The Software Architect Elevator: Redefining the Architect's Role in the Digit...

This is a very thoughtful and enjoyable book. I read it like a devotional, one chapter per day. The chapters and very short and standalone, a bit like informal essays or well-crafted blog posts. Many have important insights that are worth letting sink in, at least for consideration if not for incorporation. The insights aren't provocative but often non-trivial and clearly won by hard experience. Gregor has a background that is hard to match: author of the most influential book ever on async messaging patterns, Director at Google, advisor to enterprises and is now with AWS. He has "big tech" experience but also understands that the challenges both technical and cultural at traditional enterprises are quite complex -- and he advocates for patterns that can help you to take them on. I like the fact that he calls out patterns from big tech companies that can be applied at enterprises but cautions against air-lifting them all unless you have the same context. One of my favorite essays was the one on Starbucks and two-phase commits. Simple but brilliant. Great book. Keep it coming.

Excellent book, must read for all software architects who want to make or improve their impact !!!?

Traditionally, companies live and die by a fixed hierarchical approach where power and influence are garnered by climbing to the top of the ladder. However, recent decades have witnessed the rise of digital companies promising an economic disruption. Stereotypically, a smart young kid writes some code to change the way business is done and become rich in the process. We, in the public, then use their software for decades to come. Many companies still have not adapted to the new dynamic, so in this book, Gregor Hohpe tries to shine a path for software architects in these companies to take responsibility for adapting their businesses to digital realities. This book’s central thesis tries to redefine the software architect’s role. Traditionally, their prestigious position was to define how software is designed for the entire company or division. Instead, Hohpe proposes that they need to be more agile and focus on integrating new digital products into a company’s culture. With prior work experience at Google, his vision corresponds to that of so-called Big Tech. Personally, I work in software efforts at a major academic medical center that has sought to be at the forefront of the digital transformation. Seeking to be the disrupters, we are well-acquainted with the newer digital culture. Further, our non-profit organization is not driven solely by the bottom line and shareholders. Since my organizational culture has already progressed significantly towards an agile digital approach, I don’t reside in this book’s target audience. Hohpe’s work after Google seems to have focused on transforming organizations to be more like Google. My organization already looks a lot like Google in its approach to research. Reading this book certainly conveyed peaks of deep insight to me. For instance, the section on organizations helped me think through ways to implement my software’s disruptive change. The rest of its contents are solid and reliable. Most of this book, however, contains insights already shared in existing literature with little new content to provoke pondering thoughts. That shortcoming prevents it from going from good to great. Its title addresses ambitious developers looking to advance their career, but is a lot more about the digital enterprise as a whole. Perhaps taking responsibility for that organization is the step more developers need to take.

This is a great book about EA! Well thought out, with instructive stories from a successful leader in the EA space. While much information in the book could be found with a search engine and enough time, the value of this book comes from its collection of insights into points of view and understanding tradeoffs that are critical for EA's contribution to successful digital transformation. The book is very useful to a technician or technically focused architect who is transitioning to EA, or an experienced architect dealing with changes brought on by digital transformation.

IT industry is full of books about patters, technics, technologies and processes. There are also separate books on communication, leadership, coaching and so on. While these are all very valuable and help you build your skills, you need an experience to make it stick together and be useful. Gregor Hope shared a lot of his personal experience in a well structured and easy to consume manner. It's just great.

Not only “The Architect Elevator” is skilfully written, it also packs a life time experience dealing with abstract and complex problems: Organisational Behaviour , Technical Disruption, Bleeding Edge Technologies, Resistance to Change, Human Psychology... It is like you mix Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow, with some Harvard Business books and the latest by O’Reilly in Devops...all woven together by a seamless , coherent and fun narrative. If you are serious about your IT Architect career, and have already hit a glass ceiling after mastering your technical stuff, this is the book that will push you forward...and above!

Highly recommend for anyone in the tech field that is looking into management/architecture. Easy to read and understand, this book doesn't deep dive into code but rather focuses on important higher level topics.

I loved every single part of this book, not only Gregor has so many insights and guidance for us architects that are part of big enterprises making the change to Digital Companies, but he is able to make it entertaining! Strongly recommended, a book that will be key in this turning point in the world of big companies.