What no one told you..

No one has told you about this. How does it feel to enter the Architecture profession? Does it match with what you had in mind? What turns out to be a fallacy?

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“Hello, Architecture World!“

when I joined the space of Architecture, I felt like an explorer. And I came in with excitement, a touch of imposter syndrome, and a strong sense of responsibility. What is this all about? How can I become successful? How does “perfect“ Architecture look like?

I do not know about your experience and feelings. Maybe, you felt the same? Well, I can tell you. I had a lot of questions in mind.

Which skill set is required? What state of mind is needed to become a successful Architect? And on top of this all the different Architecture roles:

Software Architect, Infrastructure Architect, Solution Architect, Business/Technical Domain Architect, Enterprise Architect..

Want some more? This is perfect for a dedicated article on this topic.

Back to the origin. Before I took the new role, I was managing a larger application suite. Nowadays, this is the typical Product Owner role. Taking care of the development and roadmap of the applications and ensuring stable operations. I always had a strong focus on translating business needs into solutions. I was confident. The experience I have made, along with my analytical sharpness would help me in my new role.

Now, I took the transition into the role of a Solution Architect. More than excited and fully of energy and enthusiasm. How will my first steps look like? Will it be similar to my previous role? Do I just have to take a broader view? Will I be able to design a perfect Solution Architecture?

The first weeks passed. And I knew what to do — joke aside. Every conversation. Every discussion. Every appointment. Every sketching. Every drawing. I did not expect how much I did not know. And I learned. I learned a lot of things. It was a huge learning experience - without doubt.

And do you know why I was able to learn?

“Hello, Mentor.“

who already went through all of this. Someone who takes care of you and your development. Someone who is patient and allows you to make mistakes. Someone who takes time, teaches and guides. That someone gave me the space to fail safely and created the best learning environment I could have hoped for.

I had a great mentor and manager who took the time to take care of my development. And I have to admit, he has been very patient with me! I still admire his excellent skills to present and facilitate architecture decisions. I wonder if I'll ever get anywhere near him. Time will show.

Aren't these recurring patterns?

The many conversations with other architects, lead developers, project & product managers and business stakeholders shaped my thinking. I got a better understanding of what these roles usually expect from an Architect. And funny enough, the different expectations and understanding of what Architecture should do.

Apart from the experience gained internally, I followed industry leaders in software engineering and Architecture. I absorbed what they talked about, whether best practices, anti patterns and latest trends.

I have the privilege and am grateful that I have developed further. Whether in a supporting role of a Business Domain Architect, to further development at the flight level of an Enterprise Architect. I can tell you, it is of huge benefit to experience these different playing fields. It's about different roles on different flight levels, but they all have some in common.

I took quite a while to see certain patterns that stand out. I felt more clarity and my mind started to understand the actual purpose of the role and how it provides value to organizations. It turned out that the human side is of great importance.

With the growing understanding, it felt easier to grasp how one can thrive, grow and be successful in an Architecture role. Some of the learnings I want to share with you.

What I thought vs. what I learned

Architecture is all about technology.

Well, not quite. It's far more about people. Understanding different perspectives and incentives of stakeholders, navigating conflicts and communicating trade-offs. And do not underestimate to always start from the business side of things. Technology is not an end in itself. Even if it is tempting. You have the responsibility to deliver business outcomes enabled by technology. It's all about business outcomes. Never forget that.

Architects know all the answers.

That sounds too good to be true, right? Forget about the answers, focus on asking the right questions. Listen to people. Summarize what has been said in your own words. Try to point out potential misunderstandings and get the perspective of your stakeholders. Learn what it takes to ask the right questions. It sounds easy, but it is far more tempting to talk instead of thinking about the right questions to ask.

Architecture is static.

In a world full of changes, with an enormous pace of change — static? Architecture is a continuous exercise. Everything is in motion and changing. Driven by both internal and external influences. You have to adapt. Architecture has to adapt. Instead of blueprinting, think about your garden. It's more like gardening.

Architecture is perfect.

Architecture always depends on context. You're a decision professional. In a decision discipline. You need to understand the business context. The strategy and the current implications and constraints. Quite a lot of things in fact. But the most important, it is about trade-offs. Instead of chasing perfection, develop scenarios and show trade-offs. A “good enough“ decision today, with a path to change later, may hit the nail.

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