Is it possible to create systems that are simple to modify going forward?
Building for change involves compartmentalizing system components so they can be set up or modified independently, whether the system is cloud-based or not. A crude illustration would be how we can mix and match system components in cars to replace or upgrade them without having to redesign the complete vehicle. Other methods concentrate and reuse certain application activity and data by using services and microservices. By replacing a tax computation, altering the database model, or even upgrading the enabling technology of a component, such as switching to containers and container orchestration, modifying a given service in a single place would alter the behavior of all systems that use that service.
As a result, we may simply modify a system to meet a business requirement without adding unnecessary delay, expense, or risk. The issue with this strategy isn’t that it’s intricate and hard to implement. It appears that many of those tasked with designing and constructing these brand-new cloud-based systems are not giving easy system changeability top priority in their overall architecture. Good system design approaches are frequently ignored when resources are limited, time is limited, or other challenges arise. While it’s simple to argue that investing time and money into creating a flexible system would pay for itself a hundredfold, winning the argument is still challenging when more urgent concerns divert attention from best practices. A top practice is unquestionably the capacity to create dynamic systems that can adapt to any business requirements.
How can we resolve this issue? Especially when it involves finding the right balance of technology, individuals, and work cultures. A good starting point is to set expectations about how systems should be developed. Additionally, you must implement regulations and testing to guarantee that designers and developers are creating flexible cloud-based solutions. This is quite similar to the security and performance tests that are now part of our DevOps toolchains. Check for design patterns that facilitate simple modification and provide the opportunity to more effectively enhance the cloud-based systems that are being developed and deployed at the same time. With the first generation of cloud systems, problems don’t surface. When they must be altered due to a business requirement, the system’s architecture frequently necessitates a total reconstruction, which delays the required change. You are taking away commercial value from that cloud-based solution if this happens even once.
