Home


Agile architecture is not fragile architecture!



The book you've been waiting for, on how to combine Agile with the timeless value of sound architecture, is now on the
bookshelves (and in Kindle) — order it here!

Published by Wiley and authored by the renowned software architecture expert Jim Coplien and Agile requirements expert Gertrud Bjørnvig, this book will guide you with concrete design advice that will help you:
  • create software that builds on your end-user mental models rather than design methodologies (people and interactions over processes and tools);
  • write software that can directly be verified against behavioral requirements (so you get working software without comprehensive intermediate documentation);
  • help you organize so that all your stakeholders support each other (customer collaboration); and
  • cleanly support rapidly changing feature code from your investment in stable domain code (embrace change)
This is not only the market's first book on Lean Architecture and Agile development, but it clarifies the difference between these two powerful approaches and shows how they can be combined. It is also the first book to present Trygve Reenskaug's new software architecture called DCI: Data, Context, and Interaction. DCI is to the programmer as the classic MVC architecture is to the end user: a software approach that puts people first.

Follow the links in the sidebar to learn more!



What people are saying about Lean Architecture

"This post will not do justice to this excellent book, which is full of wisdom. I do not have the time to collect all pearls, such as `Remember that architecture is mainly about people´ or `Software development is rarely a matter of having enough muscle to get the job done, but rather of having the right skill sets present'”.  — Yves Caseau

"This book is brilliantly thought provoking. The best I've read in a decade." — Christian Horsdal, Mjølner

"I've always liked the insight and clarity of Coplien's thinking, and based on my reading of the introduction I think I'm going to really enjoy and learn from this book." — Jonathan Jamsa

"Lean and architecture aren't things normally discussed in the same train of thought. An interesting and fresh approach." — John Sims

"James Coplien offers what I think is the most pragmatic intersection between Agile Methods that tended to resist upfront architecture and traditional waterfall methods that did too much." — David Hall

"Like the discussion of how design and documentation fit in with Agile. Gives good contrast between Lean and Agile. Like the focus on mental models and end user value." — Tim Roberts

"Jim (Cope) Coplien was my guest on the Business901 podcast. We discussed his new book, Lean Architecture for Agile Software Development but I found Cope's view on Lean and Agile quite interesting. His knowledge of the subject goes far beyond the software practices that he writes about. Whether you are in IT or not, I think that this podcast really helps in understanding Lean as a methodology an/or culture." — Joe Dager, Business901

"... a book of advice that is broad, enabling, and concrete." — Lean Magazine

"This superb book is about a new vision of the object-oriented world... Based on the DCI (Data, Context and Interaction) architecture paradigm and renewed Lean principles, the book constructs a lightweight and pure Agile bridge between requirements and architecture. Now you can reach a Lean up-front architecture in an incremental Agile way. DCI gives you a framework for thinking and the inspiration for improvement... This is a must-read for anyone working in software engineering."  — Lena Nikolaev, Architect, Pontis

"This is a different book. Where most books expound a single theme such as Agile, Lean, or Scrum, "Lean Architecture for Agile Software Development" paints on a much broader canvas: Working with the end user, end user's mental model, user requirements, system architecture, and right down to actual code.  This is neither a beginner's "how to do it in ten easy lessons" nor is it a design method. It is a book written for the mature professional by two authors whose long experience has given them a deep understanding of what really matters in practical programming... At a first glance, many methodologies appear as mere fads, but Coplien and Bjørnvig see through the fads and build on their real worth to create a thought-provoking and eminently practical book... This book is a MUST read for all who want to understand the true nature of systems development." — Trygve Reenskaug, inventor of Model-View-Controller and of the DCI Architecture

"When I was a C++ programmer in the early 90's Coplien's Advanced C++ Programming Styles and Idioms was a source of interview material when looking for programmers. It's a good bet that this book may fill the same role for those looking to see if candidates for architect roles understand what it means to be an architect in a Lean or Agile Organization. This book dispels the myth that Agile and Architecture don't go together and explains the balance between Agile architecture and too much Big Up Front Design. This book emphasizes the importance of frequent collaboration between stakeholders in defining a good architecture and helps you to understand the importance of architecture to the success of agile projects. With code examples throughout, this book emphasizes that architecture and coding must go together. After describing some general principles of how architecture can add value to an agile project, the authors explain the Data Context, Interaction (DCI) architecture, which provides an framework for building lean architectures. My one minor complaint is that the transition between the general discussions of lean architecture and the focused discussion of DCI was a bit abrupt. But this was a minor distraction from an enjoyable and informative read. Rich with citations, places to go for more information, and historical context, this book will be useful for anyone who is struggling with how to build systems that need to support complicated user interactions (which could describe most non-trivial systems)." Steve Berczuk, Author, "Software Configuration Management Patterns"