/categories/blog/ Recent content in Blog on Tracy Bannon Hugo -- gohugo.io en-us Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2024/2024-02-24-xops_x/ Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2024/2024-02-24-xops_x/ xOPS: Transdiciplinary approach to incorporating AI into the Software For today, I’m going to define 𝘅𝗢𝗽𝘀 as 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗢𝗽𝘀 + 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗢𝗽𝘀 + 𝗠𝗟𝗢𝗽𝘀. Why though? Because the integration of AI capabilities into our software requires more than traditional DevSecOps. I’ve spent decades architecting software solutions for complex challenges, I’ve learned that pragmatism, integration, and flexibility are paramount. 𝘅𝗢𝗽𝘀 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆; it’s a transdisciplinary mindset that integrates the 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 of DevSecOps, DataOps, and MLOps. /post/2024/2024-02-04-adrs/ Sun, 04 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2024/2024-02-04-adrs/ 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗸𝗲, 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗜𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻!!! I shared the idea of decision records with a mid-career techie and he was blown away by the value and simplicity. Using Architectural Decision Records (ADRs) to jot down choices just make sense. It doesn’t need to be a full white paper… just a few lines as an .MD file. WHY? So your decisions are defensible and to give anyone in the future a frame of reference. /post/2024/2024-01-07-my_ai_predictions/ Sun, 07 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2024/2024-01-07-my_ai_predictions/ 𝗠𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝗔𝗜 & 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀?!?! Hello friends, it’s been a long time…’23 was quite a rollercoaster for me personally and professionally. I am so thankful for the support of my network, my family, and my friends. I am ready for ‘24! The question is, are you tired of hearing about AI yet? I’m personally tired of the deluge of generated blog posts with all the embedded unicode emojis. That said, 2024 will be more exciting, innovative, and possibly dangerous than 2023. /post/2023/2023-09-14-gracehopper_whydidntiknow/ Sun, 24 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2023/2023-09-14-gracehopper_whydidntiknow/ Discovering Grace Hopper: An Overdue Epiphany in a Multi-Decade Tech We all know who 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗿 is now…and I’m really struggling to figure out why I didn’t know who she was until a few years ago. Consider that I’ve got a few decades under my belt as a software architect and have been part of our evolving technical domain. From the foundational layers of software development to the awesome challenges of complex architectures I’ve found myself immersed in so much cool tech and its adoption. /post/2023/2023-07-30-whyreferencearchitectures/ Sun, 30 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2023/2023-07-30-whyreferencearchitectures/ 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱! It’s missing the list of technology to use and how to knit them together. I heard this recently and became very aware that I needed to do a bit more mentoring on software architecture and in particular, reference architectures. Here’s the 411: A software reference architecture is a common abstraction or standardization of design that can be reused. Abstraction is the key and it serves as a guide for designing and building software systems in a particular domain. /post/2023/2023-07-23-lcncneedslovetoo/ Sun, 23 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2023/2023-07-23-lcncneedslovetoo/ 𝗟𝗼𝘄 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲/𝗡𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺? 𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗺 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲! LC/NC platforms have a place in the enterprise but what is their real value? The platforms differ by audience and degree of extensibility. There are architectural tradeoffs to consider as well as a set of gotchas. 𝗡𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 are intended for non-technical users who want to deliver value with the greatest amount of simplicity and ease of use They have limited customization options, but they empower non-technical staff to contribute to development and reduce reliance on specialized developers. /post/2023/2023-07-09-nobuds/ Sun, 09 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2023/2023-07-09-nobuds/ 𝗡𝗼 𝗕𝗨𝗗𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱! BUD means Big Upfront Design where every architectural aspect is planned in detail before the first line of code is written. Folks working in tech for more than 15 years are nodding in agreement. Early on I was taught that my role was create the blueprint, build reference samples, then guide teams to “𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲, 𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱”. We made sure we could “transition” the finished project to the O&M team. /post/2023/2023-07-02-kazmanhumerto_book/ Sun, 02 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2023/2023-07-02-kazmanhumerto_book/ 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗥𝗢𝗖𝗞𝗦! Those who know me, know that this is squarely where my heart rests. 