Navigating Architectural Choices: ADRs at willhaben and 9 lessons learned

Hi everyone, 🫶

The summerbreak is coming to an end, and fall is knocking at the door. And with that, new opportunities arise to teach as well as learn together at a meetup. We hope you are all ready for the amazing things to come …

… because on the 2nd of October 2024 Michael Osl will be giving us deep insights with the focus on ADRs at willhaben. Michael Osl is willhaben’s own software architect and therefore the best person to turn to in regard to this topic. We are observing willhaben’s architectural change driven by Michael since a few years already, and the title of his brand new talk is … tataa 🎺

Navigating Architectural Choices: ADRs at willhaben and 9 lessons learned

Effective decision-making is crucial for navigating evolving architectures. At willhaben, we’ve embraced Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) as a lightweight yet powerful tool for structuring and documenting key technical decisions—from defining domain boundaries to resolving specific implementation details. In this talk, we’ll introduce ADRs and highlight their benefits, demonstrating how they enable teams to make informed architectural choices without the burden of unnecessary bureaucracy. After several years of using ADRs, we’ve also identified common anti-patterns that we’ll share to help you avoid these pitfalls and maximize the value of ADRs in your projects.

Just in case anyone is not yet familiar with willhaben 😊 here is a brief description:

willhaben is the largest digital marketplace, one of the biggest websites in Austria with more than 3.8 million users per month* and more than 10 million ads in real estate, cars, jobs and marketplace (*ÖWA 2024-I, mittlerer Monat). Our successful product is based on strong regional content and a modern, clear page structure with a detailed categorization of the ads. The easy usage, the fast search results and the strong focus on online advertising ensure a clear profile of the offer and a high user acceptance.

Teamspirit is one of the key corporate values at willhaben. We are true team players with a wide variety of talent and we support each other to achieve the best results for our users and customers. Our open office space, including a large kitchen and a sunny terrace, ensure a very pleasant working atmosphere. There are regular joint activities such as team buildings, after work gatherings and other company events and as an employer, we are delighted about top positions as a „Great Place to Work " for the past 15 years.

Career page: https://jobsbei.willhaben.at/
Tech Blog: https://tech.willhaben.at/
wirsindwillhaben Instagram: [https://www.instagram.com/wirsindwillhaben/?hl=de](https://urldefense.com/v3/https:/www.instagram.com/wirsindwillhaben/?hl=de;!!JH4u34rfOXatKw!9_nVY28mcxWxcyVfKKq-EapGhgqIvR5S5quhgrRPGPNp-djr66agwFEZm59wIvstAYHAIYf22YsJ7B6p17jdZCIFzDgvE0p0$)

Where?:

• Landstraßer Hauptstraße 97-101, Galleria Landstraße, Bürozentrum 1, Stockwerk 3A, 1030 Wien

When and What:

• Wednesday, 2.10.2024
• Our doors will be open to you at 18:00h
• Michael Osl’s talk will start at 18:30h
• A round of Q&A for all your questions
• Food as well as beer and non-alcoholic beverages after the talk at around 19:30h

Thank you willhaben for sponsoring this event and providing us with location, food and beverages!

We look forward to seeing you! 😊