Beyond technolgoy in technical books - joy for architects

The winds are changing – the software engineering mainstream practitioners are finally starting to value the importance of the human aspects of software engineering. And that’s only good news for software and solution architects.

If you’ve been reading some of the newer technical literature, such as the Pro [Microsoft] BizTalk 2006 book, you would have noticed one paramount shift in the book’s introduction part. First the authors provide the core overview of the BizTalk architecture, as expected, but then spend the next chapter going over various human and organizational aspects of running a project.

This is important. This shows a conscious effort on behalf of the authors to convince the reader that establishing a technical and management structure is essential to the success of the project. The book provides brief guidance for setting up communication chain of command, provides an example of a rudimentary build and deployment process, and emphasizes on the importance of organization and team work.

Most books a specific technology only concentrate on technology and often neglect the human aspects of software architecture. The Pro BizTalk 2006 does a fine job of emphasizing, if not requiring, that software engineering practitioners follow best practices when utilizing BizTalk 2006.

- Firebrand Architect on duty: CK