This episode covers the vendor lock-in anti-pattern.  It is another one that we have seen before.  However, it is slightly different when you apply it to software architecture.  This situation is fascinating as we can fall into it thinking we are making the best decisions.  However, comfort and ease are not always the best way to assess our solution.   Vendor Lock-in Defined This anti-pattern occurs when we craft an architecture that hinges on a vendor or third-party product.  Sometimes the vendor is an open-source tool or approach.  While that is far better and can save us from being locked into their solution, it is still important to recognize.  We will be better off when we are free to craft... Read more

This next anti-pattern is “reinvent the wheel.”  It is not a rare issue in solving problems.  However, it is still worth exploring.  Knowledge is not enough to avoid it.  Otherwise, it would be less common.  Likewise, the speed of progress in technical solutions makes it a challenge to keep current and avoid this anti-pattern.   Reinvent The Wheel Defined We see this in many ways.  However, it always boils down to looking at a problem as a novel challenge, rather than something already solved.  The anti-pattern can appear from ignorance through to a false sense of accomplishment by solving any problem.  These lead us to be busy solving problems we could move past rather than productive.  It is the height... Read more

One of the funny things about anti-patterns is that they are obvious in the name alone.  We might not know what it is but everyone avoids a jumble.  There is no technical knowledge required to judge this is not a good idea for a solution architecture.  In this episode, we review the jumble anti-pattern, what it looks like, and how to avoid it. The Jumble Defined The key to the jumble anti-pattern is horizontal and vertical elements of the design.  We want to keep those separate much like in Ghostbusters, do not cross the streams.  There should be a clear usage for a component either in the horizontal or vertical sense.  That allows us to use them properly and within... Read more

Overkill is a theme among many anti-patterns.  The cover your assets approach is one of those types where it just goes too far.  There is nothing wrong with providing a solid paper trail and communication.  However, we can make documentation the point and miss the true goal of a project. Cover Your Assets Defined This anti-pattern is the same as documentation for documentation’s sake.  We get lost in administrative red tape, but do not make it to analysis paralysis.  The whole project becomes thinking about the architecture and documenting it.  However, decisions do not get made.  Instead, there is a lot of discussion and options provided.  That all adds up to loose ends and is a waste of time for... Read more