Architecture

Why building AI-powered agents is so challenging. For now.

3 February 2024

Despite growing excitement about the potential for AI-driven agents, there are a lot of problems to solve before we can build agent-based architectures on any scale…

Architecture governance is a spectrum: exploring styles of enterprise architecture

8 January 2024

There is a spectrum of different styles of architecture governance, from the tightly structured and framework-driven, through to the deliberate absence of formal architecture.

Generative AI does not mean the “end of programming”

12 December 2023

The demise of software engineers is one of those tired old tropes that refuses to die. Perhaps the programming revolution has already happened…?

Minimal Viable Architecture and the case for up-front design

13 November 2023

Evolutionary design and iterative development only get you so far - you still need some level of up-front thinking and forward planning.

Monoliths and the microservices backlash

22 May 2023

We need a more nuanced understanding of how to get the best out of monoliths, microservices, and serverless architectures.

When to use serverless architecture... and when not to

9 February 2023

The potential benefits of an architecture based on serverless functions are nuanced, making it a good fit only for some very specific use cases.

AI and the hype cycle: oversold, overlooked, then... eventually indispensable?

10 December 2022

When any technology emerges, it can be challenging to chart a course between the unhelpful hype and the disappointment that is bound to follow…

How should architects collaborate with development teams?

6 February 2022

If we’re serious about empowering engineering teams to make decisions, then we should be embedding architectural skills rather than architects themselves.

Data meshes and microservices - the similarities are uncanny

10 January 2022

The data mesh is doing for data warehousing what microservices did for solution architecture…

Orchestration vs choreography for microservice workflows

5 December 2021

Orchestration and choreography can complement each other. There doesn’t have to be an exclusive choice between two opposing styles.

How not to run a technology selection process

28 October 2021

Having experienced technology selections as vendor, consultant, and customer, I have seen how some common mistakes can undermine clear decision making.

Writing architectural design principles that scale decision making

13 June 2021

A good set of architectural principles can help to scale development by laying down some basic guidelines for decision making.

Data Vault 2.0: the good, the bad and the downright confusing

12 December 2020

Data Vault 2.0 modelling can support a more agile approach to data warehouse design and data ingestion. Inevitably, this flexibility does come with a heavy burden of complexity.

Building your own in-house technology radar

20 November 2020

A technology radar can be a great technique for initiating conversations about technology, but there are some challenges in applying it to in-house development shops.

Architecture without documentation is incomplete

17 October 2020

Designing good architecture is only half the battle. You also need to be able to communicate your architecture to anybody who is likely to use it.