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Have a read of the following for further reading of assessing basic architecture diagrams, https://infotechmentor.com/2026/01/31/how-i-think-of-breaking-down-an-it-system-when-seeing-it-for-the-first-time/, https://infotechmentor.com/2025/12/29/top-questions-to-ask-about-it-systems-in-2026/

Part 1 of this post will provide detail on the overall understanding of the system architecture diagrams. Part 2 I will go into break down each of the diagrams below and provide specific questions around the systems.

Have a view of the following diagrams below. These are typical high level system/service architecture diagrams which tech companies/departments will show their IT users. These are shown to to the IT users to grasp and provide an understanding the flow of systems.

Looking at these diagrams for the first time as a junior employee or even an experienced employee can still raise the same feelings. Uncertainty, confusion, am’ I getting this right, what am’ I missing etc etc.

You do need to know some basis of systems knowledge.

• Front end
• Back end
• Middlware
• API’s
• Hosts/servers
• Connectivity / handshake
  • HTTP
  • HTTPS
  • FTP
• Source and destinations
• Types of scripts e.g. .js / .java / .py
• 3rd party system and vendors

Below are some questions that will aid you in having some general understanding

• What is the purpose of this system and what is is meant to fulfill
  • What happens if this system fails?
    • Who is affected
    • What needs to be done to restore / repair
  • Where are the current weaknesses or soft spots in the system
    • What part of the system always breaks and needs human intervention
    • What does the IT user do specifically
      • Are there procedures and instructions to repair and restore
• Where and how does the client/customer enter
  • Does the client enter via a URL / website link / button etc
  • What does the client do in this system
    • E.g. do they enter inputs like numbers into a form, does the button perform some send action which gets relayed across to another user, is this a reporting system where the client clicks on some buttons to generate a document etc
• Is there a demo somewhere end to end where I can see how this system is meant to perform and behave
  • In other words can someone show you how the system works, every step, all inputs and outputs, and everything that happens in between
• What are 3rd parties or external vendors are we reliant on for our system to work
  • E.g. does this system connect to an offsite database, a cloud backup system, another website or source that is not managed by our company etc
  • What are these 3rd parties and vendors
    • Who and how do we contact these external parties
    • What do they do, what do they provide to us
• Is there something in this system that is hidden that I need to know about(?)
  • Get the employer to be honest, challenge their thinking and question their knowledge
    • This isn’t a gripe question, but if you are to support this system you want to know all aspects to the system
    • Just on a side note, if there are hidden aspects to the system (either for non malicious or malicious reasons (you never know)), just take a note on it for now. Maybe at a later time after some experience and knowledge building you can raise it later again with your employer

Summary:

• Begin by asking some basic questions of where and what
  • Don’t ask why. You’re there to support what’s in front of you
    • There will always be discussions later on optimisation and improvement
• Document the weaknesses and soft parts of the system which are known to vulnerabilities and breakages
  • Get steps and instructions on how to resolve these weaknesses