Architecture Modernization - Socio-technical alignment of software, strategy, and structure

by Nick Tune

Concrete tools, techniques, and processes to align software architecture with your business domains, organizational design, team topologies, and corporate strategy.

Architecture Modernization guides you through every part of the modernization journey, demonstrating each concept with real-world examples from the likes of Danske, Salesforce, the UK Government, and author Nick Tune’s own extensive experience.

You’ll learn how to combine modern product development techniques—including Event Storming, Team Topologies, and Domain-Driven Design—to deliver the perfect solution for your business’s needs. Soon, you’ll be seeing real results for your business—results that will only grow as your architecture continuously evolves and improves.

Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications.

Genres: Architecture, Technology, Programming, Software, Computer Science, Design

458 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2023

Reviews

[Sebastian Gebski · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a lot of respect for Nick Tune. He's not only a nice, humble person who appears truly passionate about his work, but also, among all the "DDD-branded" consultants, I find his input (sessions, articles, books) truly interesting - he managed to convince me he actually does have something interesting to pass further. It applies to his previous book ("Patterns ...") and also his sessions from various conferences, but what about THIS PARTICULAR book?

I have mixed feelings.

"Architecture Modernization" ...
* doesn't pretend it's a book on DDD or any other "magical method" - and I really appreciated this fact (more than you can think)
* it presents some key concepts (that are VERY popular, but well, maybe you're not familiar) - like Wardley Maps, Team Topologies or Event Storming; frankly, it does NOT do it better than in other places, so the main benefit is that it's all aggregated in one place here ...
* but it also shares some interesting techniques/heuristics used by NT in his work - almost all of them are actually interesting, but there are fewer than I expected :(
* besides, there are many other war-stories, reported & described by Nick's friends/co-consultants, but I failed to find any that were truly inspiring/thought-provoking

In the end, it's a solid collection of basic/fundamental techniques that can/should be used for Architecture Modernization efforts, mostly in large, high-inertia enterprises. Is it phrased in a novel way? No. Is it described better than before? Not really. Are there some great examples to inspire you and help you get started? Eeeekh, nope.

For me, it's just 2.8-3 stars, sadly (with all the respect & sympathy to the author). If you're new to the scientific approach to this topic (AM), you can easily add 1 star. But I expected better ;/

[Eelco den Heijer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book since there was a lot of buzz around it in the blogsphere and it was also mentioned by several authors that I recently read (most notably Vladik Khononov of Learning Domain-Driven Design: Aligning Software Architecture and Business Strategy).

First of all, I think this book has a ton of interesting tidbits; I really learned a lot of new stuff, but it was mostly stuff done by other authors (for example there is a chapter in this book on Data Mesh: Delivering Data-Driven Value at Scale, and also a chapter on Team Topologies: Organizing Business and Technology Teams for Fast Flow) so this book is a bit like a 'Selected Readings in Modern Architecture'.

Nevertheless, I think there are some weak points to be mentioned (hence the 3 stars).

First of all, there is almost no main 'storyline'; chapters can almost be read in any order.

Second, there is a very strong focus on business architecture concepts like product, domain, strategy etc. For me as a software architect, I found several chapters tough to chew on (if not to say, a bit boring).

And my last complaint; the graphics are pretty horrible. Many are in a kind of Miro-with-sticky-notes style, which is funny for a few images, but gets rather tedious throughout the book....

[Altuğ Bilgin Altıntaş · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a great book, but it can be challenging to read due to the numerous external links. These links can easily disrupt your focus.

[Marcin Jałbrzykowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nick Tune delivers a practical and insightful guide to modernizing software architecture that strikes a balance between strategic vision and actionable advice. The book explores various aspects of architectural evolution, focusing on how teams can incrementally improve their systems while navigating the complexities of legacy code, organizational constraints, and business goals.

One of the standout features of the book is Tune's emphasis on collaboration and communication. He highlights the importance of aligning architecture with business outcomes and provides frameworks for engaging stakeholders effectively. This aligns closely with my own experience as a software architect, where successful modernization efforts often hinge on fostering cross-functional teamwork and ensuring architectural changes support broader business objectives.

The book is rich with examples, diagrams, and techniques like domain-driven design (DDD) and event storming, which are explained clearly without overwhelming the reader. It avoids getting bogged down in overly theoretical discussions, favoring practical tools and real-world applications.

However, the content can occasionally feel repetitive, and some sections might seem too high-level for those looking for more in-depth technical details. Despite this, the clarity of writing and the actionable takeaways make it a valuable resource for architects, developers, and tech leads alike.

Overall, Architecture Modernisation is a well-structured and engaging read that resonates strongly with my own professional challenges and experiences. It equips its audience with the mindset and tools needed to tackle the complexities of evolving software systems. Highly recommended for anyone seeking to modernize their architecture in a pragmatic and collaborative way.

[Karthik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Software Architecture Modernization is not only about upgrading the versions of a tool but about a whole gamut of things beyond it. The challenges to it differ from one organization to another and so it becomes incredibly complex to predict the outcomes. In the light of such circumstances, things are so overwhelming, that it is done in a very spontaneous manner with a narrow view of things.

