How do you document and communicate your technical architecture in DDD?

1 Why document and communicate your technical architecture?

Documenting and communicating your technical architecture is important for several reasons. First, it helps you and your team to understand and validate your design decisions and trade-offs. Second, it helps you to communicate your vision and goals to other stakeholders, such as clients, managers, or other developers. Third, it helps you to maintain and evolve your system over time, by providing a reference for new features, changes, or refactoring.

2 What are the main elements of your technical architecture in DDD?

Your technical architecture in DDD consists of three main elements: the domain model, the bounded contexts, and the context map. The domain model is a representation of the concepts, rules, and behaviors of your business domain, expressed in a common language. The bounded contexts are the boundaries that separate different parts of your domain model, where each part has its own language, rules, and models. The context map is a diagram that shows how the bounded contexts relate to each other, and what kind of integration or collaboration patterns they use.

3 How do you document your domain model?

One way to document your domain model is to use a tool like UML (Unified Modeling Language) or C4 (Context, Containers, Components, and Code) to create diagrams that show the structure and behavior of your entities, value objects, aggregates, services, repositories, and factories. You can also use code annotations or comments to document the purpose, constraints, and logic of your classes and methods. Additionally, you can use tests or specifications to document the expected behavior and outcomes of your domain model.

4 How do you document your bounded contexts?

One way to document your bounded contexts is to use a tool like PlantUML or Structurizr to create diagrams that show the containers, components, and code of each bounded context. You can also use code namespaces or modules to organize your code according to your bounded contexts. Additionally, you can use README files or wikis to document the name, description, domain language, and business rules of each bounded context.

5 How do you document your context map?

One way to document your context map is to use a tool like PlantUML or Context Mapper to create diagrams that show the relationships and patterns between your bounded contexts. You can also use code interfaces or contracts to document the integration or collaboration protocols between your bounded contexts. Additionally, you can use glossaries or dictionaries to document the terms and definitions of your domain language across your bounded contexts.

6 How do you communicate your technical architecture in DDD?

Communicating your technical architecture in DDD is not only about creating diagrams, code, and documentation. It is also about engaging in conversations and feedback loops with your team and other stakeholders. You can use tools like Miro or Lucidchart to create collaborative and interactive diagrams that you can share and discuss online. You can also use tools like GitHub or GitLab to manage your code and documentation repositories, and to enable code reviews, pull requests, and issues. Moreover, you can use tools like Slack or Zoom to facilitate communication and collaboration among your team and other stakeholders, and to present and demo your technical architecture.