Architect Shift Left Checklist

Purpose

The "Shift Left" approach for architects focuses on bringing validation, testing, and component prototyping to the earliest stages of system design. This checklist guides architects through essential steps to proactively design, validate, and refine system architectures using AI tools, ensuring systems are scalable, secure, and efficient before development begins.

Shift-Left for AI Architectures

At the Planning Stage

• Generate initial architecture prototypes using AI-driven tools. Create dynamic blueprints that evolve with requirements.
• Simulate real-world traffic loads to validate scalability requirements for the architecture.
• Perform initial security checks using AI to identify potential vulnerabilities or weaknesses in the proposed architecture.
• Evaluate technology stacks through AI simulations to identify the most suitable platforms and tools based on system requirements.
• Create integration prototypes for potential system integrations, ensuring that new modules will fit seamlessly with legacy components.

During Design and Refinement

• Test architecture against performance bottlenecks by running AI-powered simulations to predict how the system will perform under different loads.
• Validate database designs and schema migrations using AI to simulate legacy data handling and ensure data consistency across components.
• Simulate failure scenarios and evaluate the system’s response to unexpected downtime or errors (e.g., database failures, network issues).
• Refactor and modernize the design using AI tools, especially when transitioning from legacy systems to new architectural paradigms (e.g., microservices).
• Review integration scenarios to ensure that the architecture will work with external systems and APIs seamlessly.

Continuous Responsibilities

• Iterate on architecture models as new information, requirements, or feedback is received. AI tools should automatically update blueprints and prototypes.
• Perform regular security checks on evolving designs, particularly when introducing new components or altering existing ones.
• Ensure continuous alignment with business goals by adjusting AI-driven architectural models to reflect evolving organizational needs.
• Validate compliance and regulatory requirements early on by using AI to simulate potential legal or compliance violations in the system.

Reminder: If an architecture prototype has not been validated through AI simulations, testing, and component refinement, it is not ready for development.