When “Good Enough” isn’t Good Enough
So what is this picture? The unhelpful answer is that it is a photo of a sign with a burlap sack on it. I’d like to say that my community thought it would be a cute Halloween decoration, but I cannot. The truth: it is great example of the “good enough” anti-pattern. Read more
Issue Resolution: Understanding the Problem
For a Solution Architect, creating the blueprint for a quality product is often only half the job: After all, the greatest design in the world isn’t worth much unless it is accurately implemented. Read more
Facts: The Architect’s “Big Stick”
“Speak softly and carry a big stick: You will go far.”
– African Proverb
Diplomat is a key role that Systems Flow’s architects often fill for our clients. Software projects and change initiatives inevitably bring disputes and disagreements over requirements, scope, priority, standards, architectures and solutions. While most project management disciplines offer approaches to managing issues, we have found a basic mantra that keeps us on track: Read more
Manage Expectations with a “Terms of Reference” Document
As consulting business analysts and architects, we at Systems Flow are constantly in the trenches with our clients, helping envision & manage the change to their technology and business processes they need to be competitive and succeed.
Although we have formal processes & deliverables we rely on to deliver on our commitments to clients, it’s not always obvious to a project manager, business change sponsor or technical executive what those deliverables are, and how we use them. That’s where a clear, concise Terms of Reference (ToR) document comes in handy.