In this episode, Kenny and Andrea discuss how to move from a blocking, "ivory tower" or hands-on architect role to a more facilitating one. They explore the importance of transparency as a first step in improving an organisation's approach to software architecture and design. The goal is to shift decision-making to the people who have the most information—the ones actually writing the software.

• Transparency is Key: It’s a great way to start improving things in any organisation. Documenting the decision-making process helps everyone understand why confident choices were made.
• The Problem with After-the-Fact Decisions: Writing down decisions only after they've been made is like writing unit tests after the code is finished. It’s more effective to document the process as it happens.
• Start Small with ADRs: Begin by writing Architectural Decision Records (ADRs) as a team or even with just one other person. You can start with a simple question like, "Should we use ADRs?".

Benefits of ADRs:

• Shared Mental Model: ADRs provide a clear, shared understanding of what was said and decided, reducing confusion and "hallway conversations".
• More Focused Meetings: Reviewing ADRs ensures everyone is on the same page, leading to more productive and less repetitive meetings.
• Explicit Decisions: ADRs make it clear who is responsible for a decision and its potential side effects.

Find a partner and begin writing ADRs for tough decisions in your project. Do it out in the open so others can see the benefits of the practice. This small, disciplined start can encourage others to follow suit, leading to broader adoption across the organisation.

In this episode, Kenny and Andrea dive deep into some really interesting problems we're seeing in software architecture & design right now. You know, how some people are still working in those "ivory towers," or even the "hands-on" folks are running into issues? We're trying to figure out some different ways to build better systems.