Thinking Like an Architect

"For me, it's much more about defining being an architect as a way of thinking, a way of looking at the world, a way of working with other teams. I think that way we get maybe a better and hopefully also a different view on, what does it actually mean to be an architect? What does it mean to think like an architect?"

"They come to me or they come to a chief architect of sorts, and say, please make the decision for us. I don't think that actually leads to the best possible decision. There's one important thing that we can do, and that is help other teams come to better decisions, more informed decisions, and consider all the options, communicate and understand the ramifications of those decisions better. That is a way we make other people smarter."

Being an architect is best framed as a way of thinking, a perspective on systems, and a mode of working with other teams. Titles alone do not determine who is an architect or who makes the best architectural choices. Architects should avoid assuming primary responsibility for final decisions; decisions are often better made by those closer to the action. The valuable role of an architect is to help teams reach more informed decisions by clarifying options, communicating trade-offs, and explaining ramifications. This role focuses on enabling others, distributing knowledge, and improving overall decision quality rather than issuing top-down edicts.

Read at InfoQ