Day In The Life Of An AWS Principal Cloud Application Architect

Title/ProServe team:To my family I am “The guy who works for the company with the vans that bring me all that cool stuff!?That smile logo is so fun!?Hey, my package isn’t here yet, can you call Jeff (Bezos, of course, whom everyone is convinced I’m on a first name basis with) and find out what’s going on?”?It can be a challenge to explain that Amazon really does have everything from A to Z and that Amazon Web Services is just one of the many exciting areas where we continue to grow and bring our mission of being the most Customer Obsessed Company in the world.?

Titles really aren’t important at Amazon, it’s a very flat organization and I feel empowered to reach out to anyone in the name of Customer Obsession and Delivering Results.?Since you are probably wondering though, my official title is quite a mouthful…?

Principal Cloud Application Architect, US Shared Delivery Teams, Applications Practice, Amazon Web Services, World Wide Commercial Operations, Professional Services?

See??I tried to warn you!?I even had to look up some of the acronyms myself.?This is really a long-winded way of saying that I work in @Brian Tol’s Application Practice (Best Practice!) under the umbrella of @Pravin Raj’s Delivery Organization, with a focus in Application Modernization and I am honored to be a part of our customer’s cloud adoption and Modernization journeys.

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Robert Stone and I specialize in Monolith to Microservice Rearchitectures.?Compelling dinner party conversation, let me tell you…. This incorporates Domain Driven Design (who doesn’t love a good bounded context?), API Design (give it a REST!), Database Architecture (at least my forms are normal), Event Driven Architecture (I swear I sent that message, did you check your dead letter queue?) and the EXCITING world of Refactoring Legacy Code bases (it’s a test driven kind of development).?I consider Technical Debit job security and derive an immense sense of satisfaction from guiding teams out of the pits of despair imposed by their aging and fragile applications and into the promised land of Cloud Enabled CI/CD, complete with regression tests and the sort of automation that just makes your heart sing.

Throughout college I worked waiting tables and tending bar.?I actually had quite a following as a Flair Bartender, throwing bottles, breathing fire, stacking glasses, and just generally ensuring everyone had a good (and safe!) time.?This experience taught me the value of connecting with people, being able to communicate, and how to prioritize/multitask in stressful situations.

My first degree is actually in Biology!?I had intended on going to Medical School, took the MCAT, started applying, but the interview cycle takes about a year.?I had always been interested in computers, writing my own programs to automate text based games (Federation back in the AOL Days and DragonRealms) and had been doing a fair amount of freelance work on the side.?I thought to myself, why not pick up a degree in Computer Science during the interview cycle??Needless to say, the course of my life changed that year, I traded my shakers and the promise of a sphygmomanometer for a set of whiteboard markers and vim keybindings, it’s been an adventure ever since.

I had the pleasure of being one of the first Linux System Administrators working for HostGator, back when there were three admins on in a shift and we worked out of an old chiropractor’s office.?There is a fun tale about how they found me at a 2600 meeting, but that’s a story for another day.

When HostGator moved from Florida to Texas I did some local consulting work before moving to Iowa for my first leadership role, a Director of Software Development.?Working in the call center industry and having the opportunity to work with large databases I honed my DBA and SQL skills while being supported by an incredible team.?The allure of HostGator was too much to resist and I soon found myself back at the Gator and my slow decent into the madness of application modernization began in full force.?It was here that I met the greatest software architect I’ve ever known, @Jonathan Taylor.?I often find myself falling back on his teachings (even though he reported to me!) and applying his conflict resolution strategies.?He taught me that the enemy of the great is the perfect, and that there is a difference between academic purity and valuable working code that you can iterate upon and improve over time.

From there to now I’ve had the pleasure of being a CTO, a Senior Software Developer, a Senior Software Architect, and so many other hats.?I worked as a consultant for years and learned from gifted Business Analysists and Architects.?Consulting exposed me to the inner workings of verticals like Investment Banking, Telecom, Healthcare, Insurance, and that peek behind the curtain has taught me about how the world really works, a side most never get to see.?I’ve made incredible friends and I’m thankful for all of these opportunities.

