Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

Conway's Law
     
         The rule that the organisation of the
        software and the organisation of the software team will be
        congruent; originally stated as "If you have four groups
        working on a compiler, you'll get a 4-pass compiler".
     
        Melvin Conway, an early proto-hacker, wrote an {assembler} for
        the {Burroughs 220} called SAVE.  The name "SAVE" didn't stand
        for anything; it was just that you lost fewer card decks and
        listings because they all had SAVE written on them.
     
        [{Jargon File}]