Coding the Architecture - pragmatic tag

Software architecture training in London

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:40:00 GMT

The next public run of our software architecture training is taking place on the 2nd/3rd of September at Skills Matter. Join us for a course that takes a pragmatic view of what software architecture is all about, what's expected of software architects and how to undertake the role in the real-world.

See the Skills Matter website for more details.

Software architecture training for £500

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 10:53:02 GMT

The first run of our software architecture training is taking place on the 16th/17th of June at Skills Matter. As is traditional with Skills Matter courses, the first teach is offered at a discounted rate, meaning that you can get two days of training for £500 per person. Join us for a course that takes a pragmatic view of what software architecture is all about, what's expected of software architects and how to undertake the role in the real-world.

If you want to come along but can't make it this month, we have another course taking place on the 2nd/3rd of September. See the Skills Matter website for standard pricing and early booking discounts.

Do you need to build it yourself?

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:23:40 GMT

I've worked in many organisations and one thing that never ceases to amaze me is how often teams build unnecessary tools and frameworks.

Yet again, I have to use a bespoke defect tracking system. This is the third one I've come across and none of them are as good as a Commercial off the Shelf (COTS) solution and definitely cost more to develop than to buy.

In the past, I've also seen in-house developed: IDEs, email clients, database admin tools, UML tools etc. Perhaps it's more fun to write tools than the boring, business functionality your client/users needs but does it offer any value?

As a software/systems architect it's your job to deliver value to the business you work for. Whenever someone suggests creating a bespoke tool ask yourself the following:

Can I buy something to do this?
Can I use or tailor an open source product?
Can I use or create a template for a standard tool like Eclipse, Word or Excel?

Be pragmatic in your decision and avoid wasting your limited time and resources on things you don't need to do!