What I am most proud of though is that throughout all the ups and downs I found a wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman who pushes me to be better every day.?Who believes in me when I have my doubts, makes sure that I always see the joy in life, and loves me even though I firmly identify as a Slytherin and feel that “The Empire Did Nothing Wrong.”?Someone who finds my favoritism of Disney Villains endearing (the villains always have a mission, they are trying to ACHIEVE something and they aren’t afraid to work hard to get what they want!) and puts up with my terrible signing along to 90’s Pop Hits.?She inspires me with her strength and I look forward to sharing all of life’s happiness and sorrows with her.

Tell us about your role.?The role of a Principal is really to influence.?This includes influencing the leadership teams of our customers, influencing the direction of AWS and its services, and influencing the teams I have the privilege of leading.?I typically break my responsibilities into 4 key areas:?

Engagements?

If it’s thorny, complicated, and challenging, I WANT IN.?There is a saying, “Most people run from fires, Amazonians run towards them” and that has always been my experience here.?I’m typically involved in some of our longer running engagements and work to lead discovery, staff the dream team that will do the impossible, shape the general direction of an application modernization, and establish key patterns.?I spend most of my team reviewing architecture, sharing best practices, and driving the sort of transformative change that makes the Amazonian mechanisms so much more than just a technical approach.?

Rescue and Support

Even the best made plans sometimes go awry, if one of our teams are falling a bit behind or face a unique challenge and need some help I’m always happy to provide support.?Generally, this involves outlining the issue for our customer, working with the team on the solution, and providing a bit of “air cover” with executives so our builders can do what they do best and Deliver Results.?

Creation/Review of Repeatable Patterns and Artifacts

While it’s one thing to “leverage synergies to promote best in class…” (i.e. copy and paste) it’s another to establish a pattern that can be improved over time and accelerate our pace of delivery.?Currently I am championing an Application Modernization Assessment, an objective and prescriptive approach to evaluating the current state of a customer’s application, among other practice wide initiatives.?

I also have the pleasure of reviewing artifacts created by others, helping them raise the bar on quality and level up their technical communication skills.?It never ceases to amaze me how much I learn from reviewing artifacts in areas where I thought I was a subject matter? expert!?

Pre Sales?

The best part about working with Sales at AWS is the sheer value I am delivering.?Not just in the form of fancy metrics like “Reduced Total Cost of Ownership” (although, it’s true, it’s much cheaper to leverage Aurora and The Cloud then to use licensed software and having to provision for high water mark capacity) but in the way I get to help our customers realize their business outcomes.?To take our customers from a place where they are terrified to make changes to their applications due to the enormous risk and slow change cycles, to an atmosphere of confident automated releases so they can iterate quickly and innovate…. It’s just beyond rewarding, the offerings practically sell themselves.

What is your typical day- Morning/noon/afternoon (Special activities, responsibilities, fun facts)?

My day typically starts with Lucy (a Yorkshire Terrier) barking that it’s time to get up and go outside.?How such a little dog takes up so much bed and can be so loud will always mystify me.?After my morning routine I sit down (or stand up!) at my desk, coffee in hand, ready to tackle the day.

Mornings typically start with executive updates, scrum ceremonies, and my most mentally taxing tasks of the day.?This includes code reviews, architecture reviews, artifact reviews, creation of narratives (1 pagers as we call them), offerings, and any tasks that require my full attention and focus.?I have a habit of blocking time on my calendar to address these which helps me set time aside for things that are Important rather than Urgent.

Afternoons are when I typically schedule time to mentor and coach, Hire and Develop the Best is always on my mind.?This ranges from one on one sessions with the leads on any of my engagements, discussion of strategies to address problems that arise (both technical and soft skill related), to general career guidance and helping our builders identify what is important to them and how to achieve their goals.?Working with Product Owners to help them write good stories that are Thin Vertical Slices (GIVEN/WHEN/THEN), Executives to understand that Agile means I don’t have an exact date when something will be ready but I can give you a rough idea, and when I have a moment an exciting service team led training on some feature or something from our Male Allies program!?Of course, interviewing potential new Amazonians and helping to raise the bar around me is always a treat.

