What in your opinion defines a software architect.
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Im sure the answer I will get is that it depends across different companies, but my definition would be someone who can come into a company conceptualize the business need and provide technical guidance, design and development of an enterprise level solution..In your opinion should certification justify someone calling themselves an architect? what do you think?
IMO: Maybe it is defined the same way a construction architect is. I am no expert in construction, but I think it goes like this. Architects choose designs that exist out there that have established usages for usage in a project. The architect probably chooses many different designs to cover all of the functions of the project. There exists a set of rudimentary functions ('drive nail into wood', 'operate crane', 'paint wood', etc.) that must be used to implement a design. The architect may or may not know how to do all of these, but it helps to know them (in the case of 'abstraction' leaks). The construction worker (or software programmer) comes in. They know the rudimentary functions or tools (language) inside-out. They follow the design to build functions in the project. An engineer (software engineer) oversees the project's techinical side and keeps the architects and workers working together correctly and efficiently. Edit: And they ensure that organizational and institutionalized standards are follows for quality management. Edit (again): The group is collectively constucting something--which makes everyone a constructor, which is usaully stated in the form "I am in construction." As far as software, in a project, we are all collectively developing software--which makes us all "software developers".
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Im sure the answer I will get is that it depends across different companies, but my definition would be someone who can come into a company conceptualize the business need and provide technical guidance, design and development of an enterprise level solution..In your opinion should certification justify someone calling themselves an architect? what do you think?
From what little I have read about 'Software Architecture' it sounds remarkably similar to what we used to call a Systems Analyst.
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.”
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Im sure the answer I will get is that it depends across different companies, but my definition would be someone who can come into a company conceptualize the business need and provide technical guidance, design and development of an enterprise level solution..In your opinion should certification justify someone calling themselves an architect? what do you think?
SciGama wrote:
conceptualize
Beeeeeerp!
SciGama wrote:
business need
Beeeeeerp!
SciGama wrote:
enterprise level solution
Beeeeeerp!
A software architect must break down complex requirements into pieces that individual developers can deal with, and make sure they can be put together. He needs to have enough overview over the different projects to know where they can be put together, and share an implementation. Or, "strategize business value and leverage synergies", in management speak.
Agh! Reality! My Archnemesis![^]
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SciGama wrote:
conceptualize
Beeeeeerp!
SciGama wrote:
business need
Beeeeeerp!
SciGama wrote:
enterprise level solution
Beeeeeerp!
A software architect must break down complex requirements into pieces that individual developers can deal with, and make sure they can be put together. He needs to have enough overview over the different projects to know where they can be put together, and share an implementation. Or, "strategize business value and leverage synergies", in management speak.
Agh! Reality! My Archnemesis![^]
| FoldWithUs! | sighist | WhoIncludes - Analyzing C++ include file hierarchyBingo! We have a winner!
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Im sure the answer I will get is that it depends across different companies, but my definition would be someone who can come into a company conceptualize the business need and provide technical guidance, design and development of an enterprise level solution..In your opinion should certification justify someone calling themselves an architect? what do you think?
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Mike Mullikin wrote:
An AI CAD application that can design buildings all by itself.
I WANT ONE!!!
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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Mark Wallace wrote:
Going from experience, it's someone who understands a few things too well, but most things not enough, and is inherently incapable of coherently describing either, but who is really, really good at talking the talk to upper management.
I seriously thought that was the manager. :doh:
The funniest thing about this particular signature is that by the time you realise it doesn't say anything it's too late to stop reading it. My latest tip/trick Visit the Hindi forum here.
Abhinav S wrote:
I seriously thought that was the manager.
No, manager would be it's someone who understands a few things too well, but most things not enough doesn't understand anything at all, and is inherently incapable of coherently describing either, but who is really, really good at talking the talk to upper management.
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Im sure the answer I will get is that it depends across different companies, but my definition would be someone who can come into a company conceptualize the business need and provide technical guidance, design and development of an enterprise level solution..In your opinion should certification justify someone calling themselves an architect? what do you think?
Your definition suffices. Not every programmer is a software architect, some of them just implement what they are told. Unit testers are clearly not architects.
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Im sure the answer I will get is that it depends across different companies, but my definition would be someone who can come into a company conceptualize the business need and provide technical guidance, design and development of an enterprise level solution..In your opinion should certification justify someone calling themselves an architect? what do you think?
I prefer the definition I heard at a Microsoft Developer Conference: "Over 40 and overconfident"
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Abhinav S wrote:
I seriously thought that was the manager.
No, manager would be it's someone who understands a few things too well, but most things not enough doesn't understand anything at all, and is inherently incapable of coherently describing either, but who is really, really good at talking the talk to upper management.