My Architecture Practices

• Setting up the right boundaries and govern them are among the most important architecture works. Here is how I set the boundaries: organize the code that is based upon Data Service, Business Domain Service, Business Rule Service, Business Process Service, Integration Service, Security Service, Presentation Channel Service, and Common Technical Service, NOT, again NOT, based upon projects. It is forbidden to put project names in packages, classes, and codebase folders.
• Establish the core: Business Architecture, Data Architecture and Solution Architecture – technical; delivery and vendor management – administrative; explore the rest
• Business Architecture belongs to the business, dotted line to IT. Work with business people on daily basis, not project basis
• Throw away the word document; it is evil. Use Enterprise Social software to create architecture repositories and facilitate knowledge accumulation and knowledge sharing
• Break the barriers among transactional, operational, analytical, and batch applications. Data Service Hub and metadata hold the key to make it happen.
• Emphasize the creation of foundations: business vocabulary and metadata
• Establish the Center of Excellence: every project goes here and is filtered by it and governed by it, NO exception
• Big picture guided Agile: Big Pig Agile Methodology
• Two work stream: project and sideline. Change the budget and funding structure to support sideline work stream
• Evaluate project based upon: efficiency, effectiveness, predictability, and consistency. Not just finish the project. Have third party evaluate the project objectively.
• Separate the code base of quick and dirty projects from long shelf life projects
• From technical sequencing perspective, make sure that Data Integration/MDM and security/identity management architectures are on the solid ground, before starting tackling integrations such as SOA (although SOA as a whole is beyond just architecture) and Portal