Chapter Seven. Software Architecture: Jump School

In the military, jump school is used to prepare soldiers for landing in enemy-occupied terrain. Without adequate intelligence, paratrooping soldiers can find themselves in the middle of a village dung heap, a minefield, or a camouflaged enemy camp. Similarly in software, when the architect joins an organization or project team without adequate intelligence information, there is no telling what he or she is getting into. An architect can be doomed from the start as a result of existing organizational or interpersonal problems among team members. Conversely, the architect may discover a team that is already well organized, where the majority of his or her time can be devoted to technical rather than process and team-building activities. This chapter is not about intelligence gathering; rather, it is about making the best of the situation. The information on software process and team building will provide the tools for building an environment where the architect can successfully transfer architectural principles throughout a team and ensure that they are realized in the software development process.