𝗪𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 and we need organizations to understand the importance of architecture! IBM Fellow Grady Booch said “All architecture is design, but not all design is architecture. Architecture represents the set of significant design decisions that shape the form and the function of a system, where significant is measured by cost of change. /post/2023/2023-06-25-atam/ Sun, 25 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2023/2023-06-25-atam/ 𝗜’𝗺 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱! Ok, maybe not a song… actually a set of software architecture concepts and principles that drive architectural design decisions. The process and decisions are almost 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 binary. There is a logical an repeatable way to rationalize decisions: 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘀. Here is condensed version (I lean heavily on my SEI training and experience.) Here is condensed version. I lean heavily on my SEI training and experience. /post/2023/2023-06-18-qualityattributes/ Sun, 18 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2023/2023-06-18-qualityattributes/ Do you know what 𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 are and more importantly, why they matter? Our online community may benefit from talking about 2 topics: Software quality attributes (SQAs) and architecture trade-off analysis. Since trade-offs depend on attributes let’s dig in here first!. SQAs are overall characteristics of a software solution /ecosystem. These aspects define how software performs, not what it does. They play a crucial role in shaping the software’s behavior and functionality in the context of its interaction with users, other systems, and the environment. /post/2023/2023-06-13-trustequation/ Tue, 13 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2023/2023-06-13-trustequation/ It’s odd and simultaneously cool to go back and reference your own book. As a software architect and engineer, being part of a compendium like 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 gave me the opportunity to insert DevSecOps principles and align modern software practices. Perhaps more importantly, was being able to overlay with the most important aspect: the humans and how to build trust. Trust is not something you just ask for or earn. Rather you need to exude trustworthiness and others examine that and decide for themselves if they can or will extend trust. /post/2023/2023-06-11-platformengineeringnextdevops/ Sun, 11 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2023/2023-06-11-platformengineeringnextdevops/ Is “𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗢𝗽𝘀”? Not exactly, no. It is another evolutionary technique to drive quality, security, and time to delivery all while improving developer efficiency. I’ve been noodling on how darned similar the intent of Platform Engineering compared to Framework Architecture from 15 + years ago. Quite a bit of my recent work is on defining reference architecture (RA)for digital platforms and am seeing some comparisons folks will appreciate. /post/2023/2023-04-10-tradeoffs-1/ Mon, 10 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2023/2023-04-10-tradeoffs-1/ #𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘀 is a crucial step in designing robust systems. It’s all about balancing conflicting requirements & goals. Below is a minified approach. 1️⃣ Identify key qualities: Performance, scalability, security, maintainability, usability, etc. 2️⃣ Prioritize: Rank these qualities based on project & business needs. Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution! 3️⃣ Evaluate design options: Explore architectural patterns & styles that address your priorities. 4️⃣ Analyze tradeoffs: Understand the pros & cons of each option, and how it impacts other aspects of your system. /post/2023/2023-04-09-growingthenextgeneration/ Sun, 09 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2023/2023-04-09-growingthenextgeneration/ I’m passionate that we grow the next generation of software architects. Brian Chambers and I have been discussing types of skills needed and came across a blog by Matt Shealy. Software architecture a high-demand role that blends engineering and business leadership. 🚀 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 Diagramming complex architectures (e.g., C4 Modeling, UML, SysML) Deep knowledge of programming languages (Java, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, Rust, Go, C, COBOL) Agile and collaborative software development practices, including DevOps expertise 🚀 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 /post/2022/2022-11-13-doesopsstillexist/ Sun, 13 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2022/2022-11-13-doesopsstillexist/ ??? Does Ops still exist ??? This is an honest question. I’ve spent my career knee-deep in software architecture, design, engineering, and delivery. Never once in my adoption of DevOps principles and practices did I think that Ops had gone away OR that Ops had suddenly started to build software products. Y’all probably know my story by now that I am truly Dev married to Ops. My hubby and I started our “Dev + Ops” journey over two decades ago when we both worked for AccuWeather in good ol’ State College PA. /post/2022/2022-11-06-nohobbyists/ Sun, 06 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2022/2022-11-06-nohobbyists/ When it comes to cybersecurity , we have a talent and knowledge deficit right now. The truth is that organizations have not budgeted or planned for the consistent upskilling need. The pace of technical innovation is ever increasing as is the need to constantly upskill. Often, the most successful and sought after talent spend many many hours on their own to keep pace. Being honest, I have to admit I really love tech! /post/2022/2022-09-02-timetosimplify/ Fri, 02 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2022/2022-09-02-timetosimplify/ “This is the beginning and the best is yet to come! ” Time to simplify! Time to drink my own champagne. I don’t need someone hosting my website or managing my content. I am committed to providing by guidance as code and using Git to managed my espressions with y’all. Photo by averie woodard /post/2022/2022-03-30-cyberops-needs-love-too/ Wed, 30 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2022/2022-03-30-cyberops-needs-love-too/ Cyber Ops needs love too! We