README.md

Table of Contents

• Start Here
• Projects
• Project Intentions
• Business Considerations for Every Project
• TOGAF Framework (For Reference)
• Cloud/Tech Stack

Start Here

Hi, I’m Jason. I specialize in building a wide variety of projects. Since every solution is unique, each project I work on includes a comprehensive guide on "How to Build" the foundational infrastructure, accompanied by supporting configurations to facilitate scalability and growth. These configurations are developed with careful consideration of key factors, including Security, Scalability, Reliability, Operational Excellence, Performance Efficiency, and Cost Optimization. For those interested in the strategic rationale behind each project, I have provided detailed notes at the end of the page.

Where applicable, each project will also include the following artifacts:

• Intro Video
• Requirements Specification
• Architecture Document Overview
• Design Diagrams
  • High Level
  • Detailed Architecture Diagrams
  • Data Flow
  • Sequence
• Security Architecture Plan
• Operational Excellence Plan
• Performance/Efficiency Plan
• Cost Optimization Plan
• Reliability Plan
• Source Code
• Configuration Files
  • Infrastructure as Code (IAC)
• Testing
• CI/CD Environment
• Monitoring and Logging
• Scripts
• Route Files

Projects

Cloud Architecture

• Secure and Scalable Lottery System for Affordable Housing on AWS: Developed a transparent and secure lottery system for affordable housing using AWS. Features include user authentication via Cognito, API Gateway integration, DynamoDB storage, and blockchain for auditability.
• Scalable Django-Based Movie Recommendation System on AWS: Built a movie recommendation system using Django, AWS RDS, and OpenSearch. The architecture supports scalability, load balancing, and secure data management.
• High-Availability Web Application with AWS CloudFront S3 and RDS MySQL: Implemented a high-availability web app with CloudFront, S3, and RDS MySQL. The setup includes load balancing, CDN integration, and secure data storage.
• Scalable Chatbot Infrastructure on AWS with Auto Scaling and OpenSearch: Provisioned a scalable chatbot infrastructure using AWS Auto Scaling, OpenSearch, and RDS. Ensures high availability and performance for large-scale user interactions.
• CI/CD Pipeline for Unity Game Deployment with AWS Cognito Authentication: Developed a CI/CD pipeline for deploying a Unity game on AWS S3. Integrated AWS Cognito for user authentication and managed automated deployments.
• Serverless Web App-AWS Lambda-API Gateway: Created a serverless web application using AWS Lambda and API Gateway. The architecture is fully scalable, cost-efficient, and eliminates server management overhead.
• CI/CD Pipeline for IaC: Built a CI/CD pipeline for Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using AWS CodePipeline, CloudFormation, and EC2 instances. Automated the deployment and management of AWS resources.
• Three-Tier Secure Web Application Architecture: Designed a secure three-tier web application architecture on AWS. Features include load balancing, RDS MySQL, and multi-layer security configurations.
• AWS Two-Tier Infrastructure with Secure Web and Database Setup: Implemented a two-tier web and database infrastructure on AWS using EC2 and RDS. Focused on security, scalability, and ease of management.
• AWS Scalable Web Infrustructure With Cloud Formation: Developed a scalable web infrastructure using AWS CloudFormation. Automated the deployment of a VPC, load balancers, EC2 instances, and RDS, ensuring high availability and cost-efficiency.

Project Intentions

Projects are essential for gaining practical experience. When I began learning cloud technologies, I understood that it wasn't enough to simply learn how a service functions—I needed to see how it fits into a larger, real-world context. Coming from a business background, I fundamentally recognize that technology serves the business, not the other way around. This principle naturally leads to designing systems with simplicity and efficiency in mind. In an enterprise environment, every configuration change introduces a host of considerations—often a thousand or more—that must be carefully weighed.

The approach I’ve taken with my public projects mirrors how I would approach a real-world scenario: starting with the business requirements. These include understanding how the business operates, identifying its technology needs, managing customer data in compliance with industry standards, ensuring security, planning for scalability to millions of users, and devising a robust disaster recovery strategy. As you can imagine, the list of considerations is extensive.

