The One-Paella Rule

Amazon has a famous pizza rule:

No team should be big enough that it would take more than two pizzas to feed them.

Numerous studies have shown the advantages of smaller teams, many predating Amazon. Members of a small team put in more effort because their contribution feels indispensable¹ and the fruits of their labour are more visible. While a team requires sufficient expertise to solve complex problems, those that grow too large struggle to reach a consensus². As the number of "links" between members grows quadratically with team size, individuals spend much more time coordinating and assessing how their role fits into a larger team. And in my experience, psychological safety – the bedrock for any sustainable collaboration – is more easily established in smaller groups.

In 2012, three professors performed an experiment where teams were tasked with recreating a Lego build³. Some teams had two members, others had four. Within each team, only one member was allowed to check the reference build at a time, necessitating coordination. Contrary to Jacob Morgan's misrepresentation of the data⁴, the four-member teams on average completed their build 28% faster than the two-member teams. However, that is still a 45% increase in person-minutes (labour). Interestingly, estimators correctly predicted the larger teams would be less efficient, suggesting we recognise the benefits of a small team (although they underestimated the increase at only 31%).

That said, as a true European with navy blue blood flowing through my veins and gold stars in my heart, I have an issue with the two-pizza rule. I am not one to forbid pineapple on pizza, and I respect that everything is bigger in Texas, but I insist that a classic pizza is plate-sized and serves a single person.

A two-pizza rule with traditional pizzas implies a two-person team. While duos might be optimal for building Lego sets, tech teams tend to have a scope too broad for two people. So let's reject the two-pizza rule, and embrace the one-paella rule: one team, one pan. Ζήτω η Ευρώπη! Aontaithe san éagsúlacht!