3 posts tagged with "Software Architecture"

"It is the developer’s assumptions which get shipped to production" - Alberto Brandolini

In parts one and two of this series we explored why software architecture is needed and some of the common pitfalls and failure modes that afflict "architects". This article will go into some of the principles and practices that are part of my toolbox. Very little of this is new and I've tried to link to the original sources so be sure to check the references. If I have misrepresented anything, that's solely on me.

"Two weeks of coding can save you an hour of planning" — Unknown

In part one of this series[^1] I tried making the argument that some degree of software architecture is required, and explored how a naive reading of agile software development practices coupled with organizational incentives create a toxic mix where software design is not valued, leading to a lack of clarity and coherence, viability crushing technical risks being ignored, and creeping and crippling technical debt that slows down software delivery.

“Simplicity and elegance are unpopular because they require hard work and discipline to achieve” — Edsger Dijkstra

Having a role that requires me to sometimes wear the "software architect's" hat at a relatively large organization has given me ample material to digest and reflect on the practice of software architecture, i.e. the design of software systems comprising multiple components owned by different teams. I am hoping to write a small series of posts that articulate (hopefully in an intelligible manner) why some architecture is relevant in our day and age, why it should be a seen as core skill for teams (especially senior+ engineers) and reflect on my own view of the practice of software architecture. Since architecture is part of the broader process of building any non-trivial software system, let's start there.