Feedback for Architects

Architectural mistakes have serious consequences. So how do we minimize them?

1️⃣ Expand your knowledge breadth and stay grounded.
I have already written a lot about this.

2️⃣ Validate hypotheses with prototypes.
I will write a separate post about this.

3️⃣ Get feedback from a second pair of eyes.
That is what we will talk about today.

Humans are subjective by nature, even when they try to be objective.
A second pair of eyes quickly checks your solution for subjectivity and effectiveness.

If a company has multiple architects, that is a huge advantage. You can get expert feedback quickly. Sometimes it turns into a holy war though.

But what if there is only one architect in the company? 🤔
This is very common. Few companies actually grow to the point where they need several architects.

You can ask developers or business stakeholders for a review, but most of the time you hear: “Looks cool”, “Nice”. Or sometimes an honest answer: “I do not understand anything.”

Can generative AI help with reviews?
AI still cannot make architectural decisions, and its feedback will be of a specific kind. However, it can already perform basic checks for objectivity and effectiveness. That is something my product supports for architectural decisions.
It will not replace an expert, but it can significantly simplify their work.

You can also ask peers outside your company, but that usually violates NDAs, and people are understandably reluctant to do that.

So far, I have come to one effective solution: teach teams how to make architectural decisions.
This is necessary anyway when there is only one architect in the company. A company cannot survive if the architect becomes a bottleneck.
But this only works in the long term.

Do you see more effective ways to get feedback when there is only one architect in the company?