Activity 21 | Architecture Haiku |
Figure out what matters in your architecture by creating a bite-sized summary stakeholders will actually use. An architecture haiku describes a view of the architecture using only a single piece of paper. The architecture haiku was originally proposed by George Fairbanks.[44]
Think through and articulate the essential parts of the architecture.
Produce an artifact that is easily consumed by readers. The end result is almost like a flier advertising the best parts of the architecture.
Create a frame of reference for other documentation.
Architecture haikus can be recorded as a slide, an image, or text. The format is less important as the focus and brevity. No matter how you record it, an architecture haiku should include the following information [Kee15]:
The haiku should be only one page. In practice, nobody is counting but conciseness is the secret sauce.
Do not attempt to record everything about the architecture. Focus only on what is most important.
Establish a common vocabulary for architectural concepts so everyone speaks the same language.
Set aside time to explore design options before starting.
Treat the architecture haiku as a living document.
Use the architecture haiku as an outline or executive summary for a longer architecture description.
The architecture haiku is not a replacement for other design artifacts.
Here’s a partial architecture haiku for Project Lionheart. There is also a template available on my website to help get you started.[45]
Project Lionheart is a publicly available web application that will help the Springfield Office of Management and Budget manage the city’s requests for proposals (RFPs) and local businesses to find RFPs of interest.
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Business Goals
Top Quality Attributes Security > Availability > Performance
Architecture Patterns Used Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), Layered web application, REST APIs for web services |
Key Decisions and Rationale
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