1. Architectural decisions
on the battlefield
Sergiu Damian, Software Architect
RABS
www.rabs.ro | @rabs_ro | @sergiudamian
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2. ITCamp 2012 sponsors Architecture &
Best Practices
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3. About Architecture &
Best Practices
• Sergiu “Sese” Damian
• Software thinker and creator for 12+ years
• Software Architect at ISDC
• RABS Co-Founder & President
• Countless projects on Microsoft technologies
– FoxPro, VB6, Delphi, .NET, .NET, SQL, .NET, .NET, Excel,
.NET, Excel, .NET, Word, Visio, .NET, .NET
• Management positions on and off; now off
• Husband and father
@sergiudamian | sergiu.damian@rabs.ro
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4. Agenda Architecture &
Best Practices
• Intro
– Why this session?
– The Architect’s role
• Tough decisions in the making
– Customer orientation
– Team composition
– System decomposition
– Technology
– Process
• Key takeaways
• Q&A
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5. INTRO
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6. Why this session? Architecture &
Best Practices
• Decisions
• There’s no 911 (112 for European Architects)
• Best practices don’t exist
• Feels like a battlefield
• You win some, you lose some
• Eyes opened and keep talking
“It doesn’t have to be like this
All we need to do is make sure we keep talking”
(Pink Floyd)
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7. The Architect’s role Architecture &
Best Practices
• Project / Product specific
• Domain understanding
• Technical leadership
• High-level design
• Project planning (not monitoring)
• Works with the Product Owner & Project
Manager
• Process leadership
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8. TOUGH DECISIONS IN THE
MAKING
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9. Customer orientation Architecture &
Best Practices
• Customers
– Don’t know what they want
– (May) have rigid expectations
• We
– Know better
– Must lead them
• Decision
Close vs. Far (Deep vs. Shallow)
• Risks
– They can’t live without us
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10. Team composition Architecture &
Best Practices
• Technical skills
– We ask, they give, we accept (or not)
– Simple is better
• We
– Know better
– Must lead them
• Decision
Feature vs. Layer
• Risks
– They can’t move without us
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11. System decomposition Architecture &
Best Practices
• Functionality vs. Volatility
– Everybody thinks functionality
– Volatility is here to stay
• We
– Know better
– Must lead them
• Decision
Key functionalities vs. Key services
• Risks
– They can’t understand
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12. Technology Architecture &
Best Practices
• Technology choices
– Frameworks
– Third party components
• We
– Don’t know better
– Must lead them
• Decision
Formal vs. Informal
Expert vs. Hunch
• Risks
– Effort to recover
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13. Process Architecture &
Best Practices
• Process choices
– How Agile?
– How rigid?
• We
– Know better
– Must lead them
• Decision
Close or Far
• Risks
– Ineffective team
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14. KEY TAKEAWAYS
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15. Key takeaways Architecture &
Best Practices
• People first
• Simple is better
• Informed decisions
• Know your trade-offs / risks
• Talk more and never stop
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16. Q&A
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