How to Establish Architecture Principles for Successful Scaling

Today’s newsletter is about architecture principles.

• What are architectural principles and why are they essential?

• How to define these principles?

• What are some examples of common principles that promote scalability?

When designing and implementing a software system, numerous decisions must be made. Where the team is small, these decisions may be handled or overviewed by a single individual. The need for principles may not be immediately apparent.

However, as the software and company grow, multiple stakeholders become involved in making daily design choices.

Without following any principles, software can become complex, its structure inconsistent and confusing, technical debt increases with irreversible decisions that hinder future progress.

Architecture principles serve as guiding boundaries, providing direction for the software design decisions. They are high-level rules that should be adhered to, ensuring that the system remains cohesive and aligned with business needs.

How to define architecture principles

Think about the value statements displayed in a company's office. While creating a list of principles is essential, true success lies in embedding these principles into the organization's culture and guiding people's behavior based on them.

The same applies to architectural principles. Drafting a document with a list of principles that nobody pays attention to is simply a waste of time. Success lies in building a culture where the technical team feels connected to and empowered by these principles.

Start with the goals of the product

Principles serve as a bridge between the overarching vision of a product and its practical implementation. They are derived from the primary goals.

Consider the goal tree example depicted below.