At a senior level, most architects' detailed system designs are proprietary, with the majority governed by internal agreements. Why mention this? Because building a system from scratch is a highly specialized task, and while many systems share common components, no two are exactly alike—each business has its unique requirements. This is why new hires often spend their initial months familiarizing themselves with the company’s architectural and technical documentation.

I am continuously developing private repositories, and they will be released as they become applicable for real-world use. My aim has always been to craft each project in a business setting, with a focus on meeting the business’s needs first. One challenge, however, lies in documenting these systems in a universally accepted framework—such a standard doesn’t exist. Each company tends to document its systems slightly differently. For consistency, I have adopted the TOGAF framework, which I believe provides both structure and flexibility for various inputs.

For every project I publish, I aim to go beyond the technical deliverables by including an extensive list of critical considerations. These common themes are organized into categories and evaluated based on a range of factors. My goal is for anyone engaging with my projects—whether recreationally or professionally—to understand that these considerations are always top of mind, even if they are not explicitly documented.

If interested, visit my blog with my projects and thought experiments where I share common issues encountered and how I approach them.

Business Considerations For Every Project

Strategic Alignment

Considerations

• Business Goals: How does the architecture align with the overall business strategy and goals?
• Stakeholder Needs: Have all key stakeholders' needs and expectations been identified and addressed?
• Value Proposition: What value does the architecture bring to the organization?
• Future Vision: Does the architecture support the long-term vision and future growth of the business?
• Business Strategy: How does the architecture support the company's competitive strategy?
• Strategic Goals: Are strategic goals broken down into actionable steps within the architecture?
• Market Trends: Does the architecture consider current and future market trends?
• SWOT Analysis: Have you conducted a SWOT analysis to understand strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats?
• Industry Standards: Are industry standards and best practices followed?

Governance and Compliance

Considerations

• Regulatory Compliance: Is the architecture compliant with relevant industry regulations and standards?
• Governance Framework: Is there a governance framework in place to ensure ongoing compliance and alignment?
• Policy Adherence: Are all architectural decisions and implementations adhering to established policies and procedures?
• Audit Trails: Are audit trails implemented to track changes and access?
• Legal Requirements: Does the architecture comply with legal requirements?
• Governance Roles: Are roles and responsibilities for governance clearly defined?
• Policy Updates: Are policies regularly reviewed and updated?
• Ethical Considerations: Are ethical considerations incorporated into the architecture?

Security and Risk Management

Considerations

• Security Requirements: Are all security requirements clearly defined and incorporated into the architecture?
• Threat Mitigation: What measures are in place to mitigate potential security threats?
• Data Protection: How is sensitive data protected throughout its lifecycle?
• Access Control: Are robust access control mechanisms implemented to ensure only authorized access?
• Incident Response: Is there an incident response plan in place for security breaches?
• Risk Assessment: Have all potential risks been assessed and mitigated?
• Vulnerability Assessment: Are regular vulnerability assessments conducted?
• Penetration Testing: Is penetration testing performed to identify security weaknesses?
• Security Policies: Are security policies comprehensive and enforced?
• Encryption: Is data encryption implemented at rest and in transit?
• Security Training: Is ongoing security training provided to employees?

Performance and Scalability

Considerations

• Performance Metrics: What performance metrics are in place to monitor and measure system performance?
• Scalability: How does the architecture support scalability to handle increased load and growth?
• Capacity Planning: Is there a capacity planning process to anticipate and manage future demands?
• Optimization: Are there mechanisms for continuous performance optimization?
• Load Testing: Are load tests performed to ensure the system can handle expected traffic?
• Performance Bottlenecks: Are performance bottlenecks identified and addressed?
• Elasticity: Can the architecture automatically adjust to varying loads?
• Resource Allocation: Are resources dynamically allocated based on demand?
• Latency Reduction: What measures are in place to minimize latency?

