The document outlines the importance of software architecture, defining it as the fundamental organization of a system and emphasizing its role in delivering business value through robust and flexible applications. It covers various architectural and design patterns, the relationship between software architecture and design, and the principles guiding agile architecture development. The document concludes with the notion that software architecture is a shared responsibility and a living document that adapts to changing needs.

1. by KANNAN DURAIRAJ, Domain Architect - Digital
Software Engineer and Architect
Software Architecture

2. ● Introduction - Software Architecture
● Forms of Architecture
● Architecture vs Design
● Architectural Patterns
● Design Patterns
● Diagrams
● Agile + Architecture
● Principles - Architecture and Design
● Recap
● References
Agenda

4. Architecture is it a Perspective?
How to see things in a meaningful way?

5. Need for Architecture
“Where Business meets Technology”

7. Definition
The fundamental organization of a system
embodied in its components, their
relationships to each other, and to the
environment, and the principles guiding its
design and evolution. Usually captured as a
diagram.

8. My Definition
A shared understanding among various team
members (business, product, development,
operations) about an application or a set of
applications that deliver business value by
building platform capabilities that are robust,
flexible - open for extension, composable by
nature, and can be orchestrated to produce an
optimal solutions for a business and add value
to the end user.

9. In Nutshell
Define
Boundaries / Contracts / Responsibility
of Software Components

10. Architectural Boundaries
Imagine Success
With Boundary Without Boundary

11. What are architectural considerations?
● Hard choices in Software
● Expensive part of Development and Delivery
● Important stuff!
● Business Value vs Platform Capability
current vs future

12. What are those hard choices?
Any thoughts?

13. Hard things and important stuff:
● Programming Language - Fit, Tools and Skills
● Reversibility - heights of tight coupling
● Building on top of unstable platform or software
● Over Engineering (should be Agile, right?)
● Complex frameworks and dependencies (YAGNI)
● Deployment Environment, DevOps
● Compliance, Security and Performance

14. Why Architecture is so important?
What & Why Where How
Product Feature Platform Capability Implementation
UX & CX Cross-Cutting Develop & Test
Customer Value Concerns Plays by
Component / System boundaries
Define Boundaries

15. Forms of Architecture

16. Forms of Architecture
System Architecture
Component Architecture
Application Architecture
Data / Information Architecture
Integration Architecture
IT / Network / Infrastructure Architecture
Enterprise Architecture

17. Software Architects = City Planners
city keeps changing… so does software!

18. Architect Roles
Integration Architect
Application / Technical Architect
Solution Architect / Solution Designer
Domain Architect
Enterprise Architect
Principal / Chief Architect

19. Software Architecture and Software Design - is it the
same thing?
Which one is more important?

20. Both are important - one can’t survive without the
other.
Let's look at the Definition of ‘Software Design’

21. Definition: Software Design
The fundamental organization of
code/modules within a component, and its
relationships to each other, and to the run
time environment, and the principles guiding
its development to deliver a specific
goal/functionality of an overall solutions.
Usually referred to as Application or Module
design.

22. Patterns

23. Patterns
In software engineering, a software design pattern is a
general reusable solution to a commonly occurring problem
within a given context in software design. It is not a
finished design that can be transformed directly into source
or machine code.
An architectural pattern is a general reusable solution to a
commonly occurring problem in software architecture
within a given context. Architectural patterns are similar
to software design pattern but have a broader scope.

24. Architectural Patterns
● Service-Oriented (SOA) and Microservices
● Event-Driven / MOM / ESB
● Layers
● Multi-Tier (2-tier, 3-tier, n-tier) / Client-Server
● Model-View-Controller,
Presentation-Abstraction-Control,
Model-View-Presenter, Model-View-ViewModel

25. Architecture Styles
Structure
● Component-based, monolithic, Layered, etc
Messaging
● Event Driven, Pub-Sub, Async Messaging, etc
Adaptive
● Plugin, Reflection, etc
Distributed
● Client-Server, REST, SOA, Microservices, etc

26. Design Patterns
Creational
● Abstract Factory, Builder, Factory Method,
Singleton, Prototype
Structural
● Bridge, Adapter, Composite, Decorator, Facade,
Proxy, Flyweight
Behavioral
● Command, Observer, Visitor, Chain of
Responsibility, etc..

27. Diagrams
Why Diagrams?
● Nothing but a form of “representation”
● Simple to understand, common language
● Simplifies Complexity (conceptualize)
● Abstracts code/development
● Logical + Data Flow + Integration View

28. Agile
&
Architecture

29. Agile + Architecture
Software Architecture in Agile Development Process
● Evolutionary Architecture and Emergent Design
● YAGNI
● Defer until the last responsible moment
● Refactoring
● Spikes, Stripes and Tracers
● Pragmatic

30. Agile Architecture
It's about “Just Enough”
- Boundaries, Structure, Vision and Leadership
- Understand how the significant elements fit
together
- Provide the foundations and vision to move
forward
- Mitigate the key risks

31. Agile Architecture “Guiding Principles”
● Last Responsible Moment
● Continuous Integration
● Lightweight, Living Documentation
● Continuous Delivery
● Adapt for Organizational Structure
● Design for Replaceability

32. Architectural Patterns will evolve over time
● Microservices
● API Layers
- Experience, Gateway, Application / System, Core
● new
Serverless / FaaS
● IoT, Smart Watch, Smart Cars - Tesla / Driverless
● new
Unikernels - Clive, MirageOS, Rump Kernels

33. Key Enablers
a.k.a
Platform for Business

34. External Enablers (Industry / Market Push)
Cloud Infrastructure
- Agility
- Elasticity of Compute Resources
SaaS
- Integration is easy, follow standards - REST, SAML
Microservices and API
- deliver faster, deliver frequently

35. Internal Enablers
The two key enablers are:
● A high-speed culture
○ A poor culture inhibits organisational changes designed to increase
speed.
○ Improve decision-making processes, can’t slow down delivery
● Strategic focus - two critical elements:
○ a clear strategic goal and
○ a focused strategic agenda.
If the culture injects the fuel for speed, strategic focus delivers the grip and
traction.

36. Recap
● Software Architecture is a shared responsibility
● Ask ‘what, why, where’ before ‘how’
● Patterns and Principles (Architecture & Design)
● Cool Diagrams!!
● Collaboration, close the feedback loop
● Agility in process is only half good without
Architecture agility
● Market Hypes & Internal Culture

37. Conclusion
Embrace by participation
● Minimum Viable Architecture / Agile Architecture
● Don’t think Architecture as just
● Architecture Solution is a living document just like
API documentation