W20 - The Positive Logical Closed Loop of Selection

Lately I've been working on architecture governance for a merchant platform and gained a valuable perspective: building solutions from the bottom up. Compared with last year, after abstracting a problem I now look for cross-cutting solutions on a broader scale. Yet when designing solutions I sometimes fall into the trap of applying a particular pattern by rote. My thinking often goes, "Because there exists this reference solution, I must do X." That approach lacks focus on the specific problem at hand and leads to choices that don't withstand logical scrutiny. A better mindset is, "Because we need to solve a particular problem, we must adopt a certain solution." Deconstructing and analyzing the existing project and engineering constraints is the key. Cross-cutting patterns offer ideas and inspiration, but ultimately solving the problem depends on your ability to gather large amounts of information and assemble an appropriate solution.