Integration and Interoperability

Considerations

• System Integration: How well does the architecture integrate with existing systems and technologies?
• Interoperability: Are interoperability standards and protocols followed to ensure seamless communication between systems?
• API Management: Are APIs managed effectively to support integration and data exchange?
• Integration Testing: Are integration tests conducted to ensure components work together?
• Data Interchange: How is data interchange managed between different systems?
• API Security: Are APIs secured against unauthorized access?
• Legacy Systems: How are legacy systems integrated with new architecture?
• Third-Party Integration: How does the architecture handle third-party integrations?

Flexibility and Agility

Considerations

• Change Management: How does the architecture accommodate changes and evolving business requirements?
• Modularity: Is the architecture modular to allow for easy updates and enhancements?
• Agility: Does the architecture support agile development and deployment practices?
• Adaptability: Can the architecture easily adapt to new business requirements?
• Prototyping: Are prototypes created to test new ideas quickly?
• Change Impact Analysis: Is there a process for analyzing the impact of changes?
• Version Control: Is version control used for managing changes in the architecture?
• Iterative Development: Are iterative development practices employed?

Usability and User Experience

Considerations

• User Requirements: Are user requirements clearly defined and incorporated into the design?
• User Experience: How does the architecture enhance the user experience?
• Accessibility: Are accessibility standards followed to ensure usability for all users?
• User Feedback: How is user feedback collected and incorporated?
• User Training: Is training provided to ensure users understand the system?
• UI/UX Standards: Are UI/UX standards followed to ensure consistency?
• User Testing: Are usability tests conducted to identify issues?
• User Support: Is there a support system in place for users?

Technology and Innovation

Considerations

• Technology Stack: Is the chosen technology stack appropriate and up-to-date?
• Innovation: How does the architecture incorporate innovative solutions and emerging technologies?
• Technical Debt: Is there a plan to manage and reduce technical debt over time?
• Emerging Technologies: Are emerging technologies evaluated and incorporated?
• R&D: Is there a research and development process to innovate continuously?
• Technology Refresh: Is there a plan for regular technology refreshes?
• Innovation Pipeline: Is there an innovation pipeline to bring new ideas into production?
• Technical Workshops: Are technical workshops conducted to foster innovation?

Maintenance and Support

Considerations

• Maintainability: How easy is it to maintain and support the architecture?
• Documentation: Is there comprehensive documentation for all architectural components and processes?
• Support Plan: Is there a support plan in place for troubleshooting and resolving issues?
• Support SLA: Is there a Service Level Agreement (SLA) for support?
• Maintenance Schedule: Is there a regular maintenance schedule?
• Troubleshooting Guides: Are troubleshooting guides available?
• Support Team: Is there a dedicated support team for resolving issues?
• Issue Tracking: Is there an issue tracking system in place?

Cost and Resource Management

Considerations

• Cost Efficiency: How cost-efficient is the architecture in terms of development and operational expenses?
• Budget Alignment: Does the architecture align with the allocated budget?
• Resource Utilization: Are resources utilized effectively to maximize value?
• Cost Estimation: How will we estimate costs for our cloud infrastructure to ensure budget alignment?
• Cost Monitoring: What tools will we use to monitor ongoing cloud costs and identify potential savings?
• Resource Optimization: How can we optimize resource usage to reduce unnecessary costs while maintaining performance?
• Reserved Instances: When should we consider using reserved instances to save costs on predictable workloads?
• Spot Instances: How can we leverage spot instances for non-critical workloads to reduce expenses?
• Cost Allocation: What methods will we use to allocate cloud costs to different departments or projects?
• Budget Alerts: What budget alerts will we set up to avoid overspending and ensure cost control?
• Cost Reporting: How will we generate regular cost reports to provide visibility into cloud spending?
• Pricing Models: How can we understand and leverage different cloud pricing models to optimize our expenditure?

