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Communication

This domain covers presenting and defending architectural solutions to stakeholders and the review board. Often underestimated, communication is independently scored.

Objectives

  • Articulate benefits, limitations, considerations, and design choices; handle objections
  • Use visualization and documentation tools to articulate solutions
  • Handle unexpected roadblocks and determine appropriate next steps

Key Topics

  • Review Board Presentation & Q&A Strategies — Complete guide to structuring your presentation, storytelling, handling the Q&A, defending decisions, mock boards, and avoiding common mistakes
  • Review Board Artifacts & Deliverables — What artifacts to create, how to allocate your 180 minutes, Lucidchart techniques, the “Big 3” diagrams, and lessons from candidates who passed and failed
  • Communication Decision Guides — Mermaid decision flowcharts for time allocation, diagram priority, detail level, Q&A response strategy, and domain coverage
  • Communication Best Practices — Best practices for delivery, diagram creation, Q&A handling, time management, body language, and anti-patterns
  • Communication Trade-offs — Depth vs breadth, technical vs business language, scripted vs conversational, detailed vs readable diagrams, domain coverage strategy

Effective communication requires deep understanding of what you are communicating:

  • Solution Architecture — Architects must be able to defend and communicate their design decisions convincingly
  • Development Lifecycle — Release notes, project status reports, and risk communication are lifecycle deliverables
  • System Architecture — Presenting system architecture diagrams and trade-off justifications to review boards requires both technical depth and communication skill