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Templates to drive some architecture and design discussions

Whiteboard best practices

  • Complement the discussion with diagrams, flows, are more engaging with participants.
  • Discovery and collaborate on a one of a kind solution that the participants own.
  • Take care of time management (segmentation of the agenda and what needs to be addressed) and space management (name section of the whiteboard, use 25% (agenda), 50% (main), 25% (takeaways) sections). BE PREPARED.
  • Example of sections: topics, takeaways, next steps (action for me and then action for customer)
  • Brings your own supplies: markers, eraser..
  • Use Uppercase, limit color
  • Apply the technique of Touch, Turn, Talk
  • Be sure to ask a participant if she/he is confortable to draw and go to the whiteboard.
  • Do not assume you can keep the content of the whiteboard with a photo. Ask permission.

  • For diagramming:

    • Focus on core elements
    • Label elements by function, not service name
    • Ask before erasing (or using alternative methods like strikethrough or an X)
    • Plan iconography in advance

Discover architecture requirements

This is a simple agenda, parking lots zone, use cases and system context map in one drawio template:

Be sure to address:

  • Do you understand the business?
  • Do you know how they make money?
  • Do you understand the problem?
  • Who will be using this/who is the customer?
  • What are the expectations from the customer?
  • What does success look like?
  • Does the customer have an established timeline or deadline?

Use Well-Architected Pillars to approach a problem:

  • Cost:

    • What’s the budget?
    • How do the company make money?

  • Reliability:

    • What happens if this app fails?
    • Is there an SLA, internal or external?

  • Operations:

    • What does the team look like that is building this?
    • Who will support it once it’s built?
    • Do they need help?
    • Is there a partner they work with?

  • Performance:

    • Are there performance requirements?
    • How fast does it need to be?
    • Do they already have a similar app?
    • Have they had any problems with it?

  • Security:

    • Are there security or compliance requirements?
    • Any PII data?
    • Do you have any upcoming audits?
    • How do those tend to do?
    • Do they need help?