2023-06-04 Sunday - Benefits of Early Architecture Engagement

[image credit: stevepb on pixabay.com]

 

In early May, I completed an architecture assessment for a start-up.

Why: There was no understanding of the architecture of what was built (no documentation/architecture/design artifacts - just code) - and no understanding of some of the critical issues/risks that existed in what was delivered.

Findings: 48 specific findings/recommendations, to help guide them in their future efforts.

Effort: An abbreviated/compressed ~2 week effort

Earlier Engagement: This would have been ideal - to help them avoid some decisions/outcomes - that will continue to have ramifications for years. 

[Note: They expended a significant amount of their capital to engage with an offshore team to build their MVP. No documentation, just code (no design, no architecture artifacts)]

This would make an *excellent* case study - of how beneficial it can be to have a broadly experienced architect generalist engaged - from the beginning - even with a small startup.

*Some* of the types of artifacts and assistance - that can help even such early stage companies, or even internal (larger company) initiatives:

- Vision, Strategy, Roadmap
- Business Capability Model
- Business Requirements elaboration (Personas, Actors, Scenarios, Use Cases)
- Business Architecture
- Business Process Flows
- Technology Evaluation & Selection
- Technology Reference Model
- Cloud/Infrastructure Architecture Model
- Integration Architecture Model
- Technology Roadmap
- Non-Functional Requirements (NFRs)
- Vendor assessments/evaluations
- agile software development practices
- Solution Architecture
- Engineering mentoring & guidance
- Code Reviews
- Retrospectives
- Technical Risk mitigation
- Security Architecture
- Information Architecture
- System Reliability Engineering
- Operations, Monitoring, Observability
- CI/CD
- Quality Assurance & Testing methodologies
- Principles, Policies, Standards, Specifications
- Legal, Regulatory, Compliance 

2020-12-26 Saturday - Advice for 2021 Graduates

 

Photo by Simon English on Unsplash
https://unsplash.com/photos/48nerZQCHgo

 If I had a child, that would be graduating in 2021 - and going out into the professional world...I would spend the next 6-8 months finding different ways to communicate, illustrate, and educate them on these most important lessons that took me decades to learn:

What you will earn is largely limited by your own perceptions of your limitations - and not the perception of other's of your abilities.

Effort is necessary - but not all efforts are compensated equally, nor in a consistently linear fashion.

While you need to earn a decent living - always value learning, new challenges that will cause you to stretch and grow, and new experiences - over a mere title, or a salary.

Never stop learning.

Who you collaborate with - is one of the most important factors in your future growth - and fitness for future opportunities.

Value building relationships over transactions.

 

2019-05-03 Friday - An Ineffable Quality

[Mark Basarab on Unsplash.com]

There is a particular skill (that is also a quality) that I find to be exceedingly rare - and much to be valued - in any candidate, for any position - but, one that I have never heard discussed by any candidate interviewing team.

It is not a skill that you would see cited on a resume.

It is not a skill for which you might gain expertise through a course or a degree.

You cannot determine whether a candidate possess this skill/quality simply by asking whether they have it - but it may be inferred by questions that are oblique to the nature of the quality.

Experience is no sure measure or indicator of its presence. Many people glide through their careers - for decades - and seem to have never learned the value of this particular quality.

As hiring manager, or as a manager responsible for actively cultivating the growth of employees under your stewardship - this quality should be more valued in candidates - and nurtured in employees - but few managers themselves seem to be aware of it - and fewer still have the requisite coaching temperament to actively nurture it.

What is this ineffable quality?

While there are several qualities/skills that might fit the parameters of this puzzle/question (e.g. the ability to listen, the greatly desired trait of curiosity, and the ineffable quality/skill of empathy) – the skill/quality that I deem to be greatly desired in any candidate/employee – has a s strong bias towards action.

The quality/skill of which I speak?

The Skill of Anticipation / The Ability to Anticipate

The ability to anticipate - and take action to prepare - what will be needed vs. reacting to a request that must be explicitly made.

The effectiveness of every team, manager, leader, executive – of every organization - would be greatly amplified – by elevating and acknowledging the value of this ineffable quality/skill – as a desired trait to be nurtured by managers - and demonstrated by every team member.

This should not be misconstrued to mean simply showing initiative – which may or may not be aligned with the goals and objectives of the leadership team – but anticipation is the essence of initiative in alignment with the goals/objectives of the leadership team.

Anticipation is more to be desired in a candidate/employee – than reaction.

It is the conscious meditation on – and the result of deep pondering – of this key question: “What are the second and third order effects of the goals/objectives of the leadership team?”

It is the manifestation that "Think Time" has been applied.

In this context - Anticipation is attention, awareness, mindfulness, an inclusive mindset of the needs of the team – not the individual. It is a strong bias for action - and a demonstration of initiative - that is guided by considering what is most needed for the success of the organization and the leadership team.