Outcome

In this masterclass Simon Brown will provide you with a practical approach to software architecture; including technical leadership, communication and how to balance upfront design with agile approaches.

Why Attend?

The 2 Day Software Architecture for Developers masterclass led by Simon Brown, will provide you with a practical and pragmatic guide to modern software architecture. It will teach you the essence of software architecture and will help you understand the following:

• Why the software architecture role should include coding, coaching and collaboration
• The things that you really need to think about before coding
• How to visualize your software architecture using the C4 model
• A lightweight approach to documenting your software
• Why there is no conflict between agile and architecture
• What “just enough” up front design means
• How to identify risks with risk-storming

Course Overview

Day 1: Architectural drivers, Software design exercise & Visualising software architecture

Architecture

• What is software architecture?
• Architecture vs design
• The importance of software architecture

Architectural drivers

• Requirements
• Quality attributes
• Constraints
• Principles
• Agility
• Software design exercise

Review and feedback

• Does the solution satisfy the architectural drivers?

Architects

• A definition of the software architecture role
• Technical leadership and the different leadership styles
• Technical skills
• Soft skills
• Software architecture and coding

Visualising software architecture

• Do you understand the diagrams?

Day 2: Visualising software architecture, Documenting software architecture, Quantifying technical risk & Software architecture in the delivery process

Visualising software architecture

• Diagramming anti-patterns and typical problems
• The “model-code gap”
• Abstractions and creating a shared vocabulary with a ubiquitous language
• An overview of the C4 model
• Notation and tips for better diagrams
• System Context diagrams
• Container diagrams
• Component diagrams

Documenting software architecture

• The importance of documentation
• Writing lightweight supplementary documentation using a “software guidebook” or arc42
• Managing technical risk

Quantifying and prioritising risk

• Identifying risk with risk-storming

Software architecture in the delivery process

• Waterfall, RUP, agile, etc
• The conflict between architure and agile
• Approaching software architecture in a pragmatic, lightweight way
• How much up front design is enough?
• Discussion, questions and wrap-up