Solutions. An introduction to the science & art of system architecture engineering

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Gregory Young
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1 Solutions Architecture 101 An introduction to the science & art of system architecture engineering

2 » Architecture roles Developer to architect What you need to make the transition Developer to architect 2

3 » Introduction Firstly let s set the scene. This presentation focuses on solutions architects. Technical/data architects have a different career path. If there s enough demand I ll cover that in another presentation. Developer to architect 3

Technical/data architects have a different career path.

4 » Profile of an architect The skills required by a solutions architect can be broken down into: Personal Technical Business Developer to architect 4

5 » Personal Profile Good communication skills This is critical. Dealing with the business, 3 rd party s etc. is as much a part of the job as technical knowledge. Self sufficiency You need to be able to make decisions and be proactive in finding the people/resources you need. Excessive handholding is not expected. Diplomacy Conflicts of interest, differences of opinion are common. Methodical approach Your work will include analysis, design and more. There s a lot that can be missed if you don t apply a disciplined approach. Good estimation skills For estimating effort for your own work and verifying supplied work estimates from others look sensible. Coming from a development background this should be something you are used to. Adaptability Change is certain so you need to be flexible in your approach. This must be balanced against unrealistic/counterproductive t demands. d Leadership Developers and business owners look to you to provide commitment to the solutions you propose. Mentoring Wherever you are in your career you re likely l to have valuable experience for others. Delegation Keep that tendency to do everything under control! Developer to architect 5

Diplomacy Conflicts of interest, differences of opinion are common. Methodical approach Your work will include analysis, design and more.

6 » Technical Profile Enterprise development You cannot become an enterprise level solutions architect without having spending extensive time working on large, distributed, well engineered systems. Breadth of knowledge Exposure to a wide range of systems, methodologies, middleware etc. This needs to include commercial of the shelf solutions as well as custom development efforts. Methodology/patterns Experience/exposure to SOA, message buses, enterprise integration hubs etc. Ensure you have at least an awareness of enterprise solution patterns. As a developer you will have been building solutions using a similar approach. Developer to architect 6

This needs to include commercial of the shelf solutions as well as custom development efforts.

7 » Business Experience Profile Commercial awareness It s likely you will be involved in ensuring the business get best value from suppliers, give input to tender responses etc. Also, it s good to know the relative implementation costs of common off the shelf packages (middleware for example). There s no point building your plans around a middleware solution that costs far more than the business can afford. Project governance/structure Understanding the relationship/hierarchy or the people involved in typical projects. Project life cycle Although your involvement in project based engagements will decrease during the period of the project you need to have an awareness of the analysis, design, implementation, testing and post release phases. Developer to architect 7

There s no point building your plans around a middleware solution that costs far more than the business can afford.

8 » Developer to architect roadmap Spend as much time with the business as possible Familairse yourself with architecture frameworks like Zachman & TOGAF If mentor architects are available use them.c Spend as much time with the business as possible Project/developm ent methodologies Learn about Scrum, waterfall, XP etc. Expose yourself to architecture blogs, books, peer thinking etc. Developer to architect 8

c Spend as much time with the business as possible Project/developm ent methodologies Learn about

9 » Architectural involvement For project based work an architects' involvement decreases over time. The bulk of the work is done in the early analysis and planning phase with required effort tailing off as the project moves into implementation and production release. High Effort Low effort Project start Project end Developer to architect 9

The bulk of the work is done in the early analysis and planning phase with required

10 » Further reading It is very easy to just Google for architecture resources so this will be brief. Here are a few recommendations. Books Mythical man month Seminal text on software estimation. Not really focused on architecture but a great read. Software architect bootcamp -? Blogs/websites Bredemeyer Consulting Articles that demonstrate a real depth of understanding on the topic, MSDN Architecture Centre Microsoft biased architecture resources, Follow the blog links which are among the most interesting pieces, msdn.microsoft.com/architecture Organisations Open group Governs the TOGAF architecture framework, IASA International ti Association of Software Architects, t ZIFA Zachman Institute for Framework Advancement, Developer to architect 10

bredemeyer.com MSDN Architecture Centre Microsoft biased architecture resources, Follow the blog links which are among the most interesting pieces, msdn.microsoft.

Solutions. An introduction to the science & art of system architecture engineering

Solutions. An introduction to the science & art of system architecture engineering Solutions Architecture 101 An introduction to the science & art of system architecture engineering » Architecture roles Architecture roles Defining the different types of architect Architecture Roles 2