[DevoxxBE2024] Thinking Like an Architect
In a reflective talk at Devoxx Belgium 2024, Gregor Hohpe, a veteran architect, shared insights from two decades of experience in “Thinking Like an Architect.” Hohpe debunked the myth of architects as all-knowing decision-makers, instead portraying them as “IQ boosters” who enhance team decision-making through models, metaphors, and multi-level communication. Despite a minor issue with a clicker during the presentation, his engaging delivery and relatable examples, like the “architect elevator,” offered practical strategies for navigating complex organizational and technical landscapes.
Connecting Levels with the Architect Elevator
Hohpe introduced the “architect elevator,” a metaphor for architects’ role in bridging organizational layers—from developers to executives. He argued that the most valuable architects connect business strategy to technical implementation, translating complex trade-offs into terms executives understand without oversimplifying. For example, automation and frequent releases (developer priorities) enable security and cost-efficiency (executive concerns). This connection counters the isolation caused by layered organizations, where management may assume all is well due to buzzwords like Kubernetes, while developers operate with unchecked freedom.
Seeing More Dimensions in Decision-Making
Architects expand solution spaces by revealing additional dimensions, Hohpe explained. Using a sketch of a cylinder mistaken as a circle or rectangle, he showed how architects resolve debates—like speed versus quality—by introducing options like automated testing. At AWS, Hohpe tackled vendor lock-in by framing it as a two-dimensional trade-off: switching costs versus benefits. This approach, inspired by Adrian Cockcroft’s analogy of marriage as “accepted lock-in,” fosters rational discussions, avoiding binary thinking and helping teams find balanced solutions.
Selling Options to Defer Decisions
Hohpe likened architects to options traders, deferring decisions to reduce uncertainty. For instance, standard APIs allow language flexibility, sacrificing some protocol options to gain adaptability. In a financial firm, he explained this to executives using options trading, noting that options’ value rises with volatility—a concept they instantly grasped via the Black-Scholes formula. This metaphor underscores architecture’s increasing relevance in uncertain environments, aligning it with agile methodologies, which thrive under similar conditions. However, options come at the cost of complexity, a trade-off architects must weigh.
Zooming In and Out for System-Wide Perspective
To tackle complexity, architects must zoom in and out, balancing local and global optima. Hohpe illustrated this with two systems using identical components but different connections, yielding opposite characteristics (e.g., latency versus resilience). Local optimization, like perfecting a single component, often fails to ensure system-wide success, as seen in operations where “all lights are green, but nothing works.” By viewing systems holistically, architects ensure decisions align with broader goals, avoiding pitfalls like excessive layering that propagates changes unnecessarily.
Using Models to Navigate Uncertainty
Hohpe emphasized models as architects’ best tools for simplifying complexity. Comparing geocentric and heliocentric solar system models, he showed how the right model makes decisions obvious, even if imperfect. Models vary by purpose—topographical maps for hiking, population density for logistics—requiring architects to choose based on the question at hand. In uncertain environments, models shine by forcing assumptions, enabling scenario-based planning (e.g., low, medium, high user loads). Hohpe urged architects to avoid absolutes, embracing shades of gray to find optimal trade-offs.
Links:
- Devoxx Belgium 2024
- The Architect Elevator
- Cloud Strategy by Gregor Hohpe
- Adrian Cockcroft’s Blog
- Black-Scholes Formula
Hashtags: #SoftwareArchitecture #ArchitectMindset #AgileArchitecture #DevoxxBE2024