Staunch American capitalist Kevin O’Leary once said, “the very best deals are when you feel you left something on the table, and the other side feels the same way”. He made this statement back in 2020, and it has stayed […]
leadership
Evaluating Solution Architect Competence – 10 Indicators
For solution architects to be effective and to succeed there are specific competencies that are crucial. These competencies become even more crucial as architects evolve from technical roles to solution architect, senior solution architect, and principal architect. Perhaps you are […]
The Journey. A Story About Turning Business Requirements Into Solution Architecture.
In a previous article titled A Methodology for a Transparent and Traceable Solution Architecture, I outlined a methodology an architect can use to create a transparent and traceable solution architecture. This article will expand on that and will use a […]
A Methodology for a Transparent and Traceable Solution Architecture
As a Solution Architect, you intersect with all entities that have a vested interest in the solution, including, business sponsors and associated business team, business managers, and business analysts to different degrees. As being responsible and accountable to get the […]
From Assumptions to Hypothesis to Decision. Better Decisions Through Methodology.
The decisions made by Solution Architects have significant impacts and consequences for the organization and their people. They can have broad impacts on their customers, suppliers, and partners. Significant decisions are not to be taken lightly, so architects need to […]
Consensus and the Danger it Poses to Strategic Decision Making
This morning I was thinking about ‘group think’, ‘decision making’, ‘tribalism’ and the various outcomes that can occur depending on the methodology and how much weight is given to consensus especially when we use consensus to reduce accountability or delegate […]
How to Constructively Disagree (as a Solutions Architect)…
I’m experimenting with a more informal style post today, and I am writing about something that is on my mind – disagreement in the realm of solution architecture. Today, my wife and I had breakfast at 8:30 followed by 30km […]
Take Back Your Retrospectives!
Effective retrospectives lead to a better team dynamic, process improvements, and better software. The retrospective process can be powerful and is part of a fundamental path to improving software. They should be done on a regular basis with or without […]
Software Leaders – Are you bigger than your team?
As a “leader”, are you “bigger” than your team? Do you want to be? Should you be? Some are, some aren’t, some want to be, and some don’t. Some self-describe their “leadership” whereas others don’t, they let their leadership skills […]