Domain Exploration: The process of exploring Business Processes and discovering Domain Models, under the practice of “Domain Driven Design (aka DDD)”. Domain Models influence the design and development of complex software systems and applications.
2024: AI has taken the world by storm.
While experienced Software Developers are lamenting the abilities of AI (“Will I still have software career?”), AI protagonists marvel at the rapid code generation capabilities, but any competent software developer will tell you: AI is no replacement for a software craftsman.
Today’s software programmers might be assembling systems using AI generated code, but in 5 years time we predict that those codebases will be unmaintainable – a hotch-potch of code snippets hastily wound together, with little-to-no ability to refactor the codebase into something accessible to human coders.
But there’s one area that we believe AI will fail at completely: “Domain Exploration“.
Because Domain Exploration isn’t based purely on logic, or rationale, or pre-defined scripts.
Domain Exploration is a human-to-human activity, more closely aligned to the work of a detective. Conducting multiple conversations with Business Users and Domain Experts, extracting tacit knowledge, separating facts from opinions, and teasing out a cohesive domain model from those learnings. Sometimes we’ll design multiple models, so that they may be tested and compared in order to determine which provides the best solution.
Sure, there may be a time when AI can assist with the exploration.
There may be a time when non-technical people develop the ability to articulate their needs with clarity and precision.
We may even see AI start asking relevant questions that were previously unconsidered.
When those things coincide, we will have to reconsider our position.
But until then, DDD practitioners, Domain Explorers, and Model Designers are safe from the siren’s call of AI.
Take a human approach to Domain Exploration.
Let us help you discover more.