Rutger Gooszen

Design principles for the computer scientist: No hidden interfaces

A principle for the information scientist is "decoupling points for complexity reduction and flexibility". But a decoupling point is also a coupling in the system as a whole! All interfaces must remain visible, if you come across one you must recognize it. This applies to the same extent for the organizational scientist; organizations also have interfaces and dependencies and these must be visible.

Construction principles for the IT architect (12): Choose a Storage Structure Based on Requirements

In this blog series, I delve into timeless principles of information science that ensure better "information constructions." This 12th blog in the series continues with the third computer science principle (see my introductory blog for the distinction). Why and when should you choose a relational structure (RDB and SQL), and when is linked data (RDF and SPARQL) a better storage option? Most people think of data in terms of tables to organize it, but this also imposes certain constraints when you want to later modify the structure. What trade-offs exist between the possible solutions?

Construction principles for the IT architect (11) Device-independent development

In this series of blogs, I will reflect on the still valid information science construction principles that guarantee better "information structures". This 11th blog in the series continues with the second informatics principle (see my starting blog for the distinction ). Why and when to develop device independently? It's always so nice in the architecture principles at company level or in a policy document "Our employees can work independently of time, place and device". But the impact of the desire to be able to work device-independent on the design of the IT landscape and the software to be developed is not small.

Construction principles for the IT architect: (10) Separating application function from data storage

In this series of blogs, I dwell on the still valid information science construction principles that guarantee better ‘information building’. This 10th blog in the series continues with the first informatics principle (for the distinction, see my starting blog ). This one is about the construction of data processing. We don't dwell on it but every screen we process information on hides an underlying construct that extracts data from a storage and allows us to access or modify this data or add new data. If the processing function and the data storage are separated, this has great advantages. In fact, this is the information science principle of decoupling but applied in computing.

Construction principles for the information professional: Separating data and metadata in storage and processing

Data is hot. Everyone wants to work data-driven and AI only works on big data. In short, data is the new gold! But what exactly is data? There are different categories of data, and one is specifically about dealing with master data and transactional data. Metadata and the need to distinguish that from the data itself and process it separately is essential. Otherwise, spaghetti is created in the system landscape and searching for specific data becomes the proverbial needle in the haystack.

Construction principles for the information scientist: (7) Single registration of master data

Still-valid information engineering construction principles guarantee better information constructs. They are sometimes, in the pace of advancing technology, a bit forgotten, resulting in shaky or poorly maintainable and extensible information constructs. This time, the focus is on the need for single-entry capture of master data and the challenges this presents with respect to usage. Is copying a problem?

Construction principles for the information scientist: (6) Disconnect “who you are” from “what you are allowed”

Still-valid information engineering construction principles guarantee better information constructs. They are sometimes, in the pace of advancing technology, a bit forgotten, resulting in shaky or poorly maintainable and extensible information constructs. This time, the focus is on the need to decouple identification/authentication (who you are) and authorization (what you are allowed to do). How many login combinations do you have in use? Probably more than 30. Still every day, people struggle with login names and passwords for all those service providers visited online. In theory, the solution is simple but in practice it is still laborious.

Construction principles for the information professional (9): Apply standard patterns without deviations

Standard patterns exist in both information science and computer science. The elegant thing about a standard pattern is that it is a standard. But in practice, there appears to be a reason to deviate a bit each time. The result is a user who no longer understands the user interface or a no longer interoperable concept, lower maintainability of a system and loss of time.

Professionalizing IT: Quality from within

What do a building architect, lawyer, general practitioner and chartered accountant have in common? On the face of it, not much. But if you look more closely, they have all undergone mandatory and recognized training and have had to qualify to use their title. That title is protected and enshrined in law. They submit to a professional code and disciplinary law. In other words, their clients know what to expect and can complain about professional performance if they are not satisfied.

The architect role within SAFe in a nutshell

When a system is developed according to SCRUM by a single team, quality is in the hands of the team. 'Quality arises from practice' is the thinking, because team members want to build quality software. The role of architect, as a designer who provides direction for development, is a team role that is performed collaboratively through communication and interaction on a sprint-by-sprint basis.

Construction principles of information professionals: (5) Decentralizing decision-making within the organization

In this series of blogs, I delve into the enduring principles of information management that ensure better "information structures." Sometimes, these principles have been forgotten amidst the rapid advancement of technology, resulting in unstable or poorly maintainable "information structures." This time, I'll discuss the advantages of delegating decision-making authority as low as possible within the organization. The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine serves as a daily reminder of the consequences of blindly following top-down decisions by Russian soldiers, while Ukraine's approach is more innovative and locally driven.

Construction principles for information professionals: (4) Responsibility allocation and segregation of duties

In this series of blogs, I will focus on the enduring construction principles for information systems that ensure better "information structures." These principles have sometimes been forgotten in the rush of advancing technology, resulting in unstable or poorly maintainable and expandable "information structures." This time, I'll discuss the importance of clear responsibility allocation and segregation of duties within an organization. A recent incident at the municipality of The Hague, where an employee was able to forge passports for criminals due to inadequate segregation of duties in the work processes, serves as a reminder of the consequences that can arise when things go wrong.

Construction principles for information professionals: (3) Unambiguous and consistent language

In this series of blogs, I will delve into the enduring principles of information architecture that ensure better "information structures." Sometimes, these principles have been overlooked in the rapid advancement of technology. In this blog, I will focus on the necessity of clarity and consistency in language within a "system" or "domain" as aspects such as privacy protection, information security, and information management heavily depend on it.

Construction principles for information professionals (2): Decoupling for complexity reduction and flexibility

In this series of blogs, I will focus on the enduring construction principles of information science that ensure better "information structures." These principles have sometimes been forgotten in the rapid progress of technology, resulting in unstable or poorly maintainable and extensible "information structures." In this second blog, I will delve into the art of decoupling. A well-designed system has so-called decoupling points, imaginary divisions in the complexity of the whole, which allow the parts to be developed, implemented, and (eventually) replaced as independently as possible. This promotes interoperability without central control. In its ultimate form, this is known as "service-oriented architecture (SOA)," which has been developed in various forms.

Principles of construction for information science (1): Meaningless identity designation

In this series of blogs, I will focus on the enduring principles of information science that ensure better "information structures." These principles have sometimes been overlooked in the rapid advancement of technology, resulting in unstable or poorly maintainable and extensible "information structures." First, I will explore the benefits of keeping an identity designation meaningless. In an administration, you want to be able to uniquely identify information objects. This allows you to refer to them and link characteristics of that object to one and the same "thing" or "right." Think, for example, of objects such as "customer," "vehicle," "organization," "bank account," "phone number," as well as documents like "certificate of ownership," "passport," and "driver's license." Therefore, they are given a unique identity designation. Why is it essential to keep the identity meaningless?

Construction principles for the information professional

As early as the 1990s, Jaap van Rees argued that there was a need for information science as a discipline alongside computer science[1]. According to him, information science emerged from computer science in a similar way that traffic engineering arose from automotive technology. With only a few cars, there's not much coordination required. However, as the number of cars increases, the skill of their integrated application becomes indispensable. Van Rees distinguished between the roles of architect and constructor. The architect focuses on "beauty," quality, and fitting the design into its environment. The constructor ensures feasibility and functionality within technological constraints.