7 Habits of Highly Defective Architects
These are 7 despicable habits that enable highly defective architects to run their software projects (and their colleagues) into the ground. If instead you want to learn about highly effective software architects and the positive role they play in the development process, check out our white paper, The Importance of Software Architecture.
Habit 1: Be Proactive—But Only After Someone Else Is
You’re a software architect, not a hero. Get used to leading from behind. (How many generals do you see on the front lines?) Don’t worry if the good ideas on the table aren’t yours because it will be easy enough to take credit for them when the project succeeds.
Habit 2: Begin with the End of Your Career in Mind
Remember, you’re only one mistake away from oblivion, so play it safe and leave risk-taking to those with no concept of career advancement. You didn’t get a reserved parking spot by going out on a limb.
Habit 3: Put First Things First—Self-promotion is Job One
Do you think anyone is going to acknowledge your architectural genius if you don’t stand up and demand recognition? You may be called egotistical, arrogant, or conceited by those who aren’t sitting in a big chair, making big decisions, but that’s the price you pay for success. So carpe diem and take every opportunity to remind your colleagues that you’re a visionary.
Habit 4: Think I Win/I Win
As an architect, you’re the liaison between business and technology so nobody is really on your side. When business wins, do you? No. When tech wins, do you? No. Can you really be a winner if no one else loses? Of course not! So don’t forget it.
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand…that You’re Too Smart to be Understood
Face it, the reason you’re an architect is because you’re way smarter than the rest of the team, so don’t expect them to actually understand what you do or why you do it. Lower your expectations. Tell the little people what to do and don’t take any guff.
Habit 6: Synergize—You’re Part of a Team So Spread the Blame
You’re part of a team so failure is not your fault. Failure is the team’s fault and you need to communicate that to all stakeholders, especially upper management. Repeat after me: the team let me down.
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw Because Grinding the Axe is Too Obvious
As a software architect, you have to be a good politician. So when someone criticizes you, do what a good politician does: Move ahead with no axe to grind…because it’s a dead giveaway that you’re on the warpath. Sharpen your saw instead and wait for the right moment to cut the support out from under your critic.
Habit 8: One attribute of The Architect’s personality archetype is to remain open to OPTIONS (as many as possible) until the last moment. Consequently, CLOSURE is not a happy state for The Architect. The prescription here: continue self-referential thinking until the project is mired in feature-creep and useless open-endedness, so that the project will never really reach a milestone, and you can make a career out of supporting a trivial end.