Architecting for Transition

"Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win."

– The Art of War, Sun Tzu

Many people mistake The Art of War for a book teaching strategies on how to fight wars and critical battles. To the contrary, The Art of War is about how to avoid the fight. Long, drawn-out battles are expensive, slow, and very hard to control. In the first part of the opening quote, Victorious warriors win first, Sun Tzu focuses the student on preparation, situational awareness, a controllable environment, attention to relevant details, and determining the outcome before starting. The lessons in the book are about knowing the environment and having situational awareness. Do you have the latest, most accurate information? Do you have reliable sources? Are you thinking clearly? Are you controlling your emotions and biases? Are external influences and detractors in check? Do you see the data for what it is or for what you think it should say?

Cloud transitions, while not wars, can certainly feel like battles. They can feel a bit like religious crusades where believers are willing to do anything for the cause. Cloud transitions do not have a particular pattern, shape, or size. Cloud transitions require the most up-to-date and accurate data possible. Successful cloud transitions are successful before they ever start. They require the same clear focus, preparation, environmental control, and situational awareness. In Sun Tzu, if cloud transitions do not have a clear focus, detailed preparation, and careful planning, the transition will fail before it starts.

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

• User characteristics
• Application workload
• Use of application programming interfaces (APIs)