If there was a school of
IT ARCHITECTUREwhat would I learn there?
Can there be great craft without
ARTISTRYand great art without
CRAFTSMANSHIP?
THOUGHTFULmaking of
thingsUSABLE
Based on
not the structureWONDER,
MEMORABLE
FORGETTABLE
HISTORYof IT Architecture
Studying history is the shortest path to
WISDOM
WISDOMUnderstanding of patterns and meta-patterns so they can be used in novel ways
D A T AINFORMATIONKNOWLEDGEWISDOM
Architecture is the only property of interest
when reviewing
ANCIENT applications or systems
IT ARCHEOLOGYThe study of composition or
functional details aboutan extinct IT system
Historically, architectural endeavors express the
ZEITGEIST(the spirit of an age)
ANCIENT ERAAcceptance of myth-
based truths, driven by magic and wizardry
RAWREFINED
CLASSICAL ERARuling of order,
symmetry, frameworks and reasoning
MEDIEVAL ERADominance of religion, dogmas and canons of
scripture
RENAISSANCE ERAEmbracement of art, beauty and crowd-pleasing aesthetics
REALSIMULATED
MODERN ERAInclination to relativity
and scientific methods of revealing the truth
FOUR LEVELSof understanding and
conceptualization
LITERALSimple or direct
understanding of meaning
METAPHORICPoetic or allegoric
understanding of hints
EMOTIONAL
MECHANICAL
ETHICALComparative and political
recognition of contexts
MYSTICALRevelation of secrets through inspiration
INEXPLICABLE
UNDERSTOOD
A proper IT system growsNATURALLYLOGICALLYPOETICALLY
out of all its conditions
SIMPLICITYCLARITYGRACEBEAUTY
PROCESSof making
ARCHITECTURE
Architecture is the
TRANSLATIONof intent into technology
BUSINESSTECHNOLOGY
AESTHETICSCritical reflection on art,
culture and nature.Judgments of sentiments
and taste.
BUSINESSTECHNOLOGYAESTHETICS
BUSINESSdesires the right
FUNCTION
TECHNOLOGYseeks the right
STRUCTURE
AESTHETICSrequires the right
APPEARANCE
FUNCTIONSTRUCTUREAPPEARANCE
Business Analyst cares most about
FUNCTION
Engineer cares primarily about
STRUCTURE
Designer is focused mostly on
APPEARANCE
Who cares about the right
BALANCEof all three?
Architect does, through
architecting PROCESS
RequirementsANALYSISTechnical design
DESIGNconscious effort to create
something that is both functional and
aesthetically pleasing
All architecture is
DESIGNNot all design is
architecture
Design all things byconsidering them in their
LARGERCONTEXT
An object in a COMPONENT
A component in a SYSTEM
A system in an ENTERPRISE
An enterprise in an INDUSTRY
Solutions ArchitectInfrastructure Architect
Business ArchitectEnterprise Architect
T h e m o r e y o u
UNDERSTAND something , the less
INTERESTING it is.
ARCHITECTSversus
ENGINEERS
An engineer knows
EVERYTHINGabout
ONE THING
An architect knows
SOMETHINGabout
EVERYTHING
Who is asking
HOW?And who is asking
WHY?
UNEXPECTED
HABITUAL
Structural problems are different from problems
of
EXISTENCE
It is nicer to join
THE PIRATESthan to join the navy
Who is the mainENEMYof IT Architecture?
Are ENGINEERSthe primeval evil as
they don’t understand architecture?
NO, WE NEED BOTH!Architects have head in
the cloudEngineers keep feet on
the ground
ARCHVILLAINof architecture are stencils, templates, guidances and
scaffoldings!
Stencils and templates
PREVENTmistakes and disasters,
and lower the risk of failure
But what they assure in its place is
MEDIOCRITY
It is not just what you don’t know that
HURTS YOUIt is what you know that
JUST AIN’T SO.
Stencils and templatesspare you from
THINKING
Templates are not evil, they are just frequently
MISUSEDresulting in mediocre solutions
RISKYSAFE
The problem is not that we
AIM TOO HIGHand fail, but that we aim too
low and
S U C C E E D
Multiplicity of possibilities can
drag the uneducated into
COMPLEXITY
Trying to solve every problem results in
GENERICsolutions that solve no
problems at all
The key is in
SIMPLICITYand
SPECIFICITY
SIMPLECOMPLICATED
STRATEGYSeriously, why would architects care about it?
Without a strategy,
ARCHITECTUREcan take you there.
ANY
STRATEGY is profoundlydifferent from
TA C T I C S
Tactical questions:
HOW?Strategic questions:
WHY?
HOW does it work?
HOW is it implemented?
HOW do I put it apart?
WHY is this needed?
WHY do they want it?
WHY are they satisfied?
BALANCEFunctional Requirements
Quality Attributesvs.
Quality AttributesPerformanceScalabilityReliability
AuditabilityManageability
InteroperabilityExtensibility
ReusabilityUsability
AccessibilitySecurity
RecoverabilityPortabilityTestability
ADAPTABILITYBUILDABILITY
UNDERSTANDABILITY
WHOcan become an
ARCHITECT?
Wrong question!Rather ask what are the
KEY SKILLSof a good architect?
H o w i m p o r t a n t i s
ABSTRACTTHINKING
for good architecture?
Dealing withAMBIGUITY
Lack of information, change of direction, weak strategy
A b i l i t y t oCOMMUNICATE
Listen, Argue, Rephrase, Propose, Bargain, Agree
DEMOCRATIC
AUTHORITATIAN
PERSONALITY
of an architectTYPE
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
Atti tudesFUNCTIONSL i festy le
MBTI Functions
Sensing – iNtuitionThinking - Feeling
INTUITIONAbility to acquire knowledge without the inference of the
use of reason.
LO G I C is used to prove something existing
INTUITIONis used to discover something new
RADICAL
CONSERVATIVE
THINKINGAbility to MODEL the world
according to objectives, plans, ends and desires
EMOTION leads to action.
REASON leads to conclusions.
The Sixteen MBTI typesISTJ11.6%ISTP5.4%ESTP4.3%ESTJ8.7%
ISFJ13.8%ISFP8.8%ESFP8.5%ESFJ12.3%
INFJ1.5%INFP4.3%ENFP8.1%ENFJ2.4%
INTJ2.1%INTP3.3%ENTP3.2%ENTJ1.8%
Intuitive ThinkersISTJ11.6%ISTP5.4%ESTP4.3%ESTJ8.7%
ISFJ13.8%ISFP8.8%ESFP8.5%ESFJ12.3%
INFJ1.5%INFP4.3%ENFP8.1%ENFJ2.4%
INTJ2.1%INTP3.3%ENTP3.2%ENTJ1.8%
IntuitiveThinkers:
of population10.4%
One in ten people has a
POTENTIALto become an IT architect
YOU DISAGREE?
That’s ok.MBTI is just a model.
All models are
FLAWEDbut some models are
USEFUL
ARCHITECTS
MODELSdo IT with