Author/s : Simon Brown
Publisher : Leanpub
Category :
Other,
Project Management, Process and Best Practices
Review by : Junilu Lacar
Rating : 10 horseshoes
If I were to draw an analogy, Simon Brown's new book (#sa4d) is to software architecture as Robert Fulgham's "Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" is to self-improvement. If you're looking for things like architectural
patterns, templates, and step-by-step guides, look somewhere else. The value of this book is in the ideas that Simon shares on how to think about architecture ("architecture is a role, not a rank"), and organize your work so that you can effectively communicate your software's architecture. Simon recommends a lightweight approach that aligns well with agile practices and the book is a great reminder that agility is not only about process management. Another thought from the book that really gets you thinking: "Software architects should code." On the practical side, Parts V and VIII of the book give a wonderful template and example of supplemental product documentation in the form of a Software Guidebook. This supports Simon's assertion that "the code doesn't tell the whole story."
For those aspiring to become well-rounded software architects, this book reminds us that there is more to architecture than just technology. It makes us step back from the trees of technical details and take a good look at the vast expanse of the software architecture forest. Highly recommended reading.
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Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in
exchange for writing this review on behalf of CodeRanch.
More info at Amazon.com