[dzikimarian]

>Unless you can truly, completely decouple systems -- making them separate products with dedicated teams -- you run a high risk of having a codebase that is more complex that people still need to understand in its entirety to work effectively. The worst of both worlds.

Exactly what I meant. And to make it happen you need to understand underlying business domain. Separate product doesn't have to be huge.

[djur]

For a lot of tech startups the underlying business domain can be nebulous and change significantly over time, and then you end up with substantial organizational debt. Well-established firms can get away with (and benefit from) more differentiation and formal structure because they tend to be able to make longer-term plans.