Shortening the Architectural Feedback Loop • Eltjo R. Poort • GOTO 2022

This presentation was recorded at GOTO Amsterdam 2022. #GOTOcon #GOTOams http://gotoams.nl Eltjo R. Poort - Founder & Owner of CGI’s Agile Architecture Approach Responsive, Collaborative Digital Architecture (RCDA) ABSTRACT One of the things architects can learn from the agile mindset is the importance of short feedback loops. The quicker architects receive feedback on their output, the faster they learn about its effect in their specific solution context — and better-informed architects make better decisions. Architecture is a matter of reducing uncertainty by gathering knowledge and making decisions and a shorter architecture feedback loop speeds up that uncertainty reduction, leading to better architectures. On top of this, shorter loops lead to shorter reaction times when things change, which increases agility. For example, asking for feedback on a 100+ page architecture document makes for a long feedback loop. You could speed this up and make it more agile by reviewing individual decisions with stakeholders, rather than complete architecture descriptions In this session, Eltjo R. Poort shares some of his experiences on shortening the architectural feedback loop and lays out five key tips for practicing architects. In this talk, you'll learn: • How to make better evolutionary architectural designs by closing the gap with stakeholders and reality [...] TIMECODES 00:00 Intro 01:40 Combining Architecture with agile working; conflicting paradigms? 04:10 Benefits of combining agile & architecture 07:44 Two architecture feedback loops 11:03 The cone of uncertainty 13:10 Why shorten architectural feedback loop? 14:01 5 tips for shorter feedback loops 15:50 Architectural decisions are your primary deliverable 19:25 Continuously share concerns & decisions 20:13 Invite immediate feedback from stakeholders 23:08 Simplify your architecture documentation template 28:03 Goal-driven architecture documentation 30:18 Get involved in delivery 32:25 Survey results about shortening feedback loop 33:37 Conclusion 34:03 Outro Download slides and read the full abstract here: https://gotoams.nl/2022/sessions/1594/shortening-the-architectural-feedback-loop RECOMMENDED BOOKS Forsgren, Humble & Kim • Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps • https://amzn.to/3tCz1xO Fred Brooks Jr. • The Mythical Man-Month • https://amzn.to/31NJc5C Gene Kim, Jez Humble, Nicole Forsgren, Patrick Debois & John Willis • The DevOps Handbook • https://amzn.to/3C0Rj0C Matthew Skelton & Manuel Pais • Team Topologies • http://amzn.to/3sVLyLQ https://twitter.com/GOTOcon https://www.linkedin.com/company/goto- https://www.facebook.com/GOTOConferences #SoftwareArchitecture #FeedbackLoop #ArchitectureFeedback #Agile #AgileDevelopment #ConeOfUncertainty #Uncertainty Looking for a unique learning experience? Attend the next GOTO conference near you! Get your ticket at https://gotopia.tech Sign up for updates and specials at https://gotopia.tech/newsletter SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHANNEL - new videos posted almost daily. https://www.youtube.com/user/GotoConferences/?sub_confirmation=1