Mind the gap

Fri, 02 May 2008 10:58:03 GMT

Our industry has a love/hate relationship with the software architect role, with many organisations dismissing it because of their negative experiences of architects that dictate from "ivory towers" and aren't engaged with the actual task of building working software. This reputation is damaging the IT industry and inhibiting project success. Things need to change. This essay looks at the gap between software developers and software architects, offering some suggestions on how to reduce this gap and ensure projects are driven to a successful conclusion.

Read the full essay in our book.

Question of the week

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:50:17 GMT

This week's question is a common one that I get...

I'm an aspiring software architect and I'm working on a project as a developer. I'm not going to get an architect role without having some experience, but we already have an architect on my project. What should I do and how do I start down the architect path?

First of all, just because you've not got the word "architect" in your current job title that doesn't mean that you're not involved in the architecture. Consider the skills you've demonstrated as a developer - how would you rate yourself on the role profile? At review, or interview, if you can highlight the "architectural" nature of your experience you might find you can break free of this paradox.

As for building your experience, my recommendation is to take some time to study the architecture of the system that you are currently working on. What is the architecture? How does it work? Why has it been designed that way? These are all questions that you can use to understand the decisions that the architect(s) made. Better still, though, try to spend some time with the architect(s). Tell them about your aspirations and ask them if they can spend some time to walk you through what they are doing and understand the decisions they are making. If the architect is open to having their own work reviewed then this is another opportunity to become more involved. Finally, why not ask to be involved in some of the smaller architecturally significant decisions and work; such as proofs of concept, prototypes and product selection.

Just don't expect some epiphany where you suddenly feel like an architect! As this advice for apprentice architects implies, there are various skills and experiences that you need and will continue to develop. At some point you've got to step outside your comfort zone and experience to develop these skills. Good luck!

Coding the Architecture - developer tag

Mind the gap

Question of the week