Technical Leadership for Architectural Decision Making

Are you tired of endless architectural debates that create friction instead of progress? Do you struggle to get your team on board with a new design, only to face pushback when it’s time to build? These challenges can stall even the best teams. This talk is about a different approach: moving from someone making architectural decisions for teams to making them with teams. Whether you’re a seasoned tech lead or a developer just starting, everyone can be a technical leader. This shift can unlock a new level of collaboration. By focusing on facilitation, we can get past technical arguments and create a process where every voice is heard, hidden assumptions are revealed, and collective knowledge is used to make more sustainable architectural choices.

I will share the definition of architectural decisions from my co-authored book Collaborative Software Design and discuss how social dynamics impact them. Next, I will share my experience of integrating Collaborative Software Design with the architectural advice process, as outlined in Andrew Harmel-law’s book, Facilitating Software Design. The combination of the two enables an environment where concerns are voiced constructively and turned into valuable input for the decision. Combining the two doesn’t just lead to better technical outcomes—it also creates a stronger sense of shared ownership and commitment. Instead of fighting resistance, you’ll be facilitating true team ownership of your architecture.