A software architect views the software landscape from a different vantage point than a developer, much like a car designer perceives automobiles differently from a mechanical engineer's perspective. However, it's unfortunate that many architects mistakenly consider architectural thinking as merely pondering over the structure. In reality, architectural thinking goes far beyond that; it involves seeing things through an architectural lens, a distinct point of view. There are four crucial aspects to adopting an architectural mindset:
Understanding the Distinction: It entails comprehending the difference between architecture and design, and knowing how to collaborate effectively with development teams to implement the architectural vision successfully.
Embracing Technical Breadth: An architect should possess a wide breadth of technical knowledge while still maintaining a certain level of depth. This enables them to envision solutions and possibilities that may remain hidden from others.
Balancing Trade-offs: The ability to understand, analyze, and reconcile trade-offs between various solutions and technologies is vital in the decision-making process.
Grasping Business Drivers: An architect must be well-versed in business drivers and understand how they translate into architectural concerns.
Technical Breadth
In comparison to developers who delve deeply into specific technologies, software architects require a broader understanding of various technologies to effectively perceive the architectural landscape.
We can break this broad understanding into the following categories:
Knowledge/Skills You Currently Possess: This includes the technologies, frameworks, languages, and tools that you, as a technologist, use on a daily basis to perform your job, such as programming in C# and others.
Knowledge/Skills You Know You Lack: These are the technologies or areas where you possess some basic awareness or have heard of, but you lack expertise. It is common for many individuals to claim expertise in AI, but the only thing they know about AI is Chat GTP.
Knowledge/Skills You Don't Even Know You Lack: This is the most crucial part of the triangle. It comprises a vast array of technologies, tools, frameworks, and languages that exist today, which could potentially offer the perfect solution to a problem. However, you might not even be aware that they exist!
Transitioning to an Architect
Moving from a developer to an architect role can be a challenging endeavor. As a developer, you primarily focus on honing your expertise in specific areas. However, stepping into an architect's shoes requires a shift in perspective, which many find difficult to navigate.
One must understand that the knowledge and skills required for an architect differ from those of a developer. At this stage, an architect's value lies in possessing a broad understanding of technology and how it can be applied to solve diverse problems.
Knowing multiple solutions to a particular problem becomes more valuable than having singular expertise in only one.
In future articles, we will delve deeper into the following essential areas:
Analyzing Trade-Offs
Understanding Business Drivers
Balancing Architecture and Hands-On Coding
Modularity
Metrics and Measurements
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