Architecture on Your Campus

Session Details, Presentations and Notes

Duke University - Kevin Miller &Mark McCahill

From Jim Phelps' blog...
Duke University

http://oit.duke.edu/tag/

Tech Architecture group at Duke is charged:
to track emerging technology and raise issues for the CIO's consideration
review major decisions
integrate into the project management lifecyle
pay attention and champion certain solutions
Developed small set of principles - few enough that they could remember them around four areas:
Data
Infrastructure
Services
Support
Each of these areas are highlighted in each principle's page (http://oit.duke.edu/tag/principles/p-robust-systems.html)

The principles:
Robust Secure Systems
Link don't copy
Design for scalability
Design for information lifecycles (not only the data but the overall system)
Adapt to realities of people and technology (has to work in real life)
There is tension between all of the principles. You are picking a failure mode when/if you don't meet a principles.

TAG drafted the principles. Focus groups used to refine the principles. The "adapt to the realities" principle came from the focus groups. Did an OIT-wide staff survey. Then followed a communications plan to evangelize the principles. They showed practical application via case studies - looked at situations that went badly or tough decisions that had to be made. The case studies are very valuable for communications and for the change management. They chose failures that where inside the group so that they would be criticizing themselves.

They also use Issue Reviews when there is a failure (http://oit.duke.edu/tag/issues/index.html). Each write-up has a list of recommendations with the principle highlighted.

The idea is build a volume of case-law and to evaluate the principles. "You're making stories... the legend that becomes part of the culture".