Lock’EmUpTogether

Gather everyone together to work out the architecture. Put them all in the same room

Definition

A team of different people must come up with a single, coherent architecture. Gather everyone together to work out the architecture. Put them all in the same room. This can apply to other areas where a coherent vision is required from a team.

Source

Lock Em Up Together

Discussion

A product needs a single architecture that is self-contained and consistent. When it is not possible to have a single person responsible for the whole architecture, we want to avoid the ‘Design by Committee’ effect. Put together a suitable ArchitectureTeam, then put them in the same room until the architecture is agreed. This pattern can be applied to areas other than architecture, where a coherent vision is required from a team. The team may be housed in a ‘War Room’ for the duration, until consensus is achieved. There are variants on this pattern whereby a similar effect is achieved over longer periods and across roles, see OpenWorkspace.