Decentralizing Architectural Decisions with the Architecture Advice Process

"The biggest challenge in architecture is to be in all the right places at all the right times. Architectural decisions are happening all over the place, and all the time. If there are only a named few who are responsible and accountable for all decisions, they need to be taking the best decisions for everyone based on all the right information and context."

"The traditional approaches to the practice of architecture (the memes of 'ivory tower' and 'hands-on architect') don't scale - they create bottlenecks to flow, and don't sufficiently factor in feedback loops from the running (tested) code. The traditional role of the 'architect' needs to change to one of a conversation starter and guide, driving just-enough shared understanding and the space for learning and fast feedback."

"By stating 'anyone can make any decision, as long as they seek advice (which is different from permission) from all affected parties and those with expertise' it transfers both responsibility and accountability."

Traditional centralized architecture approaches create bottlenecks and fail to scale effectively. When only a few named architects hold responsibility for all decisions, they become flow-blockers unable to maintain clear understanding, gather feedback, and stay accountable across the organization. The ivory tower and hands-on architect models don't incorporate feedback from running code adequately. The solution is decentralizing architecture through an advice process where anyone can make decisions after seeking advice from affected parties and experts. This transfers both responsibility and accountability throughout the organization, enabling faster feedback loops and shared learning while maintaining architectural coherence.

Read at InfoQ