This book would be my recommendation to the leadership of such organizations as it can serve as a good wholistic guidebook on better approaches to viewing, planning and executing their strategies for visible outcomes that can serve the organization to be more agile and responsive to changing circumstances.

The bad parts:
- Its verbose and that is unavoidable. Your techniques of "fast reading" should help. And do not intend to rush through the book but enjoy the journey by taking as many breaks as you want, if you are of the type like me that would go from start to finish in order of the chapters. If you have subscription to Safari Online or Manning Publishers, you can run through the Video editions of the book for listening to it as you drive your car or relax.
- It is not deep in all topics covered which isn't possible given that it has a large forest area to cover from high-level which in itself can be overwhelming for readers.

The good parts:
- Plenty of external references for you to take a deep dive on key topics.
- You can read the book in any order as you please, if you are fairly acquainted with the topics covered in the earlier chapters.
- The language is lucid and easy to understand.
- I like the introduction of the term "Socio-Techno alignment", for it is the pressing reality to push through the desired changes in the org.

Go give it a read to see where it takes you ;)

[Sune Lomholt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will provide you with overview and insight into what and how to do modernization of your aging system landscape. It does provide some pointers on why to do it - but I would recommend to not read this book if that is not clear to you.

I have given it 4 stars because it is well written, covers many aspects just enough for the reader to understand and get started. For many of the suggested methods and tools you may need to go to the references for more details, but the book provides and coherence between them that very valuable. One for me extraordinary part of the book is the chapter on identifying domains and subdomains as this combines the many different facets of defining problem context while clear outlining that its not necessarily an easy and straightforward process.

Why not 5 stars then? Two reasons: Firstly, I would have loved if all chapters had a section on how it connects with the content of the other chapters such that it becomes easier to see the coherence of the content. Secondly, 1-2 coherent examples maybe in a separate chapter would also enlighten me on the interplay in the content.

Nevertheless; Nick and Jean-Georges thank you a lot for the book - very useful

[Anatolij Grigorjev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite wordy, a bit stuffy, but mostly an interesting and genuine read

I am not the target audience of this book as it is aimed at technological leaders and organization directors - it discusses the importance of starting organization modernization journeys and provides a toolbox of possible alignment sessions and workshops that can be run to start this
It also provides some guidelines around how to pace modernization

For me the content is a bit abstract and lacking in proveability (though i suppose anything involving hearding other people is going to be hit and miss)

On the other hand, the book is filled with industry examples of things being discussed in the chapters. Those are meant to reassure, but have only further made me doubt the contents - in several instances I have actually been working at those example companies during the events described in the book and things were not going as swell as Nick described it here :D

[Vojta.Tuma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The "socio-technical alignment" part of the subtitle is spot-on. This book is not that much about deeply technical aspects of today's popular technologies, but rather about how to cooperate with non technical people -- how to extract the requirements, model them, how to communicate designs, gather feedback. All in a way that makes sense given we are software developers -- in other words, this is not yet another "How to make friends" :)

I liked the examples a lot -- the author links real usecases and lessons you can read about more on your own, and they were both illustrative and horizon expanding.

The book is quite long and can feel a bit boring -- I recommend first skim to be rather shallow, then picking one or two chapters that feel pertaining to anything you are doing right now, and reading again in depth, trying to apply to your situation, ...

[Nguyen Quan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author has combined all the good practices—from business objectives, product strategy, various DDD techniques, organizational structuring, internal platforms, and data mesh, to continuous learning. However, I don’t like the perspective of external consultants or outside help; many examples begin with an external viewpoint, and I don’t see the long-term commitment. It might just be me, but as an ordinary employee of a company, I want to see more engagement carried through to the end. Also, because the topics are scattered across different aspects of a product company, it’s easy to understand why the book receives a lower rating—not many people are strongly enthusiastic about all of those aspects. 4 stars.

[Christoph Kappel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a bit difficult to vote. I generally like it, because it is well written and it contains so many useful ideas and references to many books I've already read.

Still somehow I kind of miss the golden thread connecting it besides the overall theme. Additionally I haven't understood Wardley Mapping at all and probably have to read the suggested book about it later.

I've read the MEAP epub version of the book and the graphics are generally quite difficult to read. Mostly greyscales and sometimes tiny.

[Asad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not about implementing tools or coding, but about strategy, I think it is interesting especially books that have many pictures, so that it is easier for readers to understand the contents. It also discusses team topologies, and several software architectures such as event storming. If you want your software development to be good and have standardization and build a good team to adjust to microservices, read this book, the guidance is good. I read the ebook version of this book, and everything is good.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book, Nick knows this space so we'll and includes everything and the kitchen sink to get started and use practical approaches to modernising architecture in a friendly, collaborative way. Love the mix of technology, people and interactions covered. Must read for anyone who cares about people, flow and systems.

[Johnny · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book tries to cover too many topics, and we end up as usual with lots of chapters that are too shallow for people new to the topic and boring for those who already now the concepts. The many, many quotes and case studies made it hard to follow. Even worse, they did not add value to the book.

[Lucian-Paul Torje · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book and I've found lots of useful info inside (this is why it is always on my desk).