Diana Montalion, a systems architect and founder of Mentrix Group, emphasizes that the success of modern system architecture goes beyond just technical decisions; it’s about how teams communicate and collaborate. She discusses the role of Conway’s Law, which states that system design mirrors the organization’s communication structure. Diana explains that organizations often fail when they try to modernize their systems without changing the way they think or collaborate.

She highlights the increasing relational complexity in systems today, where software interacts with more software than ever before. Instead of blindly following industry trends, such as microservices or event-driven design, Diana advocates for identifying specific pain points in the system and focusing on the most impactful changes. By prioritizing event modeling, organizations can reduce dependencies, improve cohesion, and enable self-organizing teams.

Key Takeaways:

1. Knowledge flow is key to designing successful systems – improving communication and collaboration is just as important as technical decisions.
2. Event modeling can help create better system boundaries, reduce dependencies, and improve overall system cohesion.
3. Collaboration and trust are crucial in improving system design and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and learning.

Watch the whole interview here: