How can you apply solution architecture patterns and principles from past experiences?

??Review past solutions to identify patterns that worked and those that didn’t. ??Analyze models, diagrams, and frameworks used in previous projects for reusable components. ???Adapt successful patterns to the current project’s specific requirements and constraints. ??Leverage lessons learned and feedback from past implementations to improve future designs. ??Focus on scalability, flexibility, and maintainability when reusing patterns. ??Regularly update architectural knowledge with emerging industry trends to refine approaches.

Embark on a journey of architectural wisdom by reviewing past solutions. Think of them not as artifacts but as seasoned mentors whispering insights. It's not a backward glance; it's a dance with experience. Imagine your past solutions as chapters in a novel; each narrating a saga of challenges and triumphs. In this reflective waltz, don't just review; extract the principles etched in the architecture. Let past experiences be the compass guiding future innovations, turning every challenge into an opportunity for architectural brilliance to unfold.

A solution architect would never want to rebuild the same solution architecture. Any shortcomings that were missed during design and came up during implementation or go-to-market are crucial to build better solutions. Other factors to consider are whether there are newer patterns or tech-stack which could make the next solution better. A solution architect's job is to clearly identify the reason why some of the patterns and principles from the previous solution would no longer be optimal now.

Many patterns and principles advocated by the IT community evolved from collective utilization. However, when each pattern or principle is applied individually, within a specific IT enterprise environment, there are often unique considerations and adjustments that need to be made in order for it to be applied successfully. This experience helps us augment pattern and principle documentation in order to customize it to the distinct characteristics, constraints and technologies that surround the solution implementation within our IT enterprise. This is the reason this step is so important. It provides us with evidence of how effective a given pattern or principle was, and to what extent we had to tailor it in order for it to be effective.

Using past solutions as a guide for future ones is a valuable practice. One way to make the most of past solutions is to use them as case studies to identify success or failure indicators. It's equally important to share knowledge about the process that went into these solutions, such as presentation, proof-of-concept conduct, and documentation. Don't be afraid to change from previous patterns to new ones that may have emerged to handle new use cases. It's important to continue focusing on business strategy and the associated costs.

By examining previous architectures, we can draw on tried-and-tested solutions, ensuring they are applicable and scalable in the new context. For example, ?If you've used an ETL pipeline to move data between systems before, recognizing this pattern can help you design a solution to combine multiple data sources in the cloud using tools like AWS Glue or Azure Data Factory. ?If a past solution used event-driven architecture with AWS Lambda, recognizing this can help design scalable, serverless systems for real-time data processing in the cloud. ?If you used data partitioning for better performance in the cloud before, it can help design large-scale data processing with tools like Amazon S3.

To apply solution architecture patterns and principles effectively, pinpoint those most relevant to your present challenge. Patterns provide frameworks for recurring issues, emphasizing the organization and function of solution components. Principles guide the overarching design process, ensuring alignment with best practices. Resources such as books, online articles, industry forums, and discussions with experts can be invaluable in this discovery phase. Additionally, deriving insights from your own experiences can lead to the development of customized patterns and principles that resonate with your project's unique requirements.

Following the review of past solutions, the next step is identifying relevant patterns and principles for the current problem domain and solution context. Patterns, reusable solutions to common problems, describe the structure and behavior of a solution's components. Principles, general guidelines or best practices, influence solution design and implementation. Sources for finding patterns and principles include books, articles, blogs, podcasts, courses, forums, communities, and expert insights. Additionally, you can create your own patterns and principles based on personal experiences and knowledge.

Patterns are working and collectively accepted solutions to common problems. So they are not rocket science. But puzzling with patterns is not a sustainable approach to applying them. For every new assignment, it pays off to REALLY understand the challenges. Only then consider the patterns in your luggage, or read up for new patterns not yet seen. Once a selection of candidate patterns is found, see which combinations work best. Applying more patterns is usually not the best strategy. It leads to convoluted solutions mostly, and unnecessary complexity. Finding a small set of smartly combined patterns is generally better, since it keeps things smaller and simpler. Usually this also means cheaper, initially and with every change.

In my opinion, models, patterns, frameworks and principles are like Lego bricks: modular and reusable, but you need to know your problem (what you want to solve) and how you want to do it. Beyond that, there are a few things to keep in mind. - Adapt to non-functional issues such as maintaining referential integrity, data - Existing systems, models, and frameworks and learn to apply them based on a problem or part of a problem considering operational aspects and infrastructure/environment are differences. Therefore, you should use appropriate models and concepts as a starting point, but adapt them to your needs.

