technical architect - advice
Discussion
I've been given a chance to see if I could do a technical architect role even though I have never done it before. I've been in IT for near on 20 years as a techie so the technical part of it I have no problems with it's just the other stuff I might struggle with. This is completely out of comfort zone so I would appreciate any advice from anyone in this kind of role.
What were you looking for? How to do it? What's it like? Should you do it?
Different part of IT, mildly. More talking to users and decision makes, so much more political. Focus on the requirements gathering and answering, as that's the key to the exit criteria, i.e. being able to run away. Much more involvement in getting the other towers to think about how long it will take, then delivering it, and its all your fault at the end anyway
End of the day, its getting to know the desired outcome first (don't let the business tell you product), designing the technical solution with help from the old you techie sorts, and delivering that despite the best efforts of the project manager. Much fun.
Different part of IT, mildly. More talking to users and decision makes, so much more political. Focus on the requirements gathering and answering, as that's the key to the exit criteria, i.e. being able to run away. Much more involvement in getting the other towers to think about how long it will take, then delivering it, and its all your fault at the end anyway
End of the day, its getting to know the desired outcome first (don't let the business tell you product), designing the technical solution with help from the old you techie sorts, and delivering that despite the best efforts of the project manager. Much fun.
A TA should have a very good technical grounding in a wide range of relevant fields, but some times they are really business roles masquerading as technical. It really depends on the company.
Is your expertise wide or focused & deep?
Can you design applications?
Can you design systems by integrating applications?
Those are the sort of questions you need to be asking yourself. Are you the one suggesting/advocating that certain options would provide specific benefits. Can evaluate a range of technologies and differentiate between options on technical grounds. Could you for example differentiate between CORBA and DCOM, REST vs SOAP, SOA vs N-Tier, or Linux vs Windows.
Is your expertise wide or focused & deep?
Can you design applications?
Can you design systems by integrating applications?
Those are the sort of questions you need to be asking yourself. Are you the one suggesting/advocating that certain options would provide specific benefits. Can evaluate a range of technologies and differentiate between options on technical grounds. Could you for example differentiate between CORBA and DCOM, REST vs SOAP, SOA vs N-Tier, or Linux vs Windows.
If you have questions please feel free to ask, I have been a TA before but would rather slide down a rusty razor blade using my balls as brakes.
But I can help with your questions, and to be fair some people love it but I did not (I took the technical project route instead after SME)
Seems to work for me.
But I can help with your questions, and to be fair some people love it but I did not (I took the technical project route instead after SME)
Seems to work for me.
I have done a couple of gigs as a TA, really does depend on the place as to how easy it is to get into. First one was in a v big regulated environmet with set templates for all the required docs and decent PMs & BAs, was really easy. Also done one with no support, luckily not my first time doing it so not as hard as it would have been if I was new to it.
I'm an infrastructure architect, some companies would class me as a technical architect
I've a strong technical background having done 1st, 2nd & 3rd line support in the past.
As others have said, its much more about politics, requirements gathering and then designing a solution that delivers the requirements and being able to demonstrate that it actually does.
You'll come across people who will defer to you, you'll come across people that will tell you how you are wrong, or that they would done it this way or that way.
I would say 90% of it, is what you might call soft skills, so listening, discussing, writing things down, running meetings or design workshops, 10% is technical, the technical bit is the easy bit...
I spend a lot of my time out of my comfort zone and I like that challenge, but it can also be frustrating especially if your IT Dept doesn't have an established Enterprise Architecture Capability / function and especially so if you are engaged with your business stakeholders or the business outside as a whole.
Theres some frameworks you can use that can help you, look at TOGAF for starters, and if you do dont try and deploy all the TOGAF Methodology in one go you'll drown in it.
Personally I'd say go for it, but it can be quite a big jump up from just being a good techie. Is it possible to shadow or talk to somebody at your company who is already doing that role and find out a bit more about the role and how it works at your company before you make your mind up.
HTH
I've a strong technical background having done 1st, 2nd & 3rd line support in the past.
As others have said, its much more about politics, requirements gathering and then designing a solution that delivers the requirements and being able to demonstrate that it actually does.
