A COHERENT OPERATING MODEL WITH NEW ROLES, RITUALS AND PRACTICES

NEW ROLES

By Continuous Architecture, we want to simplify architects roles. Our objectives are to:

  1. Develop delivery teams judgement regarding architecture to increase their autonomy
  2. Develop system thinking (see the whole)
  3. Clarify roles and responsabilities between architects  subject matter experts and delivery teams
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NEW RITUALS

By Continuous Architecture, we want to develop alignment and facilitate architecture decisions thanks to a set of rituals. Our objectives are to:

  1. Bridge the gap between architects (focus on long term) and delivery squads (focus on short term)
  2. Setup a decentralized architectural decision framework that reinforce alignment while increasing delivery team’s autonomy
  3. Organize the dialog zone between intentional architecture and emergent design
  4. Make architecture happened in the team(s) room(s), the teams will be surrounded by the results
  5. Become great architects by architecting together
NEW PRACTICES

By Continuous Architecture, we want to procure a safe and collaborative environment for architecting together. Our objectives are to

  1. Make the decisions more transparent and clarify its rationale for all stakeholders
  2. Continuously plan technical foundation needed to implement near-term features without excessive redesign and delay
  3. Coming up with the right system boundaries and manage dependencies between systems
  4. Facilitate collaboration and teams works so that they can focus on value
  5. Develop sharing of  best architecture practices

NEW ROLE = ALL EXPERTS ARE NOT ARCHITECTS

Past Architecture Role

For the last 10 years or so, different architect roles raised: enterprise architects, platform architects, infrastructure architects, integration architects, security architects, data architects … It’s no surprise that this siloed approach ended up with many architects trying to collaborate on a project.

From a delivery team perspectives, a swarm of architects was melting on them. Each of them with a different perspective, skill set, objectives … It could have been a challenge to align everyone on a common vision. 

This very specialized approach (that made sense 10 years ago) dit not help  to consider all the stacks on which products were built: from deep roots within infrastructure to highly functional layers. On top of that, architects were always staffed outside of teams in a transverse position making it difficult to be really involved within teams.

Continuous Architecture's Role

By Continuous Architecture, we tried to rationalize architects roles. Our objectives are to

  1. simplify the life of delivery teams
  2. ensure fullstack design
  3. enable the staffing and embbeding of architects within delivery teams
  4. clarify roles and responsabilities between architects and experts

We ended up with 3 roles:

  • Enterprise architect
  • Product architect
  • Full-stack architect

A SET OF ARCHITECTURE RITUALS TO ALIGN, BUILD, DIALOG, IMPROVE, INNOVATE, LEARN

By Continuous Architecture, we promote architecture rituals that match the product lifecycle.

 Architecture rituals may be embeded in team rituals ( scoping 360° or weekly architecture for instance).

By Continuous Architecture, we do not want to impose ceremonies or rituals in all context. 

It is the choice and role of architects to dialog with the teams to design and put in place rituals that respond to the problem to solve (topics, urgence, strategy, runway,…).

The basics and sequences of the rituals are the same at any level.

CHOICE, EXPERIMENTATION, CROSS-POLENISATION OF PRACTICES TO SUPPORT ALL ASPECTS OF THE OPERATING MODEL