosure.
	Hackman's Law	Great team conditions matter more than individual talent.
	Prisoner's Dilemma	People hesitate to collaborate when trust is low.
	Pygmalion Effect	People rise to the level of expectations.
	Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs	Shows how unmet needs block team growth and collaboration.
	Agile Mindset Model	Defines agility through reflection, openness, and outcome focus.
	Ringelmann Effect	People put in less effort in larger groups.
	Dunbar's Number	There's a cognitive limit to stable relationships.
	Brooks' Law	Adding people to a late project makes it later.
Communication Principles	Grice's Maxims of Communication	Cooperative conversation follows clarity, relevance, and honesty.
	Law of Communication	Communication clarity degrades as messages pass through more intermediaries.
	Postel's Law	Be conservative in what you send, liberal in what you accept.
	Conway's Law	Teams design systems that mirror their communication structure.
	Larman's Laws	Organizational behavior resists change in predictable ways.
	Brandolini's Law	It takes more effort to refute misinformation than to create it.
Organizational Constraints & Bureaucracy	Peter Principle	People rise to their level of incompetence in hierarchies.
	Putt's Law	Incompetent managers rise while competent people do the work.
	Pournelle's Iron Law of Bureaucracy	Bureaucracies prioritize their survival over their mission.
	Gresham's Law	Bad practices drive out good ones.
	Moore's Law of Hiring	As you grow, average talent often declines.
	Jevons Paradox	Increasing efficiency can increase total consumption.
Network Dynamics & Scaling	Sarnoff's Law	Value grows linearly with audience size.
	Metcalfe's Law	Network value increases with the square of participants.
	Reed's Law	Value grows exponentially with group formation.
	Kurzweil's Law of Accelerating Returns	Technology change accelerates; past pace ≠ future pace.
Innovation & Knowledge Sharing	Sturgeon's Law	Most output is low quality; encourages discernment and review.
	Linus's Law	With enough eyes, all bugs are shallow.
	Clarke's Three Laws	Sufficiently advanced tech appears magical; embrace emergence.