Demystifying the Vital Role of IT Architects
Ever been in the "Do you build houses or commercial buildings?" situation after mentioning you're an Architect? I have been in this situation and it turns out, the IT Architect title isn't as widely understood as we might think. This is my attempt to educate others on what Architects do by focusing on their skills so next time someone asks you a follow-up question — “Do you work in IT or Civil as an Architect”?
IT Architect — By Definition
An architect is a professional responsible for designing and overseeing systems and applications within an organization. An Architect plays a crucial role in shaping the technological landscape of organizations to support their objectives.
First, let’s look at some of the common titles for an Architect.
- IT Architect
- Enterprise Architect
- Solutions Architect
- Technical Architect
- Business Architect
- Data Architect
- Cloud Architect
- Systems Architect
- Software Architect
- Architects without a Title (I know!)
Foundational Skills:
First, let’s start with the foundational skills that are needed to become a successful Architect:
#1 — Business Acumen
Understanding the business needs and goals of your stakeholders is the most critical skill needed to become a good Architect. If you don’t understand the “why” behind the ask and you are not able to put yourself into your stakeholder's shoes, you will always be misaligned on “what” needs to be done. A good architect speaks the language of the business.
“Technical fluency + Business acumen = success”
#2 — Listening
While Architects are known for design and building expertise, strong listening skills that are beyond hearing are fundamental to being successful as an Architect. Let me give you an example: “One of the stakeholders who is very intelligent (I mean it!) will tell you they need an umbrella to get their lunch during inclement weather”. Now, if you as an Architect listening to this problem, you should be able to understand - their problem is they need lunch, not an umbrella (it’s that easy, right?!). If you can provide them lunch in the office, they don’t need an Umbrella. It’s understanding the root of the problem not what’s being told.
“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.” — Peter Drucker
#3 — Financial Awareness
Understanding the cost implication of solving a problem and evaluating the Return on Investment (ROI) for potential solutions is crucial for an Architect. The calculation of ROI hinges on various constraints essential for problem-solving, including Human Resources, Time, Financial Resources, System limitations, and numerous others.
Understanding ROI helps you make better decisions, allocate resources effectively, and drive business growth.” — Stephen Covey
#4 — Problem-Solving
Now, once you’ve discerned that a stakeholder requires lunch rather than an umbrella, you need to put on a hat of Sherlock Holmes to understand how can you solve this problem. I advocate for having a few alternatives in mind for problem-solving; however, excessive options can lead to confusion. Finding a balance is key, and typically, I find three options to be ideal, though the number may vary depending on the complexity of the problem. Putting together options will make you think deeply about the Pros and Cons of all solutions. Subsequently, based on your judgment, which entails understanding constraints, limitations, and ROI, you can recommend an option to stakeholders.
#5 — Leadership & Communication
An architect has a crucial job of articulating facts and concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences including executives. Architects must possess the capability to advocate solutions that are in line with strategic objectives. Architects most of the time need to collaborate with other architects and diverse teams where they need to embody leadership skills to get things done.
#6 — Time Management
Architects should be able to prioritize multiple tasks and meet their deadlines effectively which is very crucial in this role. There will always be several things at the same time that will seem like “The Sky is Falling!” moments and where architects will be brought into conversations to help and support. Now, if you don’t have Time Management skills, you will always be burned out and won’t be able to accomplish your priorities with these ad-hoc tasks.
#7 — Continuous Learning
Architects will need to stay updated with evolving technologies, industry trends, and best practices throughout their careers. These days technology and business problems are changing very rapidly. Now, if you are not keeping up with Trends and technologies, you will be left behind without knowing until it’s very late. Please make sure to keep up with the latest technologies and continue to upskill yourself but only after mastering the core expertise of your role.
Domain-Specific Skills
These are skills that are needed on top of foundational skills for any architect to be successful in their particular role. For example:
- Cloud Architects will need expertise in a platform like AWS, Azure, or GCP knowledge.
- Solutions Architects will need knowledge in their domain areas like Marketing, Sales, or Finance.
- Data Architects might need expertise in data warehousing, SQL, or other data lake applications like Snowflake.
- Technical Architects might need to know a specific programming language and software development methodologies.
- Enterprise Architects might need proficiency in architectural frameworks like TOGAF, Zackman Framework, or other industry standards.
If you think you have all of these skills then you are an Architect. I’d like to exphasize possessing the skillset of an architect does not necessarily require holding the formal title of Architect. I’ve encountered numerous leaders and developers who exhibit the skillset typically associated with architects.
Now, you must be wondering, why do I need to become an Architect? Or how do I learn these skills? — Check out my new blog ‘Are you looking for reasons to become an IT Architect?’ to get more details.
Thanks for reading!
I hope you have found this article useful. If you did, it would be awesome if you could provide your feedback, and let’s get connected. You can find me on LinkedIn.
PS: This is my first article!
