Mike Kavis has a good take on the role of the Enterprise Architect in the world of SOA. Mike is one.

Responding to my last post.

"Dave's point 'Somebody needs to have the political will to figure out a long term solution' is what I am referring to as 'fighting the good fight'. As enterprise architects, chief architects, CIOs, and CTOs, we owe it to our respective companies to deliver value, efficiencies, and enable our business partners to achieve their goals. Too often, IT shops have become bogged down in keeping the lights on because they always take the quick and dirty route to solving problems. Always remember, the dirty hangs around long after the quick is gone. It is time to fight the good fight and build an architecture that allows your IT shop to be responsive to the business (agile) while building a sustainable architecture that supports both short and long term needs."

So, what does an architect need? Mike adds some color:

"Emotional Intelligence - ability to perceive, assess, and manage the emotions of yourself or others.

Leadership - ability to affect human behavior to accomplish a mission or goal

Effectively Communicate - ability to clearly articulate (verbal and written) one's message. Includes ability to persuade, negotiate, articulate, sell, and others.

Intelligence - ability to learn and retain information about new technologies, processes, and solutions.

Problem Solving - Find solutions to complex problems, both technical and non-technical

Vision/Strategic - Ability to predict future patterns and plan accordingly. Create roadmaps and action plans for accomplishing goals."

I can't argue with that, as long as there is some technical knowledge that's in there as well. Architects have the unenviable role of meshing people, with technology, with a business. That's going to take a unique person to be successful longer term, I've seen very few people who live up to those expectations. Indeed, they are either business people, people people, or technology people. Never all of the above.

Posted by Dave Linthicum on March 11, 2008 04:19 AM