spend much time focused on DEV and often ignoring OPS. I am guilty of this too. I work with the MITRE now; I never realized their emphasis on world class cybersecurity. We work on behalf of the public good. Here are some important Cyber Ops resources: ++ 11 Strategies for CyberSecurity Ops Center - Free download of the 400+ page book OR 20 page summary. /post/2022/2022-03-29-all-that-matters-is-working-code/ Tue, 29 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2022/2022-03-29-all-that-matters-is-working-code/ The only thing that matters is working code in production! This was a shocking statement by friend and colleague, David Sisk. We worked side by side focused on application architecture and software engineering at Deloitte. David, managed to anger an entire set of senior leaders plus a highly visible methods and tools organization by saying the most important outcome is not documents and decks. Ultimately all that matters is working software. /post/2022/2022-03-devops-misinformation/ Mon, 28 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2022/2022-03-devops-misinformation/ DevSecOps Misformation is real. Ok, ok, maybe we should say misconceptions? Joan Goodchild wrote a brief blog myth-busting her top 5 DevSecOps fallacies. 1 - DevSecOps Results in Loss of Control - To debunk this myth, leaders need to educate teams on how it works, the value, and share real world experience stories. 2 - You can buy and deploy DevSecOps - I love vendors and marketing folks but… debunking this is another exercise in education and sharing. /post/2022/2022-03-22-cognitiveload/ Tue, 22 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2022/2022-03-22-cognitiveload/ “Forget monoliths vs. microservices. Cognitive load is what matters.” - Skelton & Pais. I’ve argued for nearly 10 years that Microservice patterns can be overwhelming and when coupled with the explosion in open source, can lead to dramatic cognitive overload. Cognitive load/overload has a very measurable impact on software developers and delivery teams. In researching ways to detect and address this challenge, I came across a very common sense, and thought provoking article. /post/2022/2022-01-13-burlap-or-tapestry/ Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2022/2022-01-13-burlap-or-tapestry/ My personal journey has taught me the absolute value in diversity; our many varied paths provide a broad set of experiences transforming the fabric of our creative problem solving from burlap to a rich tapestry. With my mental map in mind, how do you think I responded to this question posed to me a few days ago: “I see your undergraduate degree is a BA, why would I listen to you about anything related to software? /post/2022/perserverence-the-irs-and-partnering/ Wed, 29 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2022/perserverence-the-irs-and-partnering/ #StraightTalk4Gov and sharing of experience stories is a passion for me. I’ve been thinking about the importance of learn fast/fail fast whether yesterday or earlier. We have a responsibility to share the stories that highlight culture building, organizational change, policy bending, and perseverance A few years ago I had the opportunity to collaborate with Aaron Francensconi, Amin Qazi, Rupesh Kumar and others at the IRS on adopting agile principles and growing a DevOps practice. /post/2021/fauxscriptkliddie/ Thu, 03 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2021/fauxscriptkliddie/ A few weeks ago I dusted off my dog-eared copy of ”The Web Application Hacker’s Handbook” by Studdard and Pinto (Yes,I still prefer printed books though I now spring for a second e-version for when I’m traveling.). I’ve installed the most recent version of Burp Suite community edition and OWASP’s ZAP and decided to freshen up my ethical hacking/cyber-student skills. Of course, I am not probing public sites, but rather, using the ethical learning sites: /post/2021/distributedeverything/ Sun, 09 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2021/distributedeverything/ A recent post by George Lawton on venturebeat.com highlighted insights by Gartner’s analysts on pressing trends for operationalizing business value (aka value stream/ mission delivery). The key take away is the need to address composability and “distributed everything.” I’ll add a personal “+1” to that assertion given my observations with my clients and federal sponsors. Growth in composable infrastructure is powered by cloud capabilities. Growth in composability of data and analytics is fueled by a few drivers: the need to harness and make use of the data available th enteprise already has, the need to deal with growing volumes of new data available to the enterprise, and the incorporation of multiple analytics techniques into all facets of software intensive systems. /post/2021/graceandfairegardens/ Fri, 02 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2021/graceandfairegardens/ As I was thinking through messages to share with my amazing workmates and teams and fighting with the spell checker over how to even spell fairy/faery/fairey, I realized that all of my network, friends and family may find some joy in this post. As I head into the Easter weekend, starting with today, Good Friday, I find myself talking pause to reflect on more than our current world situation, but also on the past 18 months of dramatic change. /post/2020/2020-09-28-a-year-of-change/ Mon, 28 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000 /post/2020/2020-09-28-a-year-of-change/ Tech Reflections When I started receiving congratulations messages on my work anniversary, it struck me just how fast the last 525,600 minutes have passed. So much has changed, and yet much remains the same. What has changed? After nearly 13 years, I left Deloitte Consulting, LLP to join the MITRE Corporation; I had honestly never thought that I would leave Deloitte. While I miss my friends and colleagues @ Uncle D’s, I’ve gained anew with MITRE.