Software architecture: where do you start?
IASA UK chapter, 6pm, 9th March 2010
You may have seen this on Matt Deacon's blog already ... I'm running a session for the IASA UK chapter on the 9th of March in London.
Where do you start?
One of the hardest things about software development is being asked to come up with a design when all you're given is a set of requirements and a blank sheet of paper. Many software teams will dive straight into the code and while this can initially be very productive, the slippery slope of constant refactoring is awaiting those teams that haven't quite found a design that works. Often, a little forethought is all that's needed to get the development process heading in the right direction. So where do you start?
This session will answer this question, presenting some simple techniques for tackling software architecture while dispelling the myths about the need for complex tools and big design up front.
I'm planning the content for this session at the moment and it's going to be a mix of presentation, discussion and probably some group work to get you all drawing a few boxes and lines. We're going to cover a very very quick overview of what software architecture is all about before moving on to see what drives and influences it. Once this is done, we'll look at how to actually design software from a blank sheet of paper, focussing on some techniques to help you determine what components you need and how best to organise them. A nice side effect of the techniques we'll use to define architecture is that they can also be used to share architecture, so we'll wrap up by looking at how to document software architectures in a simple yet effective way.
You can find more information about this event and register here. I'm really looking forward to it and hope to see you there.
