Fundamentals of Architectural Thinking

Chapter 1 - Introduction

• Introductions
• Course Outline
• Handouts & Appendices
• Practical Application
• Practical Application: Filling Your Toolbox
• Course Evaluation & Questions
• Course Delivery Overview

Chapter 2 - Architecture Overview

• Architecture
• Architects
• Importance of Architecture
• Communications Vehicle Among Stakeholders
• The Project is Organized Around Architectural Elements
• What is a System?
• Why Focus on Structure?
• Architecturally Significant
• Architecturally Significant Elements
• Solution Architecture
• Solution Architecture Context
• Solution Architecture & Domains
• SA Spans All Domains
• Relationship to EA Architecture Development Process
• Solution Architecture Stakeholders
• Solution Architecture Deliverables
• EA Involvement in SA
• Agile Architecture
• Continuous Architecture
• Group Discussion: Architecture
• Summary

Chapter 3 - Architecture Strategies

• Fundamental Architecture Concepts
• Abstraction
• Coupling
• Cohesion
• Decomposition & Modularization
• Encapsulation & Information Hiding
• Separation of Interface & Implementation
• Architecture Principles
• Components of Principles
• Qualities of a Good Set of Principles
• Example: Architecture Principles
• Sample: Architecture Principles
• Summary

Chapter 4 - Core Architecture Methods

• Shared Vision
• Example Shared Vision
• Draw the Boundary
• Well-defined Interface
• Example: Context Diagram
• Identify the External Interfaces
• Subsystems
• Subsystem Context Diagram
• Layers
• Example: Subsystems with Layers
• Components
• Decomposing the System
• Requirements Allocation
• Group Discussion: Requirements Allocation
• Summary

Chapter 5 - Agile Architecture

• What is the Problem We're Trying to Solve?
• Prioritization
• Integration
• What About How the Environment Has Changed?
• So What to Do?
• Goals of Agile Architecture
• Benefits
• Agile Architecture at Work
• Agile Architecture for Agile Software Projects
• Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
• Continuous Architecture
• Agile Architecture for Software
• Agile Architecture Research
• Agile Architecture Research Example 1
• Agile Architecture Research Example 2
• Agile Architecture Research Example 3
• Agile Architecture as an EA Practice
• Agile Architecture in the Industry
• Agile Architecture for EA Conclusion
• Summary

Chapter 6 - Architecture Requirements

• Architecture Quality Attributes
• Quality of Service Requirement Categories
• Checklist: Quality Attribute (QA) Categories
• Trade-off Analysis
• Group Discussion: Trade-offs
• Technique: Requirement Patterns
• Tool: Non-Functional Requirement Patterns
• Checklist: Requirement Statement Best Practices
• Technique: Architecture Change Cases
• Template: Elements of a Change Case
• Example: Change Case
• Eliciting Change Cases
• Group Discussion: Change Case
• Summary

Chapter 7 - Stakeholder Management

• Stakeholders
• Stakeholder Management
• When to Focus on Stakeholder Management
• Steps in the Stakeholder Management Process
• Identifying Stakeholders
• Example Stakeholders & Concerns
• Views and Viewpoints
• Example View: Claim Handling from a Process Viewpoint
• Classifying Stakeholde Positions: The Stakeholder Matrix
• Determining the Stakeholder Management Approach and Tailoring the Deliverables: The Stakeholder Map
• Example: Stakeholder Map
• Template: Stakeholder Map Matrix Template
• Summary

Chapter 8 - Architecture Techniques

• Progressive Filtering
• Rubric
• Example: Service Design Rubric
• Example: Architecture Rubric
• Refactoring
• Think About the Future, But Wait to Act
• Feature Tree
• Decision Tables
• Decision Table Example
• Flowcharts
• Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat (SWOT) Analysis
• Example: SWOT Layout
• SWOT Steps
• Summary

Chapter 9 - Architecture Deliverables

• Documentation Best Practices
• Architecture Requirements Document
• Template: Requirements Specification
• IEEE Architectural Description Document
• Template: Architectural Description Document
• TOGAF Architecture Definition Document
• Templates: Architectural Definition Document
• Group Discussion: Architecture Definition Documents
• Interface Design Document
• Template: Interface Design Document
• Database Design Document
• Template: Database Design Document
• Platform Design Document
• Template: Platform Design Document
• Architecture Decision Document
• Template: Architecture Decision Document
• Group Discussion: Documentation
• Verbal Supports: CREST
• Group Discussion: Presentations
• Summary

Chapter 10 - The Architecture Toolbox

• Improving Architecture Skills
• Improving Architecture Skills: Spend Time @ the Library
• Improving Architecture Skills: Use Cookbooks
• Improving Architecture Skills: Practice with Mentors
• Improving Architecture Skills: Look for Existing Stuff
• Improving Architecture Skills: Build a Toolbox
• What Goes in A Toolbox
• Business Analysis Book of Knowledge (BABOK)
• Resource: Business Architecture Body of Knowledge (BIZBOK™)
• DAMA DMBOK
• Software Engineering Institute (SEI)
• Software Engineering Book of Knowledge (SWEBOK)
• OpenUp
• Microsoft Library
• Financial Industry Organizations
• Health Industry Organizations
• Retail Industry Organizations
• Technology Industry Organizations
• Reference Library
• Practitioner Toolbox Items
• Group Discussion: Toolbox Items
• Summary

Handout 1 - Sample Principles

• Business Principles
• Data Principles
• Application Principles
• Technology Principles
• Governance Principles
• SOA Governance Principles

Handout 2 - Requirement Patterns

Handout 3 - Rubric Worksheet

Appendix A - Reference Library

• Overview
• Industry Organizations
• References & Further Reading

Appendix B - Architecture Tactics

• Tactics
• Availability Tactics
• Modifiability Tactics
• Performance Tactics
• Security Tactics
• Testability Tactics
• Usability Tactics
• Approach for Describing Tactics
• Group Discussion: Tactics
• Pipes & Filters: Tactics
• Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA): Tactics
• Architectural Patterns and Corresponding Tactics for Modifiability
• Summary

Appendix C - Patterns

• What are Patterns?
• Elements of a Pattern
• Pattern Levels
• Pattern Types
• How to Start Using Patterns?
• Common Architectural Patterns
• Layers Pattern
• Example: Retail Layered Architecture
• Object-Oriented Design Patterns
• OO Design Patterns
• Structural Design Pattern: Facade Pattern Example
• Enterprise Integration Patterns
• Messaging Systems: Overview
• Example Pattern: Pipes and Filters
• Example: Monitoring Credit Bureau
• EAA Patterns
• Model-View-Controller (MVC) Pattern
• SOA Patterns
• Example: Saga Pattern
• Business Process Patterns
• Example: Synchronizing Merge Pattern
• Configuration Management Patterns
• New Patterns Continue to Emerge
• Group Discussion: Patterns
• Summary

Appendix D - Pattern List

Appendix E - Interface Specifications

• Interface Specification Best Practices

Appendix F - Architecture Glossary

• ABC
• DEF
• GHI
• MNO
• PQR
• STU
• VWXYZ

Lab Exercises

Lab 1. Requirements
Lab 2. System Scope
Lab 3. Architecture Techniques
Lab 4. Start Your Architecture Toolbox