Completely agree that it is generally an evolutionary path. It takes a certain amount of experience in different roles to build up the knowledge required to perform a good job as an architect. Equally, it is fair to say that not everyone is suited to a role as an architect - in my view it takes a certain "bigger picture" vision to be successful, and some people working their way through other roles on a project (developer, designer, or even pm) may not develop that vision.

Do you need one? I think having a single point of responsibility is hugely important. Where does the buck stop otherwise? Agreed that it is important to "get the job(s) done" and that they might be performed by a number of individuals, but having an architect to lead is valuable. Who is going to provide the technical coordination otherwise? How do you avoid warring factions on a project?

I may or may not be referring to a specific example, Simon! :-)<style type="text/css"></style>