Countless Wheels, Where Are the Cars?
As I posted last week, I made the analogy that we are witnessing an AI Cambrian explosion. It’s a sudden and rapid diversification
Price reductions for IaaS lead to? In the last six months the continued decline in pricing for IaaS is a signal that more business is sought. IBM thinks that the prices
Stop spinning your wheels: The AI Game Plan
My previous articles explored the “AI Battle Royale” – the explosive proliferation of AI models by all these different compa
Price reductions for IaaS lead to? In the last six months the continued decline in pricing for IaaS is a signal that more business is sought. IBM thinks that the prices
The Illusion of “Fire and Forget”
Dishwashers, Robot Vacuums, and AI As our dishwasher broke down with very interesting but totally unhelpful error messages, I had to d
Price reductions for IaaS lead to? In the last six months the continued decline in pricing for IaaS is a signal that more business is sought. IBM thinks that the prices
The Human Side of Automation
We plan our technology implementations. We map our approach, define KPIs, and anticipate efficiency gains. Yet, even the most crafted AI in
Price reductions for IaaS lead to? In the last six months the continued decline in pricing for IaaS is a signal that more business is sought. IBM thinks that the prices
A Curmudgeons Lament
I’ve seen the digital age unfold, from the monolithic hum of mainframes to the incessant notifications of the device in your pocket. And I’m here t
Price reductions for IaaS lead to? In the last six months the continued decline in pricing for IaaS is a signal that more business is sought. IBM thinks that the prices
The Law of Contextual Decay
I was on PTO in lovely Luxemburg (nature sure needs a lot of rain to look so good) and the campsite where we stayed had a folder for enticin
Price reductions for IaaS lead to? In the last six months the continued decline in pricing for IaaS is a signal that more business is sought. IBM thinks that the prices
Emperor the algorithm says No
The life of a social media influencer looks to my children as the pinnacle of doing as less as possible. Having creative freedom, direct a
Price reductions for IaaS lead to? In the last six months the continued decline in pricing for IaaS is a signal that more business is sought. IBM thinks that the prices
Escaping the Feature Factory
We spent the last decade obsessing over speed. We adopted Agile, we SCRUMmed, did the DevOps, and we measured our success by velocity and d
Price reductions for IaaS lead to? In the last six months the continued decline in pricing for IaaS is a signal that more business is sought. IBM thinks that the prices
Famous quote from Tom Hanks in the movie Apollo 13
“In space, there is no problem so bad that you cannot make it worse.”
Martijn Veldkamp
“Strategic Technology Leader | Customer’s Virtual CTO | Salesforce Expert | Helping Businesses Drive Digital Transformation”
August 9, 2023
In one of his TED Talks, Chris Hadfield mentions this saying and sheds a light on how to deal with the complexity, the sheer pressure, of dealing with dangerous and scary situations.
Risk Management
In the astronaut business the space shuttle is a very complicated vehicle. It’s the most complicated flying machine ever built. All for a single purpose. To escape earth’s gravity well, launch cargo and return safely.
For the astronauts and the people watching it, it is an amazing experience.
But NASA calculated the odds of a catastrophic event during the first five shuttle launches. It was one in nine. Later launches were getting better, about one in 38 or so.
Why do we take that risk? Who would do something that dangerous?
The biggest risk is the missed chance
Next to the personal dreams and ambitions that astronauts have, Space stations gives us the opportunity to do experiments in zero gravity. We have a chance to learn what the substance of the universe is made of. We get to see Earth from a whole different perspective. (Maybe flat-earthers need a stay onboard of that Space Station, but that is a whole other topic).
Everything that we do for the first time is hard. If we never do the impossible, how do we progress as a species? I think it is human nature, to improve, to explore, to do things never done before.
“If you always do what you always did,
you will always get what you always got.”
by Albert Einstein
We have athletes that perform ultra triathlons. Strong-men en -women who can lift 500 kgs. And, closer to home, we have architects that help transform companies to be closer to their customers.
