Scott Amler’s article “Scaling Agile Development Via Architecture” in the November 2006 issue of Agile Journal summarizes strategies for Agile teams regarding architecture, and argues that an effective approach to architecture is an important aspect of scaling agile software development.
1. Focus on collaboration over documentation. “Agile architects” are … not simply people who document their vision and hand it off to developers.
2. Prove it with code. Everything looks good on a whiteboard, or in a modeling tool.
3. Keep it simple. Agile software developers model … in ways which are very different than traditionalists.
4. Use the simplest tools. … free form diagrams, … simple sketches …
5. Think through the big issues up front.
6. Think through the details just in time. … “model storm” focused issues on a JIT basis.
7. Allow good architectures to emerge over time. … the fact is that the details will emerge as your system evolves to meet the changing needs of your stakeholders.
8. Travel light. Remember Agile Modeling’s They Ain’t Gonna Read It (TAGRI) advice.
9. Have a few overview diagrams. Just like a road map overviews the organization of a town, your navigation diagram(s) overviews the organization of your system.
10. Be flexible. … the nature of the project will help to define the types of views that you should consider creating.
11. Display models publicly. Distributed teams find that a Wiki with snapshots of diagrams and point-form text works well.
12. Take a requirements-driven approach. Your architecture must be based on actual requirements put forth by your stakeholders, otherwise you are “hacking in the large.”
13. Model with others. By working collaboratively you will create a higher quality product, will develop a shared vision, and will learn from one another.
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