What’s the most effective way to get an in-depth understanding of an organization’s architecture when you’re new to the company?
Sort by:
Get out and talk to as many people as possible. Best case, it will be well documented and you'll discover it easily.
Worst case, no-one has a clear view, which means you'll need to work out how to capture it using either consultants or tools.
Likely case, you'll find the one person who has a complete view in their head. Which isn't always a good thing as they may push back about sharing that IP with you.
If you don't have access to an enterprise architecture organization, consider convening a cross-functional team and embark on a discovery process that results in findings, implications and recommendations related to the architecture in question.
Speak with the Enterprise Architecture team/function (assuming the company has one). They can give you the broad picture across the wide scope of IT Architecture (and use) and also will know who to speak with re any deep-dives on particular apps or infra elements. They are generally very friendly and helpful (well, we are in our company anyway!)
Talk with all levels of people so you get accurate picture.
Also work flow paths so you could get pragmatic view over theoretical narratives.
In my experience, you have to put some time into this. Book time (at least 90 minute sessions) with 1-3 of the best architects in the company and have them whiteboard the architecture. Take good notes, and draw what they draw and make sure you understand it as you go. This allows you to ask questions on the fly and take time on key parts and keeps it casual so they don't spend hours on a presentation for you that may or may not hit the mark. You may have to schedule additional time depending on the complexity of the architecture, but the time spent up front getting a first-hand clear understanding will be worth it. This will also help you identify things you think need to change, the things you think are done well, and it will help you build a relationship with the architects.