Software architecture as a nautical chart 🧭

The goal of software architecture isn’t to specify all the details, but to describe a solution space in which teams are free to move.¹ It is similar to how a nautical chart provides sailors with the information needed to navigate safely toward their destination, showing the safe channel and hazardous areas to avoid.

For architects and developers, nautical charts offer a useful metaphor for designing architecture that guides teams efficiently and reduces costly missteps. A good architecture shows teams where we want to go, the preferred path, and areas that are off-limits. It must balance guidance and freedom: too prescriptive, teams struggle to adapt; too vague, they risk going off course.

Using this metaphor, we can break down the architect’s role into three practical elements.

• Destination: The target and what we aim to achieve.
• Safe channel: The default path unless special circumstances dictate otherwise (e.g., preferred frameworks or patterns).
• Hazard zones: Areas to avoid or approach with caution (e.g., forbidden dependencies, unsafe practices, or regulatory requirements).²

Define these elements and let teams navigate within them. Doing so empowers teams with clarity and autonomy to deliver value safely and effectively.