Friday
Room 2 - Level 3
11:40 - 12:40
(UTC±00)
Talk (60 min)
Architecture isn't Kubernetes
One of the most contentious words in technology culture today is “Architect.” I experience an endless stream of divisive, confusing opinions about what "architecture" means. At a conference, an attendee noticed that my badge said "architect" and told me "I want to be an architect too, but I don't know enough about Kubernetes yet".
Architecture, in the systems age, is not (just) Kubernetes. It's not the implementation of any particular toolset. Architecture is designing relationships between parts and adapting those relationship patterns as circumstances change. This requires engaging our mental models and working together to transform them.
The architecture skillset is sociotechnical -- a blend of social and technology skills. In the modern age, there is no division between the way we think together and the code running in production. Our thinking designs our architecture. Architecture is structuring good systems thinking.
In this talk, I will admit that *sometimes* architecture is Kubernetes. And share five essential qualities that make a good architect a great architect, regardless of the toolset they employ.
Diana Montalion
Diana is the author of the O’Reilly book, Learning Systems Thinking: Essential Nonlinear Skills & Practices for Software Professionals. She has 20 years experience engineering and architecting software systems for organizations including Stanford, The Gates Foundation, Memorial Sloan Kettering and Teach For All. She has served as Principal Systems Architect for The Economist and The Wikimedia Foundation. Her company, Mentrix, publishes courses and learning materials for aspiring nonlinear thinkers and builds modern software systems for diverse clients. Diana lives in the Hudson Valley (New York, USA) with three dogs, one cat and nine chickens.