Technical
Architecture
The Problem:
Technical architecture is the crossroads of all software projects,
combining the business objectives, user experience, infrastructure, and
bridging the requirements, custom and off-the-shelf capabilities,
design, and development plan. Will so much responsibility, it
is no surprise that it is the technical architecture that often defines
the success or failure of a project.
Many projects do an upfront technical architecture that becomes a
“write only” document to reiterate the project
goals, requirements, and technologies selected. At such a
high level, and without an on-going tie into the actual progress, such
an architecture provides little real value. Architecture is
as much art as science, and is highly dependent on the experience of
the architect. Many architects have great instincts, but an
inability to explain and document them; other architects are well-read
and can communicate effectively, but lack the instincts and real-world
experience to know where the pitfalls are.
The Panoscopix
Solution:
Panoscopix provides this service on-site, with the possibility of some
off-site periods. This is due to need for a high amount of
contact with the team – architecture is as much about
communications as it is about content, and it at their best, architects
are constantly available to guide the team, remove doubts, notice
issues, evaluate prototypes, recommend alternatives, etc.
The Panoscopix approach takes an “engineering” view
to architecture, rather than a “science”
view. There are always a variety of options, that need to be
evaluated in terms of buy vs. build, team competencies, business
drivers and business constraints, customer-required technology, etc.
The Panoscopix approach emphasizes evaluating risk and reducing it
early through the use of prototypes or conference-room
pilots. The pilots answer the major integration issues,
verify requirements, and provide blue-prints for the broader
development team, all of which greatly enhance the project’s
success and time to completion.
The Technical Architecture document can be tailored to a customers
needs, provided the goals of connecting the architecture through
high-level to details, and through plans to actual development is
maintained. The Technical Architecture should be started
after the requirements analysis is complete. The Technical
Architecture remains a part of the project through deployment.
The service will include collecting and documenting various business
constraints and goals. The documents are flexible in style,
and can emphasize particular interests and tools of the customer,
including UML, XML, MOF, MetaData, Use Cases, Data Dictionaries, etc.
Deliverables:
- This service
provides the following deliverables:
- Comprehensive
technical architecture document, including traceability to requirements
and business drivers.
- Formal
presentation to stakeholders to the salient points in the architecture.
- Formal and
information presentations to development team members on the
architecture issues.
- Recommendations
for prototypes/conference room pilots, and analysis of their results
and implications.
- On-going
mentoring of development team members on architectural capabilities..
