Thinking Architecturally

Chapter 7. Conclusion

You’ve covered a lot of ground over the pages of this book! Whether you are an architect, a tech lead, a senior developer, or a junior developer, I hope you understand the odyssey a technology takes from discovery through analysis onward to integration with your projects. I hope you are now better equipped to guide your teams on their technology journey.

I challenge you to apply what you have learned here to your work. You now have a variety of techniques you can apply in your ongoing efforts to remain current in the software industry. Take an hour this week to listen to a podcast or start a technical book you’ve always wanted to read. Cull your information feeds, eliminating the chaff. Start a book club. Present at a meetup.

Adapt the evaluation criteria presented in this book to your unique situation. Build a technology radar. Compare and contrast two similar technologies. List the tradeoffs for that new JavaScript library everyone is raving about. Create a plan to adopt a new technology in your organization. Bring that new language or framework into your company. Grab lunch with a peer. Create some fitness functions for your current application. Last but not least, pay it forward: pass on what you’ve learned here to a colleague.

The software industry moves fast and you cannot let it pass you by. Be strategic in how you apply new technologies to your projects. Think architecturally.