Maximizing Team Productivity with Clean Architecture
Clean architecture is an important approach to software development because it helps to ensure that an application is maintainable, scalable, and testable. By separating the different layers and components of an application, it becomes easier to understand how the application works and make changes to it without breaking other parts of the code. This makes it easier to maintain the application over time and add new features or fix bugs. Clean architecture also makes it easier to scale an application by allowing developers to add new layers or components as needed, without affecting the existing codebase. Additionally, clean architecture promotes the use of test-driven development, which helps to ensure that the application is reliable and works as expected. Overall, the use of clean architecture can greatly improve the quality and longevity of a software application.
I like to separate my iOS projects in the following layers:
- Platform/UI layer handling user input and output but also responsible for the visual appearance of the application, including layout, styling, and graphics
- Presentation layer communicates other layers through the use of view models.
The domain layer is the core of the application, and contains the business logic and domain models - Domain layer is the core of the application, and contains the business logic, domain models. I include also the use cases here, which define the specific actions that the application can perform
- Data access/Infrastructure layer is responsible for accessing and modifying data stored in the application, such as databases or APIs
By using clean architecture, it is possible to effectively utilize the skills and expertise of all team members, while also providing opportunities for junior team members to learn and grow.
In the context of clean architecture, junior team members may be responsible for tasks related to the UI, animation, layout but also translating states provided by the presentation layer into UI. Other team members may be responsible for implementing APIs and integrating third-party frameworks such as Firebase, Realm, and Google Maps, while others may focus on database details and other technical aspects of the app.
For the senior team members, the tasks should be oriented more around the core, the business logic, modeling, defining the use cases of your app, designing & separating modules. These all have an impact on the entire application.
This division of labor allows junior team members to gain experience working on the more visible aspects of the application, while more senior team members can focus on the more complex and critical components of the application.
With this approach, complex projects can be tackled by a variety of team members, improve the efficiency of development and offer great growth opportunities for both junior & senior developers.
This ability to leverage the skills and expertise of all team members will produce a more robust project and allow cohesion between team members.
Implementing Clean Architecture in the development process ultimately benefits the business by fostering a positive work environment, resulting in high-quality products and cost savings.
