Architecture soft skills

Expectations

  • Analyze technology, industry and market trends and keep current with those latest trends
  • Analyze the current technology environment and recommend solutions for improvement including deployment issues, sprint overrun issues
  • Ensure compliance with the architecture, no one else is going to ensure this other than the architect
  • Have exposure to multiple and diverse technologies, platforms and environments e.g. .NET, J2EE, C++
  • Possess exceptional interpersonal skills, including teamwork, facilitation and negotiation
  • Define the architecture and design principles to guide technology decisions for the enterprise
  • Understand the political climate of the enterprise and be able to navigate the politics

Architecture aspects

  • Leadership and Communication
  • Technical Knowledge
  • Business Domain Knowledge
  • Methodology and Strategy

Further reading

  • 97 Things Every Software Architect Should Know, Monson-Haefel et al
  • A Practical Guide to Enterprise Architecture, McGovern et al
  • Software Architecture in Practice 3rd Edition, Bass et al