When completing this step, it is important to constantly acknowledge that solution architecture patterns and principles almost always share a common goal (or target solution state), whereby we aim to realize specific characteristics in the solution we are building, often based on a pre-determined architectural style. That style of architecture we are aiming for usually has a set of outcomes we expect from the investment we make in it. Therefore, a key factor for any customizations we make (and any new patterns we may author), is the set of overarching solution design goals we need to continue to support. However, if practical constraints demand that we deviate from those goals, this then needs to be well justified and documented.

Patterns and principles serve as templates and quick reference points but it’s a fallacy to think of them as “one size fits all”. Organisations will always have nuances and little quirks in the way they carry out processes (even the common ones) and that should always be the lens that all patterns and principles are viewed under. What worked for one may not work for another and also the speed at which technology is evolving, it is time now that not only are new patterns thought of and/or discovered but some of the existing ones need to be updated and refreshed too.

Instead of merely replicating existing frameworks, delve into understanding their strengths, compromises, and potential shortcomings. Tailor these patterns to suit your specific goals, requirements, budgetary constraints, timeline pressures, and technological environment. Assess the involvement and expectations of stakeholders, as well as any risks and dependencies that could affect implementation. By customizing these patterns and principles with these factors in mind, you craft solutions that are not only well-suited to immediate project needs but also equipped to handle future complexities.

Following the identification of relevant patterns and principles, the third step involves adapting and customizing them to suit specific needs and constraints. Avoid blindly copying; instead, understand the benefits, trade-offs, and limitations of the patterns and principles. Customize based on various criteria and factors, including the goals, requirements, scope, budget, timeline, stakeholders, risks, assumptions, dependencies, and technologies specific to your solution. This ensures that the adapted patterns and principles align with the unique aspects of your problem domain and solution context.

Identifying relevant ones from past experiences, analyzing the current project's context, and customizing patterns to fit specific requirements. It's essential to consider technological advancements, embrace an iterative refinement process based on feedback, and document lessons learned for future reference.

Validate and communicate the patterns and principles applied to your solution. Ensure the solution meets expected quality standards, performance levels, and both functional and non-functional requirements through testing and verification. Communicate and document the chosen patterns and principles, explaining the rationale, implementation approach, and achieved results. Techniques like prototypes, demos, reviews, feedback, reports, presentations, and documentation can be utilized for effective validation and communication. This step ensures transparency and understanding among stakeholders regarding the applied architectural choices.

Clear documentation is crucial for transparent decision-making, while a well-defined communication strategy ensures stakeholders understand the rationale behind chosen patterns. Knowledge transfer sessions facilitate sharing insights, contributing to the successful application of validated patterns and principles in the current project.

The historical context always helps in building the best system architecture for business processes. There are always clues. My approach with new architecture is to always weigh in the pros and cons from the past designs and build more practical, relevant solutions for current problems. Lots of implemented patterns could be reused. With the ERPs which are running from the decades, I believe it is always wise to use the learnings embedded within those rather than jumping on building everything from scratch. Ultimately, business patterns evolve and so are ERPs and their architecture.

Because of the emphasis this article places on customizing, adapting and authoring patterns, I would recommend adding a section dedicated to authoring conventions. What makes architecture patterns so effective is the fact that they are all documented following a standardized format. Each typically has a well-defined Problem, Solution, Application and Impacts statement, and may further have a Relationships section that explains potential dependencies and consequences that a given pattern may have on others. What we want to avoid is having different team members document patterns in different ways, because then we lose the power of assembling our own cohesive pattern library.

Emerging Technologies: Stay informed about emerging technologies and assess their applicability to enhance or replace existing patterns and principles. Be open to incorporating new, innovative solutions that may have emerged since the last project. Scalability and Flexibility: Evaluate the scalability and flexibility of past patterns and principles to ensure they can accommodate the evolving needs of the current project. Consider how well the chosen patterns support future growth and changes in requirements. Feedback Loops: Establish feedback loops to continuously assess the effectiveness of applied patterns and principles during the project lifecycle.

Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with cross-functional teams to gather diverse perspectives on the applicability of patterns and principles. Ensure that developers, operations, and other stakeholders are aligned with and understand the chosen architectural approaches. Governance and Compliance: Validate that applied patterns adhere to organizational governance and compliance standards. Ensure that security, regulatory, and other non-functional requirements are addressed by the chosen patterns. Continuous Learning: Foster a culture of continuous learning within the team, encouraging members to share insights from their experiences.

1. Identify recurring challenges or scenarios from past projects and recognize established patterns that successfully addressed similar issues. 2. Map the current problem to the patterns and principles that proved effective in previous situations, adapting them to fit the current context. 3. Establish a feedback loop within the development process, encouraging regular reviews and adjustments based on emerging insights and experiences.