How can you help developers approach application architecture strategically?

Application architecture is the high-level design of an application that defines its components, interactions, dependencies, and principles. It is a crucial aspect of application development that affects the quality, performance, scalability, security, and maintainability of the software. However, many developers struggle to approach application architecture strategically, either due to lack of experience, guidance, or vision. In this article, you will learn how you can help developers improve their application architecture skills and mindset, by following some practical tips and best practices.

1 Understand the requirements

The first step to design a good application architecture is to understand the requirements of the project, the stakeholders, and the users. You should help developers elicit, analyze, validate, and document the functional and non-functional requirements of the application, such as features, performance, security, reliability, usability, and so on. You should also help developers identify the constraints and trade-offs that may affect the architectural decisions, such as budget, time, resources, compatibility, and compliance.

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Héctor Abraham Romano

➡️ Solutions Architecture | TOGAF Certified ✔️
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La comprensión de requisitos es crucial para una arquitectura de aplicaciones. Explorar herramientas y técnicas prácticas mejora la eficiencia en el análisis. Destacar las restricciones y compensaciones ayuda a tomar decisiones informadas. Ejemplos prácticos y casos de estudio ilustran su importancia de manera concreta. Además, existen metodologías como ATAM (Arquitectura de Evaluación de Atributos Múltiples) que enfocan específicamente la evaluación y priorización de atributos de calidad, siendo fundamental para diseñar arquitecturas que cumplan con las expectativas de usuarios y stakeholders. Incorporar esta metodología puede facilitar el aprendizaje activo y la aplicación efectiva de los conceptos en la arquitectura de aplicaciones.

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2 Choose the right patterns and principles

The next step is to choose the right patterns and principles that can guide the application architecture design. You should help developers learn and apply the common architectural styles and patterns that suit the type, scope, and complexity of the application, such as layered, microservices, event-driven, serverless, and so on. You should also help developers follow the best practices and principles that can ensure the quality and consistency of the application architecture, such as SOLID, DRY, KISS, YAGNI, and so on.

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Astrid Bogran

IT Manager Systems Analyst at Pan-American Life Insurance Group
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To choose the right patterns and principles for application architecture, I can provide insights on common design patterns like MVC, MVVM, and others, discuss architectural styles such as microservices or serverless, offer guidance on scalability considerations, suggest best practices for security, performance, and maintainability, and help developers evaluate trade-offs based on their specific project requirements and constraints. 🌟

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Héctor Abraham Romano

➡️ Solutions Architecture | TOGAF Certified ✔️
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Para elegir patrones y principios adecuados, se deben considerar aspectos clave. Comprender la naturaleza, ámbito y complejidad de la aplicación es crucial. Por ejemplo, para aplicaciones altamente distribuidas, patrones como microservicios pueden ser apropiados. Además, estar al tanto de tendencias, mejores prácticas y la experiencia del equipo es fundamental. La colaboración y evaluación continua conducen a mejoras en la arquitectura y calidad del software.

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3 Evaluate and communicate the architecture

The third step is to evaluate and communicate the architecture to ensure that it meets the requirements, solves the problems, and satisfies the stakeholders. You should help developers use appropriate tools and methods to model, document, and visualize the application architecture, such as diagrams, UML, C4 model, and so on. You should also help developers review, test, and validate the architecture against the criteria and metrics that measure its effectiveness, efficiency, and suitability, such as quality attributes, trade-off analysis, and so on.

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4 Implement and refactor the architecture

The fourth step is to implement and refactor the architecture to make it a reality and keep it up to date. You should help developers use the right technologies, frameworks, and languages that support the application architecture design and implementation, such as cloud services, APIs, libraries, and so on. You should also help developers refactor and improve the architecture as the application evolves, by applying techniques such as code reviews, refactoring patterns, technical debt management, and so on.

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5 Learn from feedback and experience

The fifth step is to learn from feedback and experience to enhance the application architecture skills and mindset. You should help developers collect and analyze feedback from users, clients, and peers on the application architecture, by using methods such as surveys, interviews, reviews, and so on. You should also help developers reflect on their own experience and lessons learned from the application architecture process, by using methods such as retrospectives, journals, blogs, and so on.

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6 Seek mentorship and coaching

The sixth step is to seek mentorship and coaching to get expert advice and guidance on the application architecture. You should help developers find and connect with mentors and coaches who have extensive knowledge and experience in application architecture, by using platforms such as blogs, podcasts, courses, books, and so on. You should also help developers benefit from the mentorship and coaching relationship, by setting goals, asking questions, receiving feedback, and applying suggestions.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Alejandro Cruz Rojas

CEO Qualitrain Express | Formamos Arquitectos de TI
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1. Generar modelos de alto nivel de los procesos de negocio que son subyacentes a la aplicación. Los modelos deben ser simples de entender. 2. Usar los modelos para explicar a los desarrolladores esos procesos. 3. Explicar la estrategia en términos de iniciativas concretas 4. Explicar como las decisiones de diseño y arquitectura se alinean a las iniciativas que forman la estrategia.

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Xavier Calvas

CEO of GreenPC and Specialist in Digital Transformation, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Big Data Analyst. Senior Developer Full Stack and Consultant in UI/UX Design and Cloud Computing.
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1. Definir objetivos y requisitos: -Comprensión clara de objetivos, necesidades del usuario y las restricciones del proyecto. -Definir requisitos técnicos (escalabilidad, seguridad, rendimiento). 2. Seleccionar la arquitectura adecuada: -Elegir un patrón de arquitectura como monolítica, de microservicios, orientada a eventos o en capas. -Considerar la complejidad de la app, tamaño y experiencia de los devs. 3. Diseñar la arquitectura: -Diagrama de arquitectura con los componentes de la app, sus relaciones e interfaces. -Definir las tecnologías y herramientas a usar. 4. Implementar la arquitectura: -Desarrollar siguiendo el diagrama de arquitectura. -Pruebas unitarias y de integración. 5. Monitorear y optimizar la aplicación.

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How can you help developers approach application architecture strategically?

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1 Understand the requirements

2 Choose the right patterns and principles

3 Evaluate and communicate the architecture

4 Implement and refactor the architecture

5 Learn from feedback and experience

6 Seek mentorship and coaching

7 Here’s what else to consider

Application Development

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