Monitoring and Reporting

Considerations

• Monitoring: What monitoring tools and practices are in place to ensure continuous oversight?
• Reporting: Are there regular reporting mechanisms to keep stakeholders informed of progress and performance?
• Real-Time Monitoring: Is real-time monitoring implemented?
• Alerts and Notifications: Are alerts and notifications set up for critical events?
• Dashboard Reports: Are dashboard reports available for key metrics?
• Performance Trends: Are performance trends analyzed over time?
• Anomaly Detection: Is anomaly detection used to identify unusual activity?

Continuous Improvement

Considerations

• Feedback Loop: Is there a feedback loop in place to gather input from users and stakeholders for continuous improvement?
• Review Cycles: Are there regular review cycles to assess and enhance the architecture?
• Lessons Learned: How are lessons learned from past projects incorporated into future improvements?
• Kaizen: Are Kaizen (continuous improvement) principles applied?
• Benchmarking: Is benchmarking used to compare against industry standards?
• Continuous Feedback: Is continuous feedback from stakeholders encouraged?
• Improvement Roadmap: Is there a roadmap for continuous improvement?
• Pilot Projects: Are pilot projects conducted to test new improvements?

Specific Technical Considerations

Considerations

• Data Architecture: How is data structured, stored, and accessed to support business processes?
• Application Architecture: Are applications designed to be resilient, scalable, and maintainable?
• Infrastructure: Is the infrastructure robust and flexible to support current and future needs?
• Disaster Recovery: Is there a disaster recovery plan in place to ensure business continuity?
• Automation: Are there opportunities for automation to improve efficiency and reduce errors?
• Cloud Readiness: Is the architecture cloud-ready?
• Microservices: Are microservices used to enhance modularity?
• Containerization: Are containers used for deployment?
• DevOps Practices: Are DevOps practices employed for CI/CD?
• Scalability Testing: Are scalability tests conducted?

Project Management and Execution

Considerations

• Project Scope: Is the project scope well-defined and managed?
• Timeline: Are timelines realistic and adhered to?
• Resource Allocation: Are resources allocated effectively to meet project goals?
• Risk Management: Are project risks identified and mitigated?
• Quality Assurance: Is there a quality assurance process to ensure the deliverables meet the required standards?
• Project Charter: Is there a project charter outlining objectives and scope?
• Milestone Tracking: Are project milestones tracked and reported?
• Team Collaboration: Is team collaboration facilitated effectively?
• Project Risk Management: Are project risks regularly assessed and mitigated?
• Quality Control: Is there a quality control process for deliverables?

Data Management

Considerations

• Data Governance: Is a data governance framework in place?
• Data Quality: Are data quality checks conducted?
• Master Data Management: Is master data management implemented?
• Data Lineage: Is data lineage tracked to ensure data integrity?
• Data Archiving: Are there policies for data archiving and retention?

Business Process Management

Considerations

• Process Mapping: Are business processes mapped and documented?
• Process Optimization: Are business processes regularly optimized?
• Workflow Automation: Is workflow automation used to improve efficiency?
• Business Rules: Are business rules clearly defined and enforced?
• Process Monitoring: Are business processes monitored for performance?

Customer and Market Focus

Considerations

• Customer Requirements: Are customer requirements gathered and prioritized?
• Market Analysis: Is market analysis conducted to understand trends and needs?
• Customer Engagement: Are customers engaged throughout the project lifecycle?
• Competitive Analysis: Is competitive analysis conducted to stay ahead?
• Customer Satisfaction: Is customer satisfaction measured and improved?

Communication and Collaboration

Considerations

• Stakeholder Communication: Is there a communication plan for stakeholders?
• Team Meetings: Are regular team meetings held to ensure alignment?
• Collaboration Tools: Are collaboration tools used effectively?
• Knowledge Sharing: Is knowledge sharing encouraged within the team?
• Conflict Resolution: Are there mechanisms for resolving conflicts?

Innovation and Research

Considerations

• Innovation Labs: Are innovation labs set up to test new ideas?
• Research Partnerships: Are partnerships formed with research institutions?
• Patent Strategy: Is there a strategy for protecting intellectual property?
• Experimentation: Is experimentation encouraged to explore new solutions?
• Innovation Metrics: Are innovation metrics tracked to measure impact?

