Andrew Harmel-Law

Some of the most beautiful hand-drawn diagrams i've ever seen. Turkish "Justice Gazette", 1920, artist: Cerîde-i Adliyye.
Source [substack] casualarchivist.substack.com/p/poetic-jus...
#türkiye #infographics #stunning

Can’t wait to be back in Berlin for @amaconf.bsky.social to talk about Anarchy and how it can help your architecture practice.

The whole conversation transformed how I thought about software. Check it out.

The new series @roundcrisis.com, @andrewhl.bsky.social and I are hosting is no different. Whether you prefer listening to a podcast, watching a video, or reading a blog - we've got you covered.

With Virtual Domain-driven design, we've always strived for free knowledge sharing and accessiblility to anyone wanting to go deeper into systems and software design.
...

It's those lived experiences, that human connection you get from hearing someone's real story, that carries the most lasting value - in work and in life.
...

"Stories of Facilitating Software Architecture & Design" is built on a belief that feels especially relevant right now: in this age of AI, personal stories matter more than ever.
...

These conversations are some of the most thought-provoking I’ve ever had the privilege of being part of. Frequently the insights shared have me thinking for days or even weeks afterwards.

Check them out. You won’t be disappointed.

Stories on Facilitating Software Architecture & Design - Virtual Domain-Driven Design We’ve consistently observed a common pattern: regardless of the architectural approach—from traditional enterprise to more hands-on, emergent methods—teams face similar obstacles when building…

Last week we published the 12th episode, and we've already recorded 4 more. Hopefully these stories inspire and help people — in any role — on their path to changing the way we do architecture and design.

Check out the series: buff.ly/ihPoVzk

Yes, editing takes work — but it also forces me to sit with the content, to really engage with it. We often forget that revisiting stories and ideas can help you re-engage with concepts you once knew but forgot, or give you a different perspective each time.
...

I've been on my own path with this for the past 10 years, having had the privilege to witness a team-first approach early in my career. And honestly, recording and editing each episode still gives me new insights and fresh enthusiasm to try things differently.
...

And that's the hard part, isn't it? Knowing something needs to change and actually making that change are very different things. We believe stories are one of the best ways to bridge that gap. Hearing how others navigated their own path makes it feel less daunting and more achievable.
...

The autocratic architect model is holding teams back, and a lot of people recognise this. They just don't know how to change the system to become more collaborative, more facilitating, while still upholding the integrity of the system as a whole.
...

Short ones, 4 to 8 minutes, followed by a dialogue where we explore the experience together.

We started this because we keep seeing the same pattern: architecture and design done for teams instead of with teams — or even better, by teams.
...

How do you change the way architecture and design are done in your organisation?

End of last year, together with @roundcrisis.com and @andrewhl.bsky.social, we started a series called "Stories of Facilitating Software Architecture & Design." The idea is simple: let people share their stories.
...

Ex-Google Engineer Convicted of Stealing A.I. Secrets for Start-Up in China

Nonsense. It's not possible to steal AI technology. I know this because Google's own LLMs are built using a complete copy of my legal blog, and that's somehow not stealing because, as Google says, a complete copy of my legal blog is both trivial and utterly essential for their tech to work.

AND there’s the benefits if the ADRs as a knowledge and thinking record. But in order for the benefits of that to land you need the ADRs to be written in the first place so that’s a 🐔🥚issue

Thanks Mark. The trick that’s worked best for me is to show how the writing helps the thinking. It’s when commit something to words and pictures that the cracks become evident. 🤔

Also, when it’s written you can get advice. Advice is the force multiplier for everyone. 💪🏻

I keep seeing leftists from outside of Minneapolis say they’ve seen all this before, and no, you haven’t. I’ve been at this for 30+ years and I haven’t either. It’s not what you’re picturing. This is something else

This book, and the discussion with Bill, James and Bruce changed the way I reason about and with code entirely. You *need* to check both out. Trust me.

And also Software Architecture in Practice by Bass, Clements and Kazman.

I’ve not read it (yet) but @nick-tune.me and Jean Georges Perrin’s Architecture Modernisation is also there.

That would be useful wouldn’t it? 🤦🏼

(Gartner subscription required to read it.): www.gartner.com/document-rea...

Thanks for the reposts @emily.gorcen.ski and @lmatsakis.bsky.social 🙏

Thank you! 🙏

Cover of the O'Reilly book "Facilitating Software Architecture" book by Andrew Harmel-Law.

My book, Facilitating Software Architecture has been included in the Gartner 2026 Reading Guide for Software Architects and Engineers by Peter Hyde. 😱🎉

Being selected is both humbling and energizing.

Thank you everyone who contributed to what became the book. 📚

Yes this is something @roundcrisis.com @andrewhl.bsky.social and I discussed for one of our upcoming stories of facilitation. I also want to start experimenting with this pretty soon myself!Only worry I have is resulting: the tendency to equate the quality of the decision with that of the outcome.

You may possess wide contextual knowledge, but you lack the agency of implementation.

If you are in an architecture role, how do you ensure your high-level choices actually align with where the resources are being allocated?

As an architect, you can select an option. But ultimately, the engineers implement that choice. If they encounter friction and pivot to an alternative solution during coding, your decision was never actually made—because the resources were allocated elsewhere.
...

However, consider the definition of a decision we use in our book, which originates from Gien’s work: a decision is a choice between two alternatives that involves an irrevocable allocation of resources.
...