Perry Ellis International

Architecture diagrams don’t enforce architecture. Tests do. Every project starts clean: - Layer boundaries are agreed - Dependency rules are clear - Naming conventions make sense - The folder structure looks intentional Then six months pass. A domain service ends up in Infrastructure. A handler gets named `ProcessPaymentService`. A class that should be `internal` becomes `public`. A NuGet dependency leaks into the wrong layer. Nobody meant to break the architecture. But nobody caught it either. That’s why I like architecture tests. They turn your architectural rules into automated tests that run in CI. If someone violates a rule, the build fails. The 5 tests I add to .NET projects are: 1. Layer dependency tests 2. Naming convention tests 3. Colocation tests 4. Visibility tests 5. Dependency guard tests They run fast. They don’t need infrastructure. And they document the architecture in a way the build can actually enforce. Start with layer dependency tests. They take a few minutes to add and catch the most damaging violations. Then add the rest as your codebase grows. I wrote a full breakdown with ArchUnitNET, xUnit, and reflection examples here: https://lnkd.in/dZSYBgtt

Most monoliths don’t fail because they’re monoliths. They fail because everything can touch everything. That’s the real difference between a regular monolith and a modular monolith. A regular monolith can be well-structured. You can have folders, layers, Clean Architecture, Vertical Slices, and still end up with hidden coupling everywhere. The problem usually starts small: One feature needs data from another area. So you reference its entity. Then another use case needs some logic. So you call into that service. Then a query needs more data. So you join across tables. None of this feels wrong in the moment. But over time, the boundaries disappear. A modular monolith is still deployed as one application. But the key difference is that module boundaries are enforced: - Separate projects - Clear ownership - Public APIs between modules - Controlled dependencies - Optional database/schema isolation The goal isn’t to make the code “look modular.” The goal is to make coupling explicit. That’s what gives you flexibility later if one part of the system needs to move into its own service. I break down the difference using the same app implemented both ways here: https://lnkd.in/dB_7brFt

Long-running API requests are a scalability problem hiding as a user experience problem. The obvious approach is simple: User sends request → API does the work → API returns the result. That works fine until the request takes several minutes. Now your API is holding requests open. Users are staring at a loading screen. Traffic spikes become much harder to handle. And your app server is doing two jobs at once: serving regular API traffic and processing expensive work. A better progression: Return 202 Accepted immediately Store the work in a jobs table Process it in the background Let users check status or receive async notifications Introduce a queue when you need buffering Scale with competing consumers The key idea: Your API should accept the work. Your workers should process the work. Your queue should absorb the spikes. I break down the full architecture step by step here: https://lnkd.in/dX5eSucP

𝗔 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽, 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Leadership is often defined by vision. But vision on its own is not enough. Yesterday we had our final session of the #Women2Top programme of EJE&CON Asociación Española de Ejecutiv@s y Consejer@s , which I’ve had the privilege to share with 19 exceptional women. Over the past months, it has felt like a kind of practical think tank: a space to reflect, challenge ideas and exchange perspectives across very different topics, from communication to innovation, from strategy to mindset. The closing session brought together two very different conversations that, in reality, converged around the same idea. On one side, we explored with Eva García Saiz growth mindsets in high-performing organisations. What defines them is not only ambition, but how attention and resources are allocated: 🔘 Clarity of intent and disciplined execution 🔘 The ability to act with boldness in volatile environments 🔘 A systematic approach to listening to customers 🔘 Building teams truly centred around growth 🔘 Mitigating risk through rigorous execution CEOs spend around 47% of their time firefighting, while only 16% is dedicated to long-term strategy. The implication is quite clear: without focus, even the best strategy gets diluted in execution. Innovation is a topic I always come back to. And in that respect, AI is becoming one of the most relevant levers. We discussed how AI is evolving, from assisted search and multimodal capabilities to its growing impact on customer experience, security and identity. What became evident is that the real challenge today is how intentionally it is applied. There was a particularly insightful reflection during the session: when AI is approached through isolated use cases, it generates “gold dust”. (Thanks, Gracia Sánchez-Vizcaíno , for this definition) When it is aligned with strategic priorities and embedded in processes, it becomes something much more substantial. The second part of the session had a personal dimension for me. Listening to Dora Casal was especially meaningful, having worked at Roberto Verino Oficial earlier in my career. It was interesting to see how the company is evolving today, while maintaining clarity around its core pillars: digitalisation, internationalisation and customer experience. What I found common to both conversations was all about attitude: curiosity, energy and a clear sense of direction. Thanks María del Castillo, PhD , Raquel Duque Rubio , SABRINA FEMENIA MULET y Carlos Hernandez Puente for creating a space that genuinely challenges how we think about leadership today. #Leadership #Innovation #AI #BusinessStrategy

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝘐𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭, 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘥. 𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 That’s probably why it felt so meaningful to celebrate the industry last night in the ILUNION Hotel in Madrid. When David Bravo Martín first called me to propose that I chair the jury and present the first edition of #TheNewRetailAwards , I knew it was one of those things you simply say yes to because of the team behind it, and because of what they are building for the industry. The Gala was the result of a process that aimed to recognise innovation in retail. As David highlighted in his opening remarks, we are talking about innovation with a capital “I”. Not limited to technology, AI or robotics but something much broader: empathy, creativity, purpose, and emotion. Over the past weeks, the jury went through a rigorous evaluation process across 12 categories: from fashion, beauty and sports to luxury, home or travel reviewing initiatives, approaches and results with these "innovation lenses". Congratulations to all the winners, and especially to the Gold award recipients: 🥇 Fashion → MANGO 🥇 Automotive → BMW Group 🥇 FMCG → Carrefour 🥇 Beauty → L'Oréal 🥇 Sports and Leisure → Nike 🥇 Financial Services → Bizum 🥇 Luxury → Loewe 🥇 Electronics → Amazon 🥇 Home → IKEA 🥇 Pharma → ISDIN 🥇 Travel → Iberia 🥇 Convenience → repsol And to the special awards: MediaMarkt España , ILUNION , Nestlé Nespresso SA and Mahou San Miguel . And as my co-host for the evening, Carlos Gómez González , said: The Retail industry should aspire to be a leading industry in this country. Thank you to The New Retail News team led by Raúl Alvear Naranjo : Onintze Gutierrez , Raylí Luján , Gabriela D'Elia Bauder , and to David Plaza Muñoz , Ángeles Sánchez Morillas and Leyla Moncada and to everyone involved in building something that helps to elevate the conversation in the industry. Guys, you rock! 🚀 Thanks also to all the sponsors for supporting all the way through the idea to reality: Alkemy Group , t2ó , REETMO MEDIA , Webloyalty , TRISON , Summer of 69 and After #Retail #NewRetailAwards #Innovation #BusinessStrategy #RetailSpain