Who Should Read This Book?

This book is for anyone who has ever stood at a whiteboard and sketched boxes and lines while trying to answer tough questions.

If you’re completely new to software architecture design, then this book is the perfect introduction. We’ll start with the basics and work our way through the core fundamentals you need to know to be an amazing software architect.

If you’re a programmer who already knows a thing or two about architecture, then this book will help you organize your thoughts. As you read, you may find concepts you intuited on your own but didn’t know the name, or perhaps you’ll find gaps you didn’t know you were missing. After reading this book, you’ll be able to explain why you do what you do, which puts you in a better position to lead others.

If you’re already a software architect and this isn’t your first rodeo, then this book will give you a fresh perspective on how to lead your team. The junior programmers of today expect to have a greater say in the software they build. The focus on fundamentals in this book will prepare you to teach and mentor today’s programmers—the architects of tomorrow—so they can fully participate in the design process. The collaborative design approaches described throughout this book will give you new techniques for safely and productively collaborating with less experienced teammates as you design a software system together.