Architecture Standards and Design Reviews for Principals (AS meets DR) Training Course

Module 1: Scalable Architecture Standards

Objective: Establish a unified framework of architecture principles to guide daily operational decisions by Principal-level architects.

Key Topics

• Defining architecture principles: Distinguishing between standardized requirements and team-level discretionary decisions.
• Decomposition fundamentals: Defining system boundaries and accountability structures.
• Integration essentials: Establishing API contracts, versioning protocols, and compatibility standards for government systems.
• Messaging infrastructure: Evaluating Kafka versus RabbitMQ and determining appropriate standardization strategies.
• Data governance: Addressing data ownership, source-of-truth determinations, and hybrid database models (MongoDB and SQL Server).
• Identification of common anti-patterns in high-scale public sector systems.
• Documentation standards for architectural decisions: Utilizing Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) and Request for Comments (RFCs).

Module 2: Code Architecture in Large-Scale .NET Environments

Objective: Align stakeholders on practical guidance for code architecture within complex, large-scale solutions.

Key Topics

• Structuring extensive .NET solutions: Managing modules, layering strategies, and architectural boundaries.
• Dependency management: Ensuring clear dependency directions to maintain architectural visibility in source code.
• Shared libraries: Assessing utility versus the risk of increased coupling.

Integration boundaries: Applying separation-of-concerns patterns within code structures.

• Code architecture review criteria: Identifying key indicators for efficient technical assessment.
• Exception handling strategies that preserve system consistency.

Module 3: Decision-Oriented Design Reviews

Objective: Implement a consistent design review process that yields definitive decisions and shared organizational understanding.

Key Topics

• Criteria for effective Principal-level design reviews.
• Review workflows: Defining scope and timing for architectural assessments.
• Core evaluation criteria: Prioritizing the most critical architectural factors.
• Facilitation techniques: Maintaining focus and productivity in senior technical discussions.
• Decision closure: Resolving debates to facilitate forward momentum.
• Documentation of outcomes: Recording decisions and tracking follow-up actions.
• Applied practice: Conducting a system-level case study review.

Module 4: Influencing Without Authority for Principal Architects

Objective: Enhance capabilities in mentoring, feedback delivery, and alignment with Individual Contributors (ICs).

Key Topics

• Mentoring versus directive management: Coaching approaches that do not assume direct ownership.
• Delivering high-level technical feedback grounded in established standards for government projects.
• Driving cross-functional alignment among ICs through practical engagement techniques.
• Constructively managing disagreement and resistance.
• Reusable communication frameworks and dialogue models for Principal architects.