Floyd finally (!) posted the video of JP Rangaswami's talk at the London UK Architect's Summit. I was lucky to be in attendance at this inspiring and insightful talk.
JP talks about intellectual property law, business benefits of openness, quality benefits, social benefits, and what he looks for in architecture (at 40:54).
On Architecture: He suggests taking a Christopher Alexander-like approach, in focusing on the constraints in the 'software living space' (habitability). Don't actually write an enterprise architecture, it's too controlling and stifling ("I'm proudly accused of not having one"), don't write hard policies & guidelines ("you must [instead] have principles that are flexible"), engage with the teams ("The architect is the de facto project manager. It is not an ivory tower job."). "An architect is not a person unique & different from everyone else, except in the commitment in that person makes in learning about what technology is doing, and how to apply it... [providing guidance] through influence, advice, and support. Having the vision to embed those values in the team and keep it going." Another favorite moment: Cameron asks, What are the biggest factors that contribute to project failure? Without hesitation, JP says, "an unwillingness to say 'no' to the customer."
Read his blog...
Posted by stu at March 12, 2007 05:32 PM