Balancing Agility and Operational Overhead: Monolith Decomposition Strategies for Microservices and Microapps with Event-Driven Architectures

Abstract

This paper investigates the transformation of monolithic architectures to microservices and microapps, examining the trade-off between agility and operational overhead. We introduce the concept of the "Agility Spectrum," a novel framework to visualize this trade-off, ranging from pure monoliths to highly granular microservices and microapps. We conduct a comprehensive literature review, identifying gaps in current research regarding data migration, coexistence models, interface management, and the quantification of agility's impact. Our methodology includes case study analysis, interviews, surveys, and the development of a novel "Agility Index." Our findings reveal success and failure factors for data migration strategies, evaluate coexistence models, examine interface management challenges, and quantify the impact of architectural choices on agility and operational overhead, particularly highlighting the role of event-driven architecture. We offer actionable recommendations for organizations embarking on this transformation journey and contribute to theoretical knowledge by refining the Agility Spectrum. This research empowers organizations to make informed decisions about their architecture evolution and achieve an optimal balance between agility and operational overhead