buzz: QCON learns about software architecture
Luke Hohmann’s 8-Nov presentation at QCON/SF drew lots of attention and coverage.
SD Times quoted him extensively in a piece headlined Use the Force, Luke. “Hohmann began his talk by revealing an exercise he uses when he is first called in as a software development consultant: He asks everyone on the development team to draw his or her view of the architecture. “The only rule is: You can’t talk to anyone else at the table,” said Hohmann, describing this exercise. “The teams that are considered high-performing teams – they draw the same picture. The teams that are struggling draw all sort of different things.”
InfoQ picked up on his metaphors. “I think of architecture as being very organic. Some architects manage architecture as if it were a city street system. They come in and survey and plan and pave roads, then they come back in five years and maybe fill a pothole. My perspective is that it’s more like a Japanese garden. I’m going to come in, make a plan, then it’s going to change and grow and adapt. Some things will be there for a long time, but much of it is based on weeding and managing and changing.”
