Sessions at Software Architect 2011 about Agile Software Development on Wednesday 19th October

The title of “architect” has historically been a sought-after title on one’s business card and resumé. This is, in part, a natural outgrowth of the way that architects employed in the construction of buildings have been revered over time as the smart and creative “brains” behind important endeavours that last over time. But modern software development processes, such as Agile, Scrum, and eXtreme Programming play down the role of grand upfront design. Does that mean that software architects are no longer needed? We’ll explore the role of the architect in modern process, and suggest why such individuals are needed as much now as ever before, with perhaps some changes in approach to the work at hand. The session will be conducted as a presentation followed by roundtable discussion.

For an Agile project to be successful, the architecture of the system has to reflect the needs of the process. You simply won’t be able to refactor constantly, accommodate changing business requirements, and so forth, unless your system is designed to accommodate those practices. This talk will look at the characteristics of an Agile design, and explore several design principles that will keep your design on track in an Agile environment. We’ll look, specifically, at the Single-Responsibility, Open-Closed, Liskov-Substitution, Dependence-Inversion, and Interface-Segregation principles.