What can System Architects learn from successful leaders in their field?

Develop a comprehensive systems architecture as early as possible in every project. It will deliver benefits and resolve questions in all succeeding phases. With complex projects it is hard to begin the architectural process. Resist the temptation to put off tackling an architecture. It will only get more difficult as design decisions are made without a plan. The key is to break up the large architecture design into smaller components than can be understood and combined. The term “functional decomposition” applies to this process. Use a standardized process to ensure that the systems architecture reflects both business and technology viewpoints. Documentation and communication are critical to success.

Leaders are receptive to feedback and change regarding their initiatives, and they benefit from it. System Architects can acquire knowledge on critical facets such as the solution's responsiveness or ability to resolve business issues in response to changing requirements or business models, adaptability to evolving needs, receptiveness to novel ideas and solutions without preconceived notions, and development of competitive solutions that not only resolve business problems but also readily incorporate changes.

Great architects must also be able to gather these requirements, constraints, risks, etc. Being able to communicate across a range of personas and domains to capture accurate information early in the project lifecycle is key. Otherwise you risk having solved the wrong problem or a problem for the wrong audience. A great architect must not only know who holds this information for their project but how to effectively work with them to capture information.

As technology professionals in all areas we never stop learning, this is a skill that has to be present in our tasks, many times we have to learn from other people's experiences and knowing how to say these experiences can be a differentiating factor

That's correct, System Architects can learn long term and short term wins from successful leaders and bake this into their architecture. Designing for immediate may not necessarily mean that design can easily be adapted for tomorrow. That foresight has to be infused into the design and leaders are the ones who hold that perspective the most!

In selecting the right architecture and design patterns, I've found that prioritizing scalability has been immensely useful. Ensuring the system can seamlessly adapt and grow aligns with modern demands, nurture resilience and future-proofing the architecture. Cloud computing inherently supports scalability, along with other features like self-service, infrastructure as code, security and measured service.

Solid advice on selecting the style and components of the system architecture. A wide variety of system architectures out there -- this appears to be geared towards technology, but the general process is similar -- I've had some experience in system design other industries. I would add that before selecting style, many factors need to be considered, including cost/budget, environmental factors, compliance, and easy of use, among others.

Creio que o bom líder em arquitetura ao desenhar uma nova solução levaria em consideração a expertise do time com relação a determinados padrões, tecnologias e estilos arquiteturais, a stack e tecnologias adotadas pela organização, conversa com outros arquitetos mais experientes dentro da empresa e uma conversa com o próprio time. Existem técnicas também que ajudam muito nessa escolha. Gosto bastante de usar a técnica de EventStorming que ajuda bastante a conhecer meu contexto de negocio, domínios, subdomínios, contextos delimitados e agregados. Essa técnica faz parte da Domain Driven Design estratégico e para mim é um bom início para começar um bom planejamento e escolha de padrões ao final dessas definições.

One of the key things I’ve learned is also choosing the right decision process. If you are working for a F500 team you likely have existing standards and patterns to work within. If you’re in consulting you may only be constrained by which cloud they want to deploy in. Knowing what scenario you’re in and choosing evaluation criteria appropriately will help you craft a strong architecture every time.

Solid advice. There is no perfect solution for all, always choose right tools for right works. Choose and use tools based on their advertisement will pay the price along the ways

Many things you can learn from a book or course, like styles, patterns, and documentation skills. Collaboration, however, is very tricky to learn without a mentor!

Getting feedback on a proposed architecture is of most importance. The proposed solution should be examined and challenged by different subject matter experts.

If you’ve ever talked with anyone 5+ years in seat you’ve realized that architecture years are like dog years and also this is all cyclical. Monoliths vs microarchitecture, DIY vs. Managed, etc. Point being that your peers have almost certainly seen some permutation of whatever challenge you’re facing and can make it annoying simple after a chat.

A hidden pitfall for architects is not communicating with development and operations teams to understand where implementers are with respects to capabilities and practice maturity. Offering solutions that are leaps away from current competencies creates project and production risks, especially when delivery timelines exclude consideration for team learning and growth. A good architect will consider their ideal solution as a target architecture and incorporate their knowledge of the teams' capabilities into an iterative design that allows for growth towards aspirational states.

In my view, it's imperative to value diverse perspectives, even from those outside their primary field, as they can contribute to crafting more robust solutions. Seek individuals who challenge your solutions; it not only aids in refining your current approach but may also unveil alternative perspectives and solutions.

Yes, communicating the chosen architecture and explaining the benefits of it to diverse audiences is of most importance as both technical and non-technical actors have to buy into it and fully support it.

Good leaders in System Architecture are able to effectively communicate technical concepts to non-technical team members, clients, and stakeholders. This ensures everyone is on board with the system design and its implementation.

