Architecture Modernization: Aligning Software, Strategy & Structure • Nick Tune • GOTO 2024 (Category Architecture)

Interesting and useful report Modernizing the architecture of existing systems Nick TunePrincipal consultant at Empathy Software. If you shorten the report, the theses are about the following: Successful companies often need to upgrade the architecture, as their old architecture: designed for a smaller volume of customers and does not weigh the necessary load, relies on old technologies that do not allow you to add features at the desired speed. In the end, modernization can turn disadvantages into advantages. This modernization is not only about technical issues – in fact, it is necessary to evaluate the entire stack from UX to deep backends, including the structure and processes of employees. Different tools can help in modernization, but the author highlights the following: 5 pieces 1) Listening Tours This usually includes surveys, interviews with employees, focus groups, gemba and so on. The challenge is to listen to your employees. 2) Impact mapping It is a simple collaborative planning technique for teams who want to achieve great impact with software products. 3) Wardley mapping It is a business strategy map where components are positioned on the Y-axis, which indicates the position in the value chain and are tied to the needs of the user, and the X-axis describes the evolution of components. (from birth to commodity) 4) Event storming This is a cool workshop technique for collaborative study of a complex business domain, about which I am already told 5) Modernization strategy selector The model of choosing the optimal modernization strategy for each subsystem, which allows using a portfolio approach to modernization, where the optimal return on investment can be determined on a granular basis to achieve the optimal overall return on investment in modernization. And finally, the author says that to start, you need to choose an area where modernization can bring visible results in a limited period of time. In general, it is necessary to be able to pick low-hanging fruits - this allows you to show that modernization can be beneficial, and not turn into another endless undertaking without end and without edge and without tangible results:)

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