Oracle Magazine - May/June 2011

Software Architecture:
It’s a Lot of Talk
Communication takes up a big chunk of a
software architect’s day.

It’s fascinating. A surprising amount of the conversation about software architecture on various social networks, including LinkedIn and Wikipedia, is devoted to exploring what software architecture is, as opposed to talking about how to do it. How can the role of software architect be among the most promising professions if there is so little understanding of what the job entails?

Of course, the lack of understanding about the profession may come as a surprise to people already in that role who have earned their architect’s stripes. I turned to just such people in an effort to get a general sense of how software architects actually spend their time.

As it happens (this may set off your irony detector), most of that time is spent talking—and listening—at least among the architects I contacted. But if you think that means software architecture is a lot of coffee-infused hot air, think again.

“The majority of my time as an architect
is taken up with communication,” say Jeff
Davies, a senior principal product manager
at Oracle and a veteran of more than a
decade in software architecture. “I meet with
all stakeholders and explain clearly what the
architecture achieves, how it achieves it, and
what the stakeholders’ responsibilities are
in realizing that architecture. During these
meetings I also gather information that
helps the architecture group to make the
inevitable real-world trade-offs in time and
capability to bring each project to fruition.”
Veteran architect and Oracle ACE Director
Ron Batra, director of cloud computing
product development at AT&T, also says that
much of his time is spent communicating.

“I find that communicating an architectural vision or roadmap to the stakeholders and implementation teams takes the most time,”

says Batra, who has spent most of his 15 years
in I T as an architect. “Everyone’s perception
of the picture is different, and it seems to take
continuous repetition to ensure the details are
absorbed. Sometimes it feels there is more
time spent talking and presenting than on the
teams actually doing the work.”
That’s right, presentations. For software
architects, slide decks can be weapons of
mass instruction.

Pat Shepherd, an enterprise architect
at Oracle, emphasizes the importance of a
strong presentation. “It’s all about gathering
information and perspectives—everything
from business imperatives with CIOs and
lines of business to discussions with archi-
tects about what is and is not working. Along
those lines, I always spend time creating
presentations, at both strategic and tactical
levels, that provide insight into key findings
and recommendations for the path forward.”
Staying on the right path can require a
dual focus. That’s because software architec-
ture is more than a vision thing. It’s as much
about dealing with where you are today as it
is about where you’re headed tomorrow.

“A large part of my day involves reacting
to changes and issues,” says Brian Jimerson,
a technical architect for Avantia who has
spent eight years in the software architec-
ture trenches. “These can be anything from
staffing and resources to evolving customer
expectations to software bugs or even power
outages. These changes and issues can
all affect solution delivery and are usually
unpredictable. But they still need to be
addressed in a consistent manner that keeps
the delivery team on course and doesn’t
impact the overall solution.”
Of course, all that multitasking can easily
deteriorate into a substantial time drain.
Keeping all the balls in the air is a matter of

blogs.oracle.com/archbeat
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skill, balance, and attitude.

“Since software architecture spans so many
facets of I T, such as infrastructure, process,
people, and development, I find myself
switching focus quite a bit,” says Jimerson.
“The fact that I get to be involved in so many
things is a great part of my job. It gives me
insight, expertise, and leadership in the full
I T lifecycle. The downside is that it takes time
to switch my focus between these different
aspects. But this is definitely an acceptable
price to pay to be able to do what I do.”
So is software architecture a lot of talk?
Yes, indeed. But it’s talk with a mission, and
that’s time well spent. 

Bob Rhubart

( bob.rhubart@oracle.com)
is manager of the
architect community
on Oracle Technology
Network, the host of the
Oracle Technology Network ArchBeat podcast
series, and the author of the ArchBeat blog
( blogs.oracle.com/archbeat).

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“What Are the Attributes of a Software Architect?” linkd.in/g5fNal “Engineer vs. Architect” linkd.in/g0T0tw “Application Architecture = Solution Architecture?” linkd.in/eRgQAR software architect definition on Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_architect