Question of the week
Useful resources for the hands-on technical architect
As mentioned last week, we are going to be sharing questions that we get asked that seem applicable to the CTA audience. Feel free to e-mail us your questions or use the Google Group.
This weeks question is from a new hands-on technical architect.
Let me ask you, what are some good resources for hands-on technical architects?
A very good question, and one with a multitude of answers - we certainly don't have a definitive list of resources, but can certainly tell you some that we find useful.
Web
- The Coding the Architecture Website OK so that is a blatant plug, but we do try to provide as many useful entries for hands-on architects as possible.
- InfoQ The InfoQ Architecture Community provides articles, news, interviews and links about all things architecture.
- Technorati Set up a search such as this one and add it to your feed reader. You will find a lot of useful architecture resources that way, and often on sites that you would not otherwise encounter.
Books
- Software Systems Architecture - Working with Stakeholders Using Viewpoints and Perspectives by Nick Rozanski and Eoin Woods This book is one of the best written on the subject of architecture. It is a book that it widens the reader's perspective to include aspects of getting a system designed and built that as a developer you take for granted. That said it is also a great book for experienced architects who have had the opportunity to make some of the mistakes that the book identifies. You can read our review of this book here.
- Beyond Software Architecture This book provides a great description of the business value of software architecture and how architecture should align with the broader goals of an organisation.
Podcasts
- The Coding the Architecture Podcast Sorry, another blatant plug, but we produce the only podcast dedicated to hands-on architecture that we know of.
- Software Engineering Radio Software Engineering Radio is a podcast targeted at the professional software developer and covers topics from all areas of software engineering.
- The Java Posse If you are a Java architect, this podcast lets you stay afloat in a world of JSRs and gives you a great idea about the direction of the industry.
Real Life
- Local architecture or technology special interest groups In London we run the CTA Usergroup, but you can find good technology user groups in most places. These tend to be great places to chat with other architects and developers about what they do, and the problems that they encounter and solve. Being part of an architecture community (whether on-line or off-line) is perhaps the best resource there is!
It is worth remember that to be a sucessful hands-on architect, you also need to keep track of the underlying technologies, not just architecture. Another point to note is that it's not just about having resources specific to architecture but about digesting the resources that you use at the appropriate level.
If you have any more resources that you have found very useful then feel free to leave a comment.
