Models, Sketches and Everything in Between

eoin woods (co-author of the software systems architecture book) and i presented a session at the software architect 2014 conference titled models, sketches and everything in between , where we discussed the differences between diagrams and models for capturing and communicating the software architecture of a system.

just the mention of the word "modelling" brings back horrible memories of analysis paralysis for many software developers. and, in their haste to adopt agile approaches, we’ve seen countless software teams who have thrown out the modelling baby with the process bathwater. in extreme cases, this has led to the creation of software systems that really are the stereotypical "big ball of mud". in this session, simon and eoin will discuss models, sketches and everything in between, providing you with some real world advice on how even a little modelling can help you avoid chaos.

the video and slides are both available. after a short overview of our (often differing!) opinions, we answered the following questions.

1. modelling - why bother?
2. modelling and agility?
3. how to do it?
4. uml - is it worth the hassle?
5. modelling in the large vs the small

it was a very fun session to do and i'd recommend taking a look if you're interested in describing/communicating the software architecture of your system. enjoy!