Simplify! Ensuring Long-Term Viability by Doing Less
by Uwe Friedrichsen
Our IT system landscapes drown in complexity. Every day it becomes a bit worse. Change becomes harder. Operation is more praying than knowing. Costs explode. Error rates skyrocket.
Our typical response? Let us add more complexity to solve the problem! New technologies, new paradigms, features nobody needs, everything reinforced by habits that foster complexity. A death spiral for everyone involved.
How can we do better?
In this session, we will first revisit the difference between essential and accidental complexity. Then we will take a look at widespread complexity drivers at all levels of software development. With that knowledge, we will discuss several options we have as architects to keep the drivers in check, reduce complexity and increase long-term viability.