Every organization has two structures.
One is written. The other is practiced.
The written structure lives in org charts, process documents, and presentations. The practiced structure lives in shortcuts, exceptions, workarounds, and silent approvals. Production systems always obey the second one.
Observing structures means watching how decisions are actually made, not how they are described. Who can stop a release. Who can bypass a rule. Who absorbs failure when something breaks.
Technology amplifies these realities. It does not correct them.
When engineers ignore organizational structures, systems become fragile. When they observe them, systems become resilient. Not because people behave better, but because software is aligned with how work truly happens.
Visibility is not about surveillance. It is about understanding.
Making structures visible is a prerequisite for systems that endure.