Nathaniel Schutta

Communication for Architects

At the end of the day, an architect's primary job is to communicate. Not only do we need to make sure our teams understand the design of the system well enough to implement it, we must be able to explain our decisions to an audience that isn't impressed with how many TLAs you can rattle off in one sentence. Successful architects need to seamlessly transition from in depth technical conversations to budget meetings to discussions with end users adjusting the message to fit the audience.

Reviewing Architectures

Good architects are, almost by definition, good story tellers. And while good communication skills are vital to success as an architect, so too is an ability to constructively critique an architecture. In this talk, we'll explore why reviews are important and what it takes to perform them well. Additionally, we'll talk about the importance of planning and preparation in conducting a successful review.

You're an Architect...Now What?

Many software developers point their career towards ascending to the gilded rank of Architect…but what does it mean to actually be one? While many of us labor under false pretense of abject technical decision making, the reality is often very different. You'll code less, spending more time on activities that lack an objective green/red bar. But you'll also an opportunity to impact far more than one project.

In this talk, I'll speak to my own journey. We'll touch on influencing coworkers, the importance of communication and the importance of cup of coffee.

Modeling for Architects

In some organizations, architects are dismissed as people that draw box and arrow diagrams - the dreaded whiteboard architect. While we don't want to foster that stereotype, it is important for an architect to be able to construct basic architectural diagrams. An architect must also be able to separate the wheat from the chaff eliminating those models that don't help tell the story while fully leveraging those that do.

Modeling for Architects

In some organizations, architects are dismissed as people that draw box and arrow diagrams - the dreaded whiteboard architect. While we don't want to foster that stereotype, it is important for an architect to be able to construct basic architectural diagrams. An architect must also be able to separate the wheat from the chaff eliminating those models that don't help tell the story while fully leveraging those that do.

Building An Architecture Community

How is your architecture group perceived in your organization? Be honest now…is it seen as a group of ivory tower dilettantes intent on saying NO while filling a whiteboard with boxes and arrows? Or is it seen as a key component in developing rock solid software? If it's the former, how do you shift things towards the latter? Even if everyone thinks the world of the architecture team, odds are you have more work than you can handle and a bunch of tech leads that may (or may not) be thinking of all the right ilities. How do we reach out to them, mentor them, and bring them in to the fold?

Mind the Gap: Architecting UIs in the Era of Diverse Devices

Architecting and developing user interfaces used to be relatively easy, pick a server side framework, define a standard monitor resolution and spend your days dealing with browser quirks. But today, the landscape presents us with a plethora of screen sizes and resolutions covering everything from a phone to a tablet to a TV. How does a team embrace this brave new world knowing that the future will introduce even more volatility to the client space?

Leading Technical Change

Technology changes, it's a fact of life. And while many developers are attracted to the challenge of change, many organizations do a particularly poor job of adapting. We've all worked on projects with, ahem, less than new technologies even though newer approaches would better serve the business. But how do we convince those holding the purse strings to pony up the cash when things are “working” today? At a personal, how do we keep up with the change in our industry?

Hacking Your Brain for Fun and Profit

The single most important tool in any developers toolbox isn't a fancy IDE or some spiffy new language - it's our brain. Despite ever faster processors with multiple cores and expanding amounts of RAM, we haven't yet created a computer to rival the ultra lightweight one we carry around in our skulls - in this session we'll learn how to make the most of it. We'll talk about why multitasking is a myth, the difference between the left and the right side of your brain, the importance of flow and why exercise is good for more than just your waist line.