How to Specify Architecture to Agents (and Humans): Architecture as Code

Pre-conference workshops have limited capacity and are sold separately from conference tickets.

Summary

Architects often describe their work in diagrams and other visual artifacts, but how can they test to see if the implementation is aligned with the architecture? Architects are expected to not only design new systems, but continuously govern what they’ve already built and ensure that their architecture is aligned with the technical and business environment.

This course uncovers a new way to think about architecture—as code. We have infrastructure, policy, data, and a host of other things “as code”, but not architecture…until now. This course covers numerous intersections of software architecture with all the tendrils of the organisation, defining each intersection using code. Using fitness function-driven architecture, teams can define structure, constraints, governance, security, communication, and many other capabilities, all as source code.

This class covers intersections with implementation, infrastructure, engineering practices, team topologies, data topologies, systems integration, the enterprise, and the business environment, defining each interaction with tests and other fitness functions that allow architects to not only design solutions but make sure they are implemented and aligned correctly via automated verification. This hand-on class also includes numerous coding exercises to make intersections concrete, allowing attendees to build their own fitness functions that apply to their day job.

For who?

The target audience is existing architects, aspiring architects interesting in learning about fundamental tradeoffs, and developers working within complex architectures.

This workshop is a great follow-up on "Software Architecture: The Hard Parts" class.

What you'll learn

Transform the way you approach software architecture in this hands-on course that redefines architecture as code. Learn how to ensure alignment between design, implementation, and business objectives using fitness function-driven architecture, allowing developers to build concrete guard rails for agents and humans. By exploring intersections with implementation, data topologies, infrastructure, engineering practices, team dynamics, and even generative AI, participants will master the art of defining and governing architectural elements through tests and automated verification. Packed with coding exercises, this workshop empowers architects and developers to create resilient, adaptable systems while ensuring continuous alignment with technical and business environments. Ideal for architects, aspiring architects, and developers working in complex systems, this course is your next step in mastering architecture governance.

Schedule

Introduction

• Why doesn’t architecture always work?
• Introducing Architectural Nexûs
• Defining Fitness Functions
• Architecture as code
• Fitness Function Driven Architecture
• Collaboration and communication techniques
• Architecture Description Language (ADL)
• Kata Descriptions

Intersection of Architecture and Implementation

• Operational Alignment
• Structural Alignment
• Constraints Alignment
• Fitness Function Examples
• Hands-on Exercises

Intersection of Architecture and Data Topologies

• Data Topologies and Architecture Intersections
• Data Types and Architecture Intersections
• Fitness Function Examples
• Hands-on Exercises

Intersection of Architecture and Infrastructure

• Operational Characteristics Alignment
• Aspect-Oriented Architecture
• Governance Mesh
• Self-Healing Systems
• Fitness Function Examples
• Hands-on Exercises

Intersection of Architecture and Engineering Practices

• Monolithic Repo Governance
• Software Development Practices
• Deployment Practices
• Fitness Function Examples
• Hands-on Exercises

Intersection of Architecture and Team Topologies

• Technical vs. Domain Partitioned Teams
• Team Topology Types
• Stream-aligned teams
• Enabling teams
• Complex subsystem teams
• Platform teams
• Team Isomorphism and Architectural Styles
• Fitness Function Examples
• Hands-on Exercises

Intersection of Architecture and Integration Environment

• Fallacy #11 of Distributed Computing
• Observability Techniques and Metrics
• CRDT Data Types
• Observability techniques / metrics
• Contract Management
• Static Coupling
• Fitness Function Examples
• Hands-on Exercises

Intersection of Architecture and The Enterprise

• Issues and Challenges with the Enterprise
• Software Bill of Materials
• Standards
• Governance
• Practices
• Fitness Function Examples
• Hands-on Exercises

Intersection of Architecture and The Business Environment

• Describing the Business Environment
• Aligning The Architecture and Business
• Domain to Architecture Isomorphism
• Iterative Architecture
• Residuality Theory
• Fitness Function Examples
• Hands-on Exercises

Intersection of Architecture and Generative AI

• AI Ecosystem Matrix
• Generative AI Assistance for Architecture
• Supporting Ecosystem Tools and Products
• Productionising AI
• Fitness Function Examples
• Hands-on Exercises

Prerequisites

To participate in the workshop, you should have knowledge of modern software architecture styles such as microservices and engineering practices.

What participants say

"This workshop consisted of a good selection of topics and an interesting new way of looking at architecture. In the long term, this workshop will help me think differently how to define and maintain an architecture."

• Workshop Participant - 2025

"I've visited a number of sessions and talks of Neil and Mark in the past few years. This workshop tied a lot of the things I saw together. In the longterm, this workshop will help me to make better choices involving architecture. As soon as I'm back to work, I will also write a couple of fitness functions."

• Workshop Participant - 2025

"I liked learning about new concepts and listening to Neil's takes on architecture and it's history, which has gotten us to this point. I now have a new tool and a new few ideas that I will take back to my company and look to implement during the coming year."

• Workshop Participant - 2025

Prerequisites

• Knowledge of modern software architecture styles such as microservices and engineering practices.
• No laptop is required, but access to a browser on some device is necessary as the exercises are online.