Do or do not, there is no try
Master Yoda from the movie The Empire strikes back from LucasArts (Disney)
If the problems seem unsurmountable, tangled together, impossible to move forward, we need a fresh perspective. A way to frame the problem in a different light. To come up with hypotheses to solve small parts. And then design a small experiment to test it. If it does not work, we go back to the drawing board. We are not trying to make the problem bigger.
System thinking still holds true, optimising or solving a small part of the problem does not optimize the whole system.
Price reductions for IaaS lead to? In the last six months the continued decline in pricing for IaaS is a signal that more business is sought. IBM thinks that the prices
Generated based on an actual picture of Cluedo that looks nothing like the old dutch version that we have.
Architecture is Like a Game of Cluedo
Martijn Veldkamp
“Strategic Technology Leader | Customer’s Virtual CTO | Salesforce Expert | Helping Businesses Drive Digital Transformation”
September 18, 2024
Really? Designing an architecture is as fun as a game of Cluedo? I know, they seem worlds apart. One is a classic murder mystery board game, and the other is a structured approach to solving complex technical problems.
However, when you squint your eyes a bit and look a bit cross-eyed, the process of uncovering the right solution architecture can feel surprisingly similar to solving the mystery in Cluedo.
And be honest, have you ever come across a solution design that looked like a crime scene?
The Mystery
In Cluedo, the goal is to determine who committed the crime, with what weapon, and in which room. In solution architecture, your “mystery” is figuring out the right components, technologies, and design patterns that best fit the problem you’re trying to solve. Just like in Cluedo, there’s probably a combination that will form the hard of to the solution.
The Suspects
In Cluedo, you have suspects like Colonel Mustard and Miss Scarlett. In solution architecture, your suspects are the different components or applications you could use. Salesforce application, datawarehouses, micro services, frameworks, and cloud providers. Each has its own characteristics and the pros, and cons determine their fit.
The Weapons
Weapons in Cluedo are the tools used to commit the crime, like the candlestick or the revolver. In solution architecture, the “weapons” are the tools and technologies you might use to build the solution—whether it’s a specific programming language, an API, or a security protocol. Choosing the right “weapon” is crucial to the success of your architecture.
The Rooms
The rooms in Cluedo represent different locations where the crime might have occurred, such as the kitchen or the library. In the world of solution architecture, these are the environments where your solution will operate—like cloud platforms, on-premises data centers, or hybrid environments. Each environment has its own set of rules and constraints that you need to consider.
Gathering Clues
In Cluedo, you move from room to room, gathering clues by making suggestions and seeing which cards other players have. Similarly, in solution architecture, you gather information by asking questions, conducting stakeholder interviews, and analyzing requirements. You need to understand the business needs, technical constraints, and existing systems to start narrowing down your options.
Making Suggestions
During the game, you make suggestions like “I think it was Colonel Mustard with the candlestick in the library.” In solution architecture, you make initial design proposals. For example, “I suggest using a microservices architecture with a NoSQL database on a cloud platform.” You then test these suggestions by validating them against the requirements and constraints and talking to your peers or even presenting them as options to the Architecture Board. Depends a bit on how brave you are.
Refining Your Solution
As you gather more clues in Cluedo, you begin to eliminate possibilities and zero in on the solution. In solution architecture, this is akin to iterating on your design. You continuously refine your architecture, testing assumptions, and adjusting components until you have the optimal setup. For now, at least.
Making the Final Accusation
In Cluedo, the game is won by making the correct accusation: identifying the murderer, weapon, and location.
In solution architecture there are multiple wins. The first “win” is when you finalize a solution that meets all the requirements. Another “win” is to test it with your peers or Lead Devs to see if it is feasible. Approval from stakeholders is always a big win. And finally when your design goes into production, that is the best win of all!
So next time you’re architecting a solution, remember other people might see it as a crime scene!
