Becoming an Architect
On most of my projects I noticed myself being positioned as dev lead/architect after a little while and this has started my thinking about the thin line, if there is any, between dev lead and/or architect. In my case I got stamped with the top-notch developer label and my affinity with software architecture that brought me on higher grounds. It was here where I suddenly got overwhelmed with politics and communication demands. Luckily I proved not to be the guy in the corner and did a reasonable/good job on the communication part. It struck me as I was phoning with my team lead the other day. It felt as if this promotion offer was an effort to retain me.
This experience brought me to the question Who is Right for the Architect Role?
The best architects, then, are good technologists and command respect in the technical community, but also are good strategists, organizational politicians (in the best sense of the word), consultants and leaders.
The Role of the Architect by Dana Bredemeyer, Ruth Malan, 2000