communicationdriven

communicationdriven is an adjective used to describe approaches, architectures, and cultures in which communication processes and feedback loops are the primary drivers of decisions, design, and coordination, rather than static rules, centralized control, or purely data-centric metrics.

In organizations, a communicationdriven approach prioritizes dialogue among stakeholders, transparent information sharing, and iterative decision-making guided by ongoing conversations, meetings, and documented learnings.

In software and systems design, it can refer to architectures that emphasize message exchange, event streams, and contract-driven interfaces, where components interact primarily via communication rather than shared data schemas alone.

Key characteristics include frequent cross-functional collaboration, explicit feedback channels, observable communication paths, inclusive decision rights, and rapid prototyping with stakeholder input.

Benefits include greater adaptability, alignment with user needs, and resilience to change; challenges include potential delays from coordination, information overload, and the need for strong facilitation and governance.

Relation to other concepts: differs from data-driven approaches that prioritize metrics; overlaps with agile, participatory design, and collaboration-centric cultures.

See also: data-driven, event-driven architecture, agile, participatory design.