Tracks

This year’s technical program is organized into three tracks, which are outlined below. A session topic might be relevant to more than one of these tracks, but session proposals should identify a primary track. We provide suggested topics for each track, but proposals need not be limited to these topics.

1: The Digital, Virtual Software Architect

The software architecture discipline is now about 25 years old. Over that time it has continually evolved, from static modularization of code to meeting the challenges of today’s global always-on, Internet-connected systems with their ever-evolving architectures. In this track we welcome sessions that explore how the role of the architect is being affected by how systems are built in the digital era. These systems are composed of network services rather than library components, use flexible yet constraining cloud-based platforms rather than custom deployment environments, and evolve quickly and continuously, rather than through a series of occasional major software releases. Topics could include

• How architects can be effective in fast-moving, agile environments
• Case studies of software architecture in large-scale, fast-moving systems
• Dealing with the evolution of systems, particularly the management and minimization of technical and functional debt
• The role of the architect in systems created from microservices
• DevOps and creating an efficient path to production (continuous integration, continuous delivery, and related topics)
• Solutions for architecture conformance, testing, and software quality assurance
• The role of the architect in systems using PaaS platforms (such as Azure, Google Cloud, Heroku, and Bluemix) and frameworks (such as Microsoft .NET and the Spring Framework) that enforce a strong architectural style
• How to ensure that architecture work gets done in environments without formal architect roles

2: Development Tools, Frameworks, Techniques, and Patterns

Software architecture can be enabled or constrained by the technologies used to build the system and in turn some architectural decisions require or prevent the use of certain technologies or techniques. In this track, we explore this relationship between architecture and development technology. Here we encourage submissions about tools, frameworks, techniques, and patterns that are being successfully used in practice by architects and software developers. Diagrams, code, and demos are expected to be included in the presentations within this track. Topics could include

• Development tools and frameworks that address current architectural concerns including microservices, mobile, Web, cloud, event processing, API design, API management, containerization, social, IoT, and embedded solutions
• Big data technologies and infrastructure for large-scale data management (e.g., distributed and NoSQL databases) and processing (e.g., Hadoop, Storm, Spark)
• Design patterns, architecture patterns, architecture tactics, and their application.
• Solutions for continuous integration, deployment, and runtime monitoring of software applications

3. Other topics of interest

If you have a presentation proposal that doesn’t quite fit into one of the tracks above, it will fit into this one. There are so many relevant and interesting topics related to software architecture that we could not match all of them to a small set of tracks. So, this is the track for other topics, which could include

• Addressing quality attribute concerns, such as performance, availability, usability, security, and interoperability
• How intelligent systems technology such as machine learning will affect architecture practice and the architectures that we create
• How the emerging wave of intelligent automation, such as robotic process automation and digital assistants is going to affect architects and systems
• Developing software architects, including coaching, mentoring, certification, professional training, and college education.
• Architecture in the context of project management activities such as estimation, planning, and tracking
• Understanding risk and assessing business value in the context of legacy-system modernization and greenfield development
• Architecture within self-organizing teams including agile teams and open-source projects
• The software architect’s role in leading teams and influencing business decisions
• Case studies sharing successful experiences with software architecture design, evaluation, documentation, or reconstruction
• Cyber-physical security (e.g., forensics, detection, software-defined security)
• User experience with connected things
• Innovative designs and solutions in general
• Research ideas for the field of software architecture

Session Types

When deciding what kind of a session to propose, choose a session type that you are comfortable presenting or facilitating and that also helps you to effectively share your wisdom, knowledge, and experience with your audience.

• DEV@SATURN Talk [TED-Style Presentation] 15-minute talk that concisely shares a single important technique, lesson, or experience. Some stories are short and don’t need a lot of slides to explain. We have a few slots available for these presentations.
• Experience Report Presentation—30-minute presentation that describes a first-hand experience, lessons learned, or practitioner-focused research. Generally a slide-based presentation that tells a story about something that you did.
• Participatory Session—90-minute facilitated workshop with attendees spending at least 50% of the time in dedicated to hands-on learning activities, such as writing code, applying a design technique, or practicing an architecture leadership activity.
• Technical Talks and Tutorials—30- or 90-minute sessions, often lecture-based, focused on in-depth teaching of specific topics based on your knowledge and expertise in those topics. Please specify the exact time for your session in the Notes section.

As compensation for presenting a 15- or 30-minute session at SATURN, you will receive 60% off the full-conference registration fee and 15% off the price of one course fee. This compensation applies to one speaker in a multiple-speaker talk.

As compensation for presenting a 90-minute session at SATURN, you will receive complimentary conference registration, 15% off the price of one course fee, and one free night at the conference hotel. This compensation applies to one speaker in a multiple-speaker talk.