Beyond the Technical: Succeed at Leading a

Software Architecture Team

Maggie Carroll
So it begins . . . .
Software Architecture
Software Architecture
“Master one unit of
performance and then use
that as the stepping stone to
the next one.”
-James Clear, author of Atomic Habits
A Tale of Two Architecture Challenges . . . .

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A Tale of Two Architecture Challenges . . . .

New EA Function in Org Chart

New Web Presence

Align Business Areas

Renew
A Tale of Two Architecture Challenges . . . .

Renew
A Tale of Two Architecture Challenges . . . .

“Integration Effort not Development Effort”

Multiple Vendor Integration

Crunch Schedule

Integrate
A Tale of Two Architecture Challenges . . . .

Integrate
Starting with the end in mind: What is the goal?

Technology Refresh to enable business and

future business

Business Areas – Individual Goals

Project Managers – Successful Project Execution

IT – Successful Software Releases

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Starting with the end in mind: What is the goal?

Integrate New Features, Improvements to Mission

Ensure Vendor Interfaces are Solid

Open Communication

Identify Gaps

Create review and governance systems

Integrate
Starting with the end in mind: What is the goal?
Main Goal: Stakeholder Alignments:

Technology enables the Membership : The user experience guides new members to
business. renew membership after one year and two years.
Membership: The experienced members consider our site to be
their main source for knowledge products.
UIX Team: The user experience of the website feels unified with
the user experience for events.
Marketing : Marketing data is available and actionable, and easy
to generate new marketing materials.
Project Managers: The projects are aligned and sized to meet
objectives.
Renew IT Dev Ops: The selected software aligns with our stack, is
compatible, and does not duplicate.
Starting with the end in mind: What is the goal?
Main Goal: Stakeholder Alignments:

Integration effort, not The platform supports key business system and external
development effort. interfaces.
The key business system integrates seamlessly with the
established platform.
The integration team has knowledge of compatible software
versions and hardware requirements.
The test team has a detailed understanding of scope and
changes.
The system operators are able to easily understand what action
is necessary for health and status condition notifications.
Integrate
Starting with the end in mind: Sample Contact List
Starting with the end in mind: What is the goal?
Main Goal: Main Goal:
Technology enables the business Integration effort, not development effort
Artifacts: Artifacts:
Roadmap for Projects Architecture Diagrams which clarify Interfaces
Governance Specification
Data flow
Vendor Selection Rubric
Interface Specifications
Event Traces

Renew Integrate
Starting with the end in mind: Contact List updated
Enterprise Architecture
A spectrum of goals, scopes, and entry points

Business
Business Value
Value

Cost
Cost Reduction
Reduction Risk
Risk Reduction
Reduction Improve
Improve Business
Business Stakeholder
Stakeholder Value
Value
Agility
Agility
Design
Design forfor Buy
Buy vsvs Build
Build UI
UI drives
drives customer
customer
extensibility
extensibility IT
IT Roadmaps
Roadmaps align
align experience
experience
Technology
Technology fast fast architecture
architecture updates
updates Support
Aim
Aim for
for aa single
single follower
follower to
to support
support business
business Support 360
360 View
View
solution
solution goals “Try
Security
Security is is managed
managed goals “Try before
before buy”
buy”
Minimize
Minimize duplication
duplication at
at enterprise
enterprise level
level Analytics
Analytics support
support
Reduce Avoid business
business decision
decision
Reduce complexity
complexity Avoid single
single points
points
of making
making
of failure
failure
Identify Separation
Separation ofof
Identify aa single
single
system concerns
concerns
system of of record
record

Enabling <our company> to Turn Change into a Competitive Advantage

EA Guiding Principles

Link Enterprise Roadmaps with Business Strategy

Demonstrate Business Value

Lead and Support Technology Change Enabling Business

Outcomes

Roadmaps are Incremental, Agile, Evolving

Outcome Oriented

Enterprise Scope: Technology, Business, People, Process,

Information
Gaining Influence Starts with Ownership
Main Goal: Stakeholder Alignments:

Technology enables the Project Managers: The projects are aligned and sized to meet
business. objectives.

Renew
Gaining Influence Starts with Ownership: contact list updated
Gaining Influence Starts with Ownership
Main Goal: Stakeholder Alignments:

Integration effort, not The platform supports key business system and external
development effort. interfaces.

Integrate
Energizing the Team – Team “Business Rhythm”
EA Team Meeting . . Weekly Working Group . . Weekly
Scrum Masters . . . Weekly Team Tag Up. . . Weekly
Innovation Meetings . . . Occasionally

Renew Integrate
Energizing the Team – Innovation Meetings
Challenge: Estimation Exercise – works due to trust
Estimate
Adding “T Shirt Estimation” to our
process . . . . . Without fully including the
“Too hard to estimate”
implementation team . . . leads to distrust
“Not enough time”
“Just not good at it”
Writing a process and asking for review . . .
Gains no adoption

Renew
Energizing the Team – Governance that works
Challenge: 1. Response to PM request for EA
Select vendor software 2. Meet with EA weekly
3. EA Technical Investigation
4. EA Recommendation (Templated)
5. EA “Proof Of Capability”
6. Vendor Selection Rubric (Business Analyst)

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Energizing the Team – Governance that works
Challenge: 1. Identify Interfaces “not well known”
Analyze Integration Endpoints 2. Create Event Trace
3. Vendor Walk through
4. Update
5. Vote to promote to baseline review board

Integrate
Lather, Rinse, Repeat
Technology enables the business Integration effort, not development effort

Renew Integrate
Communicate with Stakeholders
 On the business rhythm
 Continually update and pitch your artifacts, articulate your value, and continually sell
 Implement useful changes, even if they don’t have acceptance yet
 T h a n k Y o u

Maggie.Carroll@Ausley.us
(merger/acquisition just occurred – and new email
addresses are expected in a few weeks/ months)

Alternate email:
CarrollApproach@gmail.com
backup
A Tale of Two Architecture Challenges . . . .

Renew Integrate
A Tale of Two Architecture Challenges . . . .

Renew Integrate