Architecture is about Intent.. My few cents..





https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=IEQr7gn6Gnc
The Principles of Clean Architecture by Uncle Bob Martin


Architecture is about Intent !  Its not about tools , Its not about frameworks , those are details, details should be hidden and not exposed.  It is vital to keep the business logic is kept immune the delivery model.

Architects are abs-tractors, we separate details from general things. e..g UI or database is details

Good architecture is allowed major decision to be differed. Job of an architecture is not to make decisions but to differed the decisions.

Good architecture maximizes the number of decisions NOT made.



Architects are responsible for Form and Structure while engineers are concerned with structure and functions.

What activities an Architects do
  • Act as a true trusted advisor & value-based professional.
  • The solution architect leads successful implementations and focuses on how solutions address the broader business and technical needs of organizations. 
  • The Solution Architect is a key member of the overall project team.
  • Trained in thinking value-oriented outcomes.
  • The fundamental driver for project success. They define and drive the implementation of Why, How, Who, When, & Where - Of Business and Technology Strategy 
  • Architecture is about communication and it is about thinking well. it is not documentation.
  • The only applicable principle from the agile manifesto is Individuals and Interactions over processes and tools..rest is all blah blah blah
  • Architects involved in how a company invest in technology 
  • I as an Architect looking up and out. 
  • Architects should be mentors, coaches, and guides.
  • Architects should be quick to get hands-on when things get tough.
  • My delivery should be aim towards shareholders and aim for the maximum business outcomes and value.  (note its about shareholders and not necessarily stakeholders)
  • Looking for opportunities to do less with more
  • Looking for Reuse opportunities in projects across organizations
  • Looking to meet governance & standards
  • I must retain the breadth and depth of my skills
  • I need to stay close enough to the code & technology so that I can do small prototypes & code reviews.
  • Relate emerging trends & capabilities to value
  • Architects become a fundamental part of the delivery process
  • Stay 1-3 iterations/increments (sprints) ahead of the team
  • Architects sit next to the team and with the team.
  • My goal is to constraint the team as little as possible
  • I review concepts, Cost-benefit analysis, Business processes.
  • Create an environment where the team should feel empowered but at the same time don't get into the trouble by just doing things whatever one wants.
  • Quality attribute trade-off analysis is more interesting over value-based components & Politics
  • We develop skills sets to deal with uncertainty necessary to make strategic plans at the lowest level of organization i.e. maintenance and projects as well as the highest level
  • Develop the architecture community to avoid silos 



Keywords associated with Architect

  • Resue
  • Enabler
  • Solution envisioning
  • Do less with more
  • Cross-functional
  • Integration 
  • Meet governance & standards
  • Emerging trends 
  • Capabilities 
  • Agile Transformation - SAF, DAD, 
  • Quality attribute tradeoff analysis 
  • Value-based components 
  • Politics 
  • Thought leadership 
  • Architectural roadmaps and milestones as potential value outcomes.
  • Value Stories and Value Themes
  • Healthy Tension 
  • Individual interactions over processes and tools.



 Quality attribute Architect Should always keep in mind.

  • Security 
  • Usability 
  • Performance 
  • Flexibility 
  • Availability 
  • Maintainability

-

What are the things architects should remember 

  • Agile Teams Need more and architects not less-
  • Stakeholder vs Shareholder 
  • Architects Lead delivery vs Agile team as an architect.
  • Architecture doesn't happen at your desk it happens at someone else.
  • Architects are not governance functions.  let somebody else take care of it. Don't drive governance review, if we do that architects often lose their credibility within 2-3 years.  project team look at you as a roadblock and not as an enabler. Teams will try to find a way to go around you. It may form a distrusting relationship. 
  • Don't reject technology just simply because I have moved to a higher level. If you don't retain your ground technical skills you become an ivory tower architect.
  • Don't get yourself applied to too many projects,  you can not be a proactive member for more than 3 projects or even 3 big projects is difficult.
  • Don't get involved in delivery until lead engineer and I have comes to grips (good terms)  with each other. that does not mean door each other or not argue / debate. (Americans like to argue, other cultures like to discuss)
  • Create an environment where the team should feel empowered but at the same time don't get in tot he trouble by just doing things whatever one wants.
  • Often stories cannot be prioritized against each other. what's more important on a car, the left front wheel or the right front wheel. Always look for the value as an aggregation/combination.
  • Don't care about certain developmental processes. Kanban/scrum or whatever.  what should we be concerned about individuals that you are working with are we capable?'
  • Today's organization's approach is to work with the cheapest and less skilled staff by giving them processes and tools rather than work with the most capable & independent staff and let them choose their own processes and tools. Hope/try to work with later to make a real difference.
  • Architecture is a fundamental driver for project success. Without solution and business, architecture success enterprise architecture initiatives are deeply at Risk.
  • Resources and Timelines (Schedule development) is not your task that is something for PMO. business owners (product owners) and Relationships managers. you just provide input when needed.
  • Generally, there are more projects than there are architects. it could lead to Architectural anti-patterns -    3 primary ones are 
    • Architects become governance focus. i.e. rubber stamp or roadblock
    • Architects create the design and throw over the wall. this is the sr. designer. 
    • Architects only work on enterprise-level and do standards, processes, and modeling .thats called Ivory tower

  • Myth: Agile team needs more architectural discussions but at the same time they regard architecture as a team effort as in it is team managed processes and everyone should be involved in and contribute to, NO special roles such as Architect anymore,     
    • Good Luck :)   There is a skill and language differential. The team will come up with good structural solutions but that's not necessarily valuable.  Mainly because teams are not trained in the skillset of an architect, not trained with thinking value-oriented outcomes and nor is the average team is interested.  it is a fundamentally different mindset. (like asking you to be programmer, project manager, and business analyst all one in one, you can do that in tiny tiny things but you can imagine the overall outcome)
    • Ultimately, The notion of Team of the Architect can be done but it requires very specific guidelines and very mature architecture practice, we called it the extended architecture team. in most f the organization's architects count about 1% of the IT footprint. even if its 5 or 50 pr 500 architects there are still more projects than there are architects. eventually, other roles take over architectural work.  it's ok for some teams to take over architectural ownership but hats have to be limited to certain types of projects or initiatives.
    • Because as you get to more and more complicated architectural projects, It is roughly trying to be CEO. CFO. COO, CXO whatever. The level of skill required to be a focus on value-based optimization of outcomes as well as need to look at the governance structure, to look at long term technology roadmap are distracting enough and require a fundamentally different skillset 
    • To become a great architect you need at least do the work for 7-10 years. You can do a good architect in 5 years or so.


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