You'll come across people who will defer to you, you'll come across people that will tell you how you are wrong, or that they would done it this way or that way.
I would say 90% of it, is what you might call soft skills, so listening, discussing, writing things down, running meetings or design workshops, 10% is technical, the technical bit is the easy bit...
I spend a lot of my time out of my comfort zone and I like that challenge, but it can also be frustrating especially if your IT Dept doesn't have an established Enterprise Architecture Capability / function and especially so if you are engaged with your business stakeholders or the business outside as a whole.
Theres some frameworks you can use that can help you, look at TOGAF for starters, and if you do dont try and deploy all the TOGAF Methodology in one go you'll drown in it.
Personally I'd say go for it, but it can be quite a big jump up from just being a good techie. Is it possible to shadow or talk to somebody at your company who is already doing that role and find out a bit more about the role and how it works at your company before you make your mind up.
HTH
Edited by fizzwheel on Wednesday 31st January 21:28
fizzwheel said:
I'm an infrastructure architect, some companies would class me as a technical architect
I've a strong technical background having done 1st, 2nd & 3rd line support in the past.
As others have said, its much more about politics, requirements gathering and then designing a solution that delivers the requirements and being able to demonstrate that it actually does.
You'll come across people who will defer to you, you'll come across people that will tell you how you are wrong, or that they would done it this way or that way.
I would say 90% of it, is what you might call soft skills, so listening, discussing, writing things down, running meetings or design workshops, 10% is technical, the technical bit is the easy bit...
I spend a lot of my time out of my comfort zone and I like that challenge, but it can also be frustrating especially if your IT Dept doesn't have an established Enterprise Architecture Capability / function and especially so if you are engaged with your business stakeholders or the business outside as a whole.
Theres some frameworks you can use that can help you, look at TOGAF for starters, and if you do dont try and deploy all the TOGAF Methodology in one go you'll drown in it.
Personally I'd say go for it, but it can be quite a big jump up from just being a good techie. Is it possible to shadow or talk to somebody at your company who is already doing that role and find out a bit more about the role and how it works at your company before you make your mind up.
HTH
Brilliant! Thanks. I will have people I can count on for support come Monday. I have jumped at this chance.I've a strong technical background having done 1st, 2nd & 3rd line support in the past.
As others have said, its much more about politics, requirements gathering and then designing a solution that delivers the requirements and being able to demonstrate that it actually does.
You'll come across people who will defer to you, you'll come across people that will tell you how you are wrong, or that they would done it this way or that way.
I would say 90% of it, is what you might call soft skills, so listening, discussing, writing things down, running meetings or design workshops, 10% is technical, the technical bit is the easy bit...
I spend a lot of my time out of my comfort zone and I like that challenge, but it can also be frustrating especially if your IT Dept doesn't have an established Enterprise Architecture Capability / function and especially so if you are engaged with your business stakeholders or the business outside as a whole.
Theres some frameworks you can use that can help you, look at TOGAF for starters, and if you do dont try and deploy all the TOGAF Methodology in one go you'll drown in it.
Personally I'd say go for it, but it can be quite a big jump up from just being a good techie. Is it possible to shadow or talk to somebody at your company who is already doing that role and find out a bit more about the role and how it works at your company before you make your mind up.
HTH
Edited by fizzwheel on Wednesday 31st January 21:28
I'll read up on TOGAF over the weekend and probably do it step by step.
My biggest downfall could well be the soft skills, am I, after all a full on techie with zero social skills hence why I will be out of my comfort zone.
Although I am s
tting it, I am also really looking forward to it; Crash course in Visio and word coming my way 
TOGAF is a good start in terms of understanding the processes and ensuring end to end solutions, but take it as a guidebook not a recipe. Anyone that implements TOGAF as documented is doomed to failure (and I speak as one of the 3 co authors of TOGAF 9)
If you've done system design then you can do TA technically, but it's about ensuring a wider overall solution so you have to consider not just your part of the solution but how it fits to everything else, and that includes other technical solutions, processes and the people.
As has been intimated above, the hardest bit will be the people - they always are, and you may find.a lot of pushback as architects can be seen as external people interfering.
Good luck though it's a good step on the way to senior roles and good money.
Final advice - when you're comfortable, go