With most of the meetings and interruptions of the day behind me, I like to end my days with creating my own architectures and, on days when I’m very lucky, coding up a proof of concept or some twist on an existing pattern.?Any day that ends with a `git commit` or a `cdk deploy` is a good one!

Throughout the day I make it a point to be available to anyone who needs help with anything.?From a quick question about how big of a payload you can send to an API Gateway backed with Lambda (It’s 6MBs BTW, 10 MB limit for API Gateway and 6 MB limit for the payload of a Lambda function, you should probably look into S3 pre-signed URLs) to leading a session on “How to Disagree Without Being Disagreeable” there is always something new, fun, and exciting going on.

What do you like most about working for AWS? Did you have any inspiring moments?

Without a doubt, the best part of working for Amazon is the people.?Nowhere else in the world is such an incredible group of intelligent, talented, genuine, eager, and top of their field folks assembled with the singular focus of solving the world’s hardest problems.?It really is a technological playground and I learn and grow every single day.

I’m also so fortunate to be surrounded by a team that genuinely cares about our customers and each other.?I feel like I’m “home” here.?I have a team of Delivery Practice Managers who want to know what’s going on in my life, they celebrate my achievements and support me with their strength when my conviction waivers or I find myself unsure.?I draw inspiration from mentors like @Anita Adoba and @Ganit Mroncz that are guiding me on my journey of allyship and fostering an inclusive environment, creating a safe space for myself and others to be their authentic selves.?I am challenged by directors like @Pravin Raj who has the super human ability to look around corners and force me to confront what I may have missed.?I am empowered by leaders who ask what they can do for me and not what I can do for them.

I am inspired daily by folks like @Abhilash Vinod, @Andrew Stacy, @Chris Ruiter, @Eyal Shacham, @Mark Ingalls, @Mike Stephens, @Stephen DiCato, @Viggy Penumatcha, @Arun Thangaraj, and @Pushkar Singh.?Individuals who bring their thirst for knowledge and Customer Obsession every day and push me to be better.?I learn from the greatest Cloud Infrastructure Architects in the business, people like @Hunter Tom and @Kevin Higgins, who are generous with their time and enjoy a challenge as much as I do.?I mentor the next generation of principals, people like @Andy Widjaja, @Ulili Nhaga, and @Revanth Anireddy, and the satisfaction I feel from watching them grow fills me with a sense of pride.

The greatest people managers I’ve ever met, people like @Brian Tol and Kyle Scott.?Whenever I find myself in a tight spot I know I can always turn to them for advice, guidance, and the value of their experience as managers.?I may be able to invert a red black tree, but I still have so much to learn about being a leader and I know I can always depend on them to share their wisdom and approaches.

Even the customers I work with (I wish I could name them, know that I love working with you!) are genuine and a pleasure.?I am grateful for the faith you’ve put in myself and our teams and I work hard to earn your trust and guide you into an exciting future!

I am so honored to have the opportunity and strive every day to give back as much as I get.

What is your favorite leadership principle and why??

Oh sheesh, I have to pick just one??That’s the thing with Amazon and the leadership principles, they aren’t just a sign up on a wall or something that we talk about once a year at some all hands.?We EMBRACE them, live by them, quote them to each other all day long (there was even a time during a heated discussion with my wife that I told her I was prepared to Disagree and Commit, that DID NOT end well…) and they guide everything we do.

As software developers, I have always found a lot of comfort in Bias for Action.?Far too often organizations feel the need to analyze, over analyze, re-analyze, have a meeting about, form a focus group, get approval from 10 people… before anything can happen.?Bias for Action teaches us that most decisions are two-way doors, it’s okay to fail, and if nothing else we’ll learn something from the attempt.?If you have an idea or a vision, go for it!?You don’t need anyone’s permission and you don’t have to wait.?A great philosophy not just for software development, but for life in general.?Seize every moment, try every experience, and leave nothing on the table.?Work Hard, have fun, and make history!

"I knew that if I failed I wouldn’t regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not trying" - Jeff Bezos