Small groups work together to create a poster that conveys their design ideas for the architecture. This activity is well suited to summarizing outcomes from other workshops.

Benefits

• Produce several alternative models for comparison.

• Build pockets of consensus and spread knowledge within a larger group of stakeholders.

• Create artifacts that can be easily shared with people outside the group.

• Quickly explore and summarize architecture design ideas.

Activity Timing

20--30 minutes

Participants

Stakeholders work in groups of 2--5 people. Stakeholders who work together regularly should be in different groups.

Preparation and Materials

• Flipchart paper and markers

Steps

1. If needed, review architecture sketching basics.

2. Review the goals for the activity. All participants will produce a poster that solves the same problem.

3. Divide participants into groups or allow them to self-organize. Distribute flipchart paper and markers.

4. Groups create a common vision for the architecture within the scope of the agreed goals.

5. When time expires, each group shares their poster. Give each group 3 minutes to present their poster. Questions and comments should be held until after the presentation.

6. Allow 3--5 minutes to critique the poster after each presentation.

7. Once all posters have been shared, briefly discuss any trends or general observations about the posters together.

8. Initiate a round of dot voting. Given each participant 1 vote for best overall poster and 3 votes for interesting design ideas that appear on any poster. Discuss the outcomes of the voting.

Guidelines and Hints

• Remind participants to include a legend and think about which views of the architecture they are sketching—module, component and connector, or allocation.

• It’s OK to sketch more than just structures. Sketches of domain models, sequence diagrams, or state diagrams can all be useful.

• Encourage participants to jot down open questions or risks that arise during their group discussions.

• Monitor participant progress closely and adjust time up or down to ensure groups are creating effective posters.

• During the critiques, remind participants to focus on facts and avoid “I like…” kinds of remarks.

• Record video or audio of the poster presentations for later review.

• Keep the posters and hang them in your workspace.

Example

This poster shows two architecture views and the stickers used during dot voting. Participants were asked to vote for an overall best poster and to highlight unique design concepts from individual posters they thought were relevant or interesting, even if the poster overall was not the best.