Engineering the Future of Software
Feb 25–26, 2018: Training
Feb 26–28, 2018: Tutorials & Conference
New York, NY

Schedule: Leadership skills sessions

The importance of good leadership and management skills can not be overestimated in businesses, both big and small. Incorporating these skills into an already technically diversified skill set creates the powerful professionals we need as senior developers and software architects. Leaders who understand technology and leadership have a strategic advantage in an ever-crowded marketplace. How do you infuse and transform your organization with an entrepreneurial spirit? How do you create a team of professionals that grow with the company? How do you communicate and execute your vision in tandem with key stakeholders?

9:00am–12:30pm Monday, February 26, 2018
Improving the quality of multiple applications in an application portfolio
Location: Mercury Ballroom
Secondary topics:  Best Practice, Hands-on
Jochem Schulenklopper (Xebia), Gero Vermaas (Xebia)
Average rating: ***..
(3.50, 8 ratings)
Jochem Schulenklopper and Gero Vermaas offer an overview of TIME, a well-known model for application portfolio management by Gartner, and cover some improvements to the model, including a process for determining business value of applications, a innovative method of measuring IT quality (from an architect's perspective), and tactics for improving the applications in an organization's IT landscape. Read more.
9:00am–12:30pm Monday, February 26, 2018
How to address security as collective systems
Location: Beekman Parlor
Secondary topics:  Hands-on
James Stewart (Jystewart.net)
Average rating: ****.
(4.00, 5 ratings)
Architects are often the ones making the decisions about how to build in the right security for systems while making systems usable and delivering them on time. James Stewart shares techniques for considering security of whole systems and explores ways of bringing together cross-disciplinary teams to collectively own secure designs. Read more.
1:30pm–5:00pm Monday, February 26, 2018
Shaping and communicating architectural decisions
Location: Sutton North
Secondary topics:  Hands-on
Seth Dobbs (Bounteous)
Average rating: ****.
(4.60, 20 ratings)
Communication is a critical skill for architects and tech leads, but it involves much more than simply documenting and diagramming. Seth Dobbs explores the illusion of communication and shares a process for effectively communicating your solutions to different stakeholders. Read more.
10:45am–12:15pm Tuesday, February 27, 2018
The architect as strategist
Location: Sutton North
Secondary topics:  Best Practice, Framework-focused
Eben Hewitt (Sabre)
Average rating: ****.
(4.54, 28 ratings)
Eben Hewitt explains what the world’s top strategy firms can teach us about the intersection of strategic thinking and architecture and outlines a framework, process, and set of tools that will help you create a powerful technology strategy for your organization. Read more.
1:15pm–2:05pm Tuesday, February 27, 2018
An architect’s survival guide to healthcare
Location: Sutton North
Secondary topics:  Overview
Sonya Natanzon (Guardant Health)
Average rating: ***..
(3.80, 5 ratings)
Healthcare is a broad and complex field that can overwhelm the most seasoned architect. Sonya Natanzon identifies the guideposts that help you navigate the complexity and focus on the most important aspects of healthcare solutions. Read more.
3:50pm–4:40pm Tuesday, February 27, 2018
How to improve your architectural visualizations
Location: Regent
Secondary topics:  Best Practice, Overview
Jochem Schulenklopper (Xebia)
Average rating: ****.
(4.50, 12 ratings)
Communicating (about) architecture to non-IT and business stakeholders is a valuable skill. After all, many architectural decisions are made by others, so they need to be informed with clear, honest, intelligible, and helpful information and advice. Jochem Schulenklopper dives into theory and shares practical tips on eight different facets of visually communicating your architecture. Read more.
10:45am–12:15pm Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Math and measurement in the management of architecture
Location: Mercury Ballroom
Secondary topics:  Best Practice
Michelle Brush (Cerner Corporation)
Average rating: ****.
(4.73, 11 ratings)
Our architectural decisions are both guided and judged by the things we choose to value and measure in our systems. Michelle Brush explains how to assess what aspects of the system different organizations should value and therefore constantly measure and shares approaches for measuring for accountability and improvement of those values in an architecture. Read more.
10:45am–12:15pm Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Agile Product Roadmaps for Software Architecture
Location: Beekman Parlor
Secondary topics:  Best Practice, Case Study
James Siddle (Skyhook Consulting Ltd)
Average rating: *****
(5.00, 2 ratings)
Software architecture can be beautiful, but business and engineering reality is often inconvenient and messy. James Siddle explains how living product roadmaps help you deal with reality without compromising your architecture vision. You’ll learn Agile roadmapping techniques and how to engage with stakeholders to move toward your architecture goals while avoiding wasteful endeavors. Read more.
1:15pm–2:05pm Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Building a technical coaching program
Location: Sutton North
Secondary topics:  Best Practice, Overview
James Thompson (Mavenlink)
Average rating: ***..
(3.80, 10 ratings)
Traditional management approaches tend to focus on narrow measures of performance. Within engineering organizations, this can lead to incentives around the wrong practices and priorities. Coaching models refocus the management of engineers around professional growth in a way that can create a virtuous cycle. James Thompson explains how to build a technical coaching program in your organization. Read more.
4:50pm–5:40pm Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Enterprise architecting for digital disruption
Location: Sutton North
Secondary topics:  Best Practice, Overview
Joel Crabb (Target)
The catchphrase of the year is digital disruption. It's finally clear that digital complacency is a path to nonexistence even in industries that haven’t yet felt the direct impact of the digital era. Joel Crabb explains why retail has been completely disrupted and, in the process, is reinventing enterprise architecture for digital relevancy. Read more.