Simple IT Architecture
There is always a big challenge for IT Solutions to propose a simple architecture that can solve a certain business problem and as you may have noticed if you are debating a portion of someone’s architecture you will end-up to be advice the famous quotes,
“ Architecture is not a Science and it is not an Art.” , and “ There is nothing right or wrong about certain Architecture.”
I think there are always different ways to make it simple and effective and keep your clients amazed, so I will share you some.
9. Start with the Why, to achieve the Wow.
“ People don’t buy by what you do, people buy by why you do it”
Starting from the Why is the real motive for every one to do anything, it is not always about money, there are dozens of whys you have to ask, but one why with the right answer can make you exceed, no one is caring about what you do or how you do it as much as why you do it.
I can’t be explaining this better than Simon Sinek who introduced the idea of the golden circle, Video here.
10. Use the same client language.
Why don’t we are all speaking the same language, even if we may be using the same words, as an Architect you have to make sure that you are clearly understood, and in order to do that you have to have a very good understanding of your client language, industry and culture.
2. Assume that your clients doesn’t know any thing about computing and they doesn’t really care.
This assumption sometimes give you the freedom to think out of the box and produce different ideas, for sure you won’t use this assumption with the technical teams but rather you can assume so in terms of the business.
3. Put the end user on focus, user experience always matters.
How many times you have been in great effort solutions that at the end just turned off because the end user didn’t like it, the fact is the whole computer was invented to help the human being so this is the most important factor in the equation, you’d better have a very good understanding of human computer interaction concepts and methods, because utilizing this part of the science will make you immanence.
6. Rely on what people already have, and don’t try to go against nature.
“For me, my role is about unleashing what people already have inside them that is maybe suppressed in most work environments.” this quote is enough said.
4. Be a Thought Leader, keep listening, and avoid being affected by Sales persons.
Dare to generate original ideas, build your personal brand and take care most of Sales people are looking only for profit, that’s it.
1. It doesn’t give you more credit to prove that you know every thing by proposing it all in one architecture.
Technical complexity is always critical to your solution so keep it simple as long as it fulfills your requirements, don’t use so many products, frameworks, and multiple layers to achieve one simple task.
What will you think if someone is buying a mainframe just to edit word documents?
5. Don’t reinvent the wheel, use invented ones to assemble a different vehicle.
“ Don’t reinvent the wheel just realign it”
7. Architecture methods and modeling techniques is just a way to model your requirements, it is not the aim.
It is really awesome to follow a certain methodology or technique, it makes you look more professional but being zealot to certain method is not really a good idea, you have to be open, always prepared for tailoring and adaption to meet your client expectations.
8. There is no golden hammer, avoid anti-patterns
Golden hammers lead to outdated, technology is the best runner on earth and the fact is there would be always new, so that you have to be at least a runner, walking will lead you to be left behind.
Finally you may have noticed that list is not ordered according to list numbering order, but rather grouped by flow from client, user, to architectural thinking related advises. This trick can also explain some!