The Architect's Dilemma: Choose A Proven Path Or Pave Your Own Way?
InfoQ, Friday, January 2nd, 2026
Developing software is like taking a journey on which a team is continually making decisions about which way to go, both about the functionality of what they are building (the MVP), and also about what sort of architecture they need to support the MVP (the MVA).
Like an existing road that makes travel to a desired destination easier, a platform or framework may provide a shorter path to achieve MVP/MVA goals.
Since exact customer needs are usually unknown, the path to a successful MVP/MVA is unclear. A platform or framework may get a team closer but they will often still need to find their own way.
Platforms and frameworks make many decisions for you, some of which you don't need to make, and some that you won't agree with.
The only way to know whether a particular platform or framework helps the team make progress toward their MVP/MVA goals is for them to experiment and gather feedback.
Three questions (Is the product worth building? Will the solution perform and scale? Will the solution be supportable over time?) help frame these experiments.