Vendor and Partner Management

Considerations

• Vendor Selection: Are vendors selected through a rigorous process?
• Vendor Performance: Is vendor performance monitored and evaluated?
• Partner Collaboration: Are partners effectively collaborated with?
• Contract Management: Is contract management conducted effectively?
• Vendor Risks: Are vendor risks assessed and managed?

TOGAF Framework (For Reference)

Repository Structure

The repository is organized into the following directories, each corresponding to a phase of the TOGAF ADM process:

• Preliminary
• Architecture_Vision
• Business_Architecture
• Information_Systems_Architecture
• Technology_Architecture
• Opportunities_and_Solutions
• Migration_Planning
• Implementation_Governance
• Architecture_Change_Management
• Requirements_Management

Phases and Artifacts

Preliminary Phase

Purpose: Preparation and initiation activities to meet the business directive for a new enterprise architecture.

• Artifacts:
  • Architecture Principles Document
  • Architecture Vision
• Produced: At the beginning of the ADM cycle.
• Stored: In the Preliminary directory.

Phase A: Architecture Vision

Purpose: Develop a high-level aspirational vision of the capabilities and business value to be delivered.

• Artifacts:
  • Request for Architecture Work
  • Statement of Architecture Work
  • Business Scenarios
  • Architecture Vision Document
  • Stakeholder Map Matrix
• Produced: Early in the ADM cycle.
• Stored: In the Architecture_Vision directory.

Phase B: Business Architecture

Purpose: Develop the business architecture to support the agreed architecture vision.

• Artifacts:
  • Business Architecture Baseline
  • Business Architecture Target
  • Business Architecture Gap Analysis
  • Business Interaction Matrix
  • Business Function Matrix
• Produced: After the Architecture Vision.
• Stored: In the Business_Architecture directory.

Phase C: Information Systems Architectures

Purpose: Develop the information systems architecture including data and application architectures.

• Artifacts:
  • Data Architecture Baseline
  • Data Architecture Target
  • Data Architecture Gap Analysis
  • Application Architecture Baseline
  • Application Architecture Target
  • Application Architecture Gap Analysis
• Produced: After Business Architecture.
• Stored: In the Information_Systems_Architecture directory.

Phase D: Technology Architecture

Purpose: Develop the technology architecture.

• Artifacts:
  • Technology Architecture Baseline
  • Technology Architecture Target
  • Technology Architecture Gap Analysis
  • Technology Standards
• Produced: After Information Systems Architecture.
• Stored: In the Technology_Architecture directory.

Phase E: Opportunities and Solutions

Purpose: Identify the major implementation projects and group them into work packages.

• Artifacts:
  • Project Context Diagrams
  • Benefits Diagrams
  • Implementation and Migration Plan
• Produced: After Technology Architecture.
• Stored: In the Opportunities_and_Solutions directory.

Phase F: Migration Planning

Purpose: Develop a detailed roadmap for implementing the target architecture.

• Artifacts:
  • Implementation and Migration Plan
  • Transition Architectures
  • Implementation and Migration Strategy
• Produced: After Opportunities and Solutions.
• Stored: In the Migration_Planning directory.

Phase G: Implementation Governance

Purpose: Provide architectural oversight for the implementation.

• Artifacts:
  • Architecture Contract
  • Compliance Assessment
• Produced: During implementation.
• Stored: In the Implementation_Governance directory.

Phase H: Architecture Change Management

Purpose: Ensure that the architecture adapts to changes in the technology and business environment.

• Artifacts:
  • Architecture Compliance Review
  • Architecture Change Request
• Produced: As needed during the architecture lifecycle.
• Stored: In the Architecture_Change_Management directory.

Requirements Management

Purpose: Manage architecture requirements identified during any phase of the ADM cycle.

• Artifacts:
  • Requirements Repository
  • Requirements Specification
• Produced: Throughout the ADM cycle.
• Stored: In the Requirements_Management directory.

Cloud/Tech Stack