The Architect Guild

Architecture Practices

Andy Hochstetler
3–4 minutes

Enterprise Architecture

An Enterprise Architect (EA) plays a crucial role in the strategic planning and technological advancement of an organization. Here’s a comprehensive overview of their responsibilities:

  1. Envisioning and Communicating Architecture: EAs are responsible for envisioning, communicating, and evolving an organization’s enterprise architecture1. They create the strategy and portfolio-level technical roadmaps for new and innovative technologies.
  2. Integrating IT Systems: EAs develop ways to integrate the business’ IT systems, creating and implementing enterprise architecture models. They improve the current IT infrastructure, optimize business operations, and set the direction and approach for integrating information applications and programs.
  3. Guiding Technical Design of Solutions: EAs collaborate with System Architects and Solution Architects to guide the technical design of solutions developed by Agile Release Trains (ARTs) and Solution Trains.
  4. Leading Enabler Epics: They lead Enabler Epics through the Portfolio Kanban, which builds the more significant architecture for the portfolio’s solutions.
  5. Fostering Adaptive Design and Engineering Practices: Relying on continuous feedback, EAs foster adaptive design and engineering practices and drive ARTs and teams to unite around a shared technical vision.
  6. Guiding Value Streams: EAs guide the portfolio’s value streams as they build new elements of an organization’s enterprise architecture.
  7. Providing Architectural Runway and Governance: EAs provide some Architectural Runway and governance, supporting current and future needs, such as usability and behavioral constructs across the enterprise’s solutions.
  8. Collaborating Among Architecture Roles: EAs regularly collaborate with other architects to ensure alignment and address issues and concerns as they arise.
  9. Developing Enterprise Architecture Strategy: The strategy for enterprise architecture enables embracing organizational change faster, providing a significant competitive advantage.
  10. Choice of Technology and Usage: Choosing appropriate technologies is a critical element of strategy development.
  11. Solution Architecture Strategy: The Enterprise Architect works closely with the Solution and System Architects to ensure that individual program and product strategies align with business and technical objectives.

In small organizations, a single person may take on every one of these roles, whereas a large organization could have dozens of fine-grained positions. The role of an EA is dynamic and evolves with the changing needs of the business and advancements in technology.

Application Architecture

An Application Architect plays a pivotal role in the software development process, overseeing the design and development of software applications. Here’s a comprehensive overview of their responsibilities:

  1. Designing Application Structure: Application Architects are responsible for designing the structure of applications, including choosing the right technology stack and defining how different components of an application interact. They ensure the application’s scalability, performance, and security while meeting business requirements.
  2. Managing Application Development: They manage application development and troubleshooting. They may work with clients on planning and designing applications or oversee a team of developers, addressing coding or programming issues as they arise.
  3. Collaborating with Stakeholders: Application Architects collaborate on application design with internal stakeholders and application development teams. They implement and monitor application development stages, and document application development processes.
  4. Leading Application Development Team: They often work on large teams with team members of all different skill and experience levels. The ability to lead a team is often desirable as an application architect, since architects may be the team lead.
  5. Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills are important when working as an application architect. An application architect may communicate with team members of all technical backgrounds, and the ability to adjust communication and presentations between entry-level technicians and enterprise-level stakeholders is necessary.
  6. Technical Skills: Technical skills, including computers and programming, are necessary when working as an application architect. Many employers also expect application architects to have specific technical knowledge, including AJAX or C#/C++ coding.
  7. Mentoring and Support: They mentor junior application developers and provide end-users with technical support. They run diagnostic tests and perform debugging procedures.
  8. Application Integration and Maintenance: They perform application integration, maintenance, upgrades, and migration.
  9. Documenting Processes: They document application development processes, procedures, and standards.
  10. Incorporating Trends: They integrate trends in application architecture in application development projects.

The role of an Application Architect is dynamic and evolves with the changing needs of the business and advancements in technology.

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