Tracy Bannon

It's the humans that matter...

Architectural Decision Records!

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗸𝗲, 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗜𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻!!! I shared the idea of decision records with a mid-career techie and he was blown away by the value and simplicity. Using Architectural Decision Records (ADRs) to jot down choices just make sense. It doesn’t need to be a full white paper… just a few lines as an .MD file. WHY? So your decisions are defensible and to give anyone in the future a frame of reference.

Posted by Tracy Bannon on Sunday, February 4, 2024

Discovering Grace Hopper: An Overdue Epiphany

I've dedicated my career to technology and to software architecture in specific. Why, then, did I only learn about Grace Hopper as I entreed another decade into my career??

Posted by Tracy Bannon on Sunday, September 24, 2023

This Reference Architecture is No Good --> What is an RA?

A software reference architecture is a common abstraction or standardization of design that can be reused. Abstraction is the key and it serves as a guide for designing and building software systems in a particular domain.

Posted by Tracy Bannon on Sunday, July 30, 2023

Low Code/No Code in your ecosystem? Let's show um some love!

LC/NC platforms have a place in the enterprise but what is their real value? The platforms differ by audience and degree of extensibility. There are architectural tradeoffs to consider as well as a set of gotchas.

Posted by Tracy Bannon on Sunday, July 23, 2023

daBOM - The connection between Generative AI, LLM and SBOMs

DJ Schleen invited me to be a guest on daBOM where we discussed software architecture, generative AI, Large Language Models, and SBOMS. It was a insightful and cleaver conversation.

Posted by Tracy Bannon on Wednesday, July 19, 2023

No BUDs allowed --> Design for Change

Design for change! We must craft architectures that are not only robust and scalable but also flexible and inherently adaptable. We must be able to react to changing mission/business needs, cyber threats, market trends, and tech advancements to secure a competitive edge

Posted by Tracy Bannon on Sunday, July 9, 2023

𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗥𝗢𝗖𝗞𝗦!: We need more architects

𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗥𝗢𝗖𝗞𝗦! Those who know me, know that this is squarely where my heart rests. 𝗪𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 and we need organizations to understand the importance of architecture!

Posted by Tracy Bannon on Sunday, July 2, 2023

Sing with me: Architetural Tradeoff Analysis Rocks!!

𝗜'𝗺 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱! Ok, maybe not a song... actually a set of software architecture concepts and principles that drive architectural design decisions. The process and decisions are almost *𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿* binary. There is a logical an repeatable way to rationalize decisions: 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘀.

Posted by Tracy Bannon on Sunday, June 25, 2023

Do you know what Software Quality Attributes are?

Do you know what 𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 are and more importantly, why they matter? Our online community may benefit from talking about 2 topics: Software quality attributes (SQAs) and architecture trade-off analysis. Since trade-offs depend on attributes let’s dig in here first!

Posted by Tracy Bannon on Sunday, June 18, 2023

Trust, Trustworthiness, and the Trust Equation

Trust is not something you just ask for or earn. Rather you need to exude trustworthiness and others examine that and decide for themselves if they can or will extend trust. Charles Green published a 'trust equation' that I have adopted for years and can say it is wonderfully helpful.

Posted by Tracy Bannon on Tuesday, June 13, 2023