What general qualities in a software architecture help to promote its success? We can of course focus on fitness for purpose, cost of change, organisational acceptance, and so on, but are there broad considerations that can be kept in mind when looking at the structural and developmental side of an architecture?

Those involved in software have a lot to keep in mind as they negotiate the worlds inside and outside of their code and the relationship between them. For those interested in improving the state of their art there are many (many) sources of specific recommendations they can use to sharpen their practice.

This talk takes a step back from the busy, overpopulated and often overwhelming world of such recommendations to focus on five general considerations that can inform more detailed recommendations and specific decisions.