The key here is to remember that the architecture doesn't exist for the architect, but for the stakeholders. Remembering the metamodel from ISO 42010, an architecture description identifies stakeholders and their concerns (yes, they are part of the architecture description) and uses specific views to address those concerns. Viewpoints establish the rules for creating views to address the stakeholders concerns, and thus can be thought of as the stakeholder's perspective formalized. Going in with the understanding that you need to plan your architecting for stakeholders will help you be a better architect and a better storyteller with your architecture descriptions.

Add icons according to standard practice. Try to make it stand out better using colors as well. Colors provide more layers and keeps the viewer more focused

Communication can happen in multiple ways and these are not exclusive of each other. First, any new architecture should be well documented in some sort of paper, then reviewed by multiple roles close to the need of this new architecture. This step makes the document clearer, addresses most of the gaps and is ready for a wider audience. Next would be having meetings with the teams that need to implement it or change already established systems, answering to their technical detailed questions, and gathering info like estimations, dependencies that may impact the implementation, etc. — this information should also be added in the accompanying documents for the new architecture. There are also other ways like conferences, OSS proposals, etc.

I guess the main aspect here is how Agile and eagerness you got to just dive into the dirt. Experience is needed, however not blockage, as team here plays a great role, Architect needs to be in the lead to get all the lines to visualize what's going on, and act upon, seek help, address the right personnel. Last but not least, every thing needs time, so it's good to think through not to be impulsive, just a solution is not what we want , but a good solution!

Experience is the key here. But, its not necessary your experience. Don't be afraid to get help from friends and paid consultants

Para um arquiteto, adaptabilidade se traduz no desprendimento das soluções pensadas e criadas. Não importa uma dada blueprint traduzir toda sua capacidade se ela não resolve o problema do negócio. O bom arquiteto entende muito bem que as necessidades do negócio sempre vem em primeiro lugar, e que, por isso, a melhor solução é a que melhor atende a isso, mesmo que sua arquitetura não seja "agradável".

Rolling with the punches is just part of the game. Scope creep can be the death knell. Keeping requirements to the basics and not getting lost on tangents is a skill that takes experience to master. You have to be able to say wait... this isn't going anywhere!

Typically your company will have a yearly investment fund that employees can use to purchase training, books, etc. Making sure you understand what is eligible for further training will help you make more of an impact each year.

Life long learning is I think key to any professional who wants to excel, make important contributions, and move their field forward. Of course this is difficult to do if one isn't naturally curious and passionate about their chosen field. AI is a good example of a very steep learning curve on top of IT/SW architecture. While running say GenAI apps on top of the infrastructure of others is relatively easy, it's essential for many organizations to achieve a competitive advantage, and that requires much deeper knowledge. I've been working on it for 26 years, for example, which resulted in inventing two end-to-end AI systems. Steep learning curve.

Technology and best practices in system architecture are constantly evolving. Successful leaders are those who take the time to keep up with these changes and are always learning.

As a former system architect in the ever-evolving world of ICT, I've learned that continuous growth and adaptation are key. Successful leaders in this field, whom I've observed and learned from, demonstrate a blend of qualities that are essential for any system architect looking to excel. Reflection and adaptability are common traits among these leaders. They regularly reflect on their experiences, feedback, and even mistakes, using them as opportunities for growth and improvement. This reflective practice is something I've always integrated into my own approach, ensuring that every project and challenge contributes to my professional career as an system architect.

Evolution means changes. This one also pushes all systems to change even the software and hardware must be changed. So a good architecture can run for a long time and be changeable whenever new requirements define new challenges. For me the plug and play components can grant this dynamic changes where only the contract are mandatory to be satisfied. Everithing else can be black box inside own business area.

We often talk of architecting as more art than science. It's driven by heuristics. With that in mind, a good heuristic to remember is that a skilled architect can zoom in and zoom out as needed. They change their perspective intentionally to consider things from many points of view and at many levels of abstraction.

Emphasizing the importance of versatility in technology choices is key. Prioritizing the value and time that a technology brings to a project over chasing the latest trends is a wise approach. It allows freelancers to adapt to diverse client needs and deliver meaningful results, steering clear of unnecessary complexity and focusing on what truly adds value to the projects they undertake.

Consult everyone you xanbut add them as experience pointa to consider. Don't follow trends or a celeb because you dont know. You got to thia position because you have the knlowage to lead, not to follow

In addition, system architects should prioritize soft skills like communication and teamwork, which is essential for translating complex ideas to diverse audiences. Staying adaptable in the face of change and maintaining ethical standards, especially in data security and privacy, is crucial. Balancing hands-on technical skills with strategic thinking will enable architects to design systems that are not only functional but also visionary.