Complexity Migrates
Complexity does not disappear. It migrates.
Every attempt to “simplify” a system moves complexity somewhere else. The only real choice is where it will live.
It migrates.
Complexity migrates
When complexity is removed from architecture, it reappears in people. When it is hidden behind interfaces, it accumulates in process.
When it is pushed out of code, it surfaces in meetings, escalations, and exceptions.
Architecture as pinning
Organizations often mistake relocation for elimination. They celebrate cleaner UIs, fewer controls, faster flows — while silently increasing cognitive load downstream.
This is why many systems feel easy to build and hard to operate. Architecture is not the act of removing complexity. It is the act of pinning it down.
Localizing complexity
A well-designed system makes complexity explicit, localized, predictable. A poorly designed one lets it diffuse — until no one can point to where decisions actually happen.
Weak boundaries
Complexity migrates toward the weakest boundary. Architecture decides where that boundary is.