Five 2024 Predictions for Software Architects

In 2024, the landscape of software architecture and development is poised for significant transformation, driven by advances in generative AI and architectural observability tools. Generative AI holds promise for simplifying challenging tasks like framework upgrades and language migrations, while AI-augmented tools are expected to assist software architects in identifying domains and extracting services with clear boundaries and APIs. Despite advancements in automation and AI tools, developer productivity continues to struggle due to unmanaged technical debt, which is identified as a core issue. New architectural observability solutions are anticipated to aid in reducing this technical debt, thereby enhancing developer productivity. Governance is also shifting focus towards software architecture, with organizations likely to adopt architectural governance tools to manage technical debt in tandem with security and source code quality assessments. Platform engineering is predicted to evolve, assisting architects in modernization efforts by setting enterprise-wide standards for technical debt management. Furthermore, observability solutions specifically designed for architectural analysis will emerge, offering architects the tools needed for app modernization and technical debt management, distinguishing them from existing DevOps solutions.