Beyond Software Architecture

Some of you may be aware I’m currently in an Executive Master of Business Administration program right now. It is pretty exciting and I’m learning a ton. I’m currently in our marketing seminar. While I’m nearly complete with the class, I picked up a book I read a few years back. Beyond Software Architecture: Creating and Sustaining Winning Solutions by Luke Hohmann.

I liked the book very much because it really gets you to think of the customer of your software solution (as us IT folks have a tough time doing sometimes). As software or solution architects we need to make sure that we have a good solution for our customers on day 1 and on day 400. The book didn’t discuss in detail how to lead development teams as it is written from a product managers view of software. Product Managers should be considered marketeers in software product companies. The book describes brand, usability, software GA & Beta release cycles, technical ease concerns (like installation and patch management) but after reading the book felt I need more and something maybe be missing.

Well I what was missing in my MBA marketing seminar. I wouldn’t recommend this book outside of a graduate level program but we are walking through Marketing Management: United States edition by Philip Kotler and Kevin Lane Keller, take a look here. I’m sure there are other books that get to the point quicker. I found that this book in combination of the Hohmann book has really given me some good insight to Creating and Sustaining Winning Solutions. I knew many of the components prior to reading either book or being in the class but its been really nice to see how it all fits together.

Currently, in software companies, all the rage is a new marketing book title Blue Ocean Strategy. I haven’t read it yet as the MBA keeps me reading a lot but it’s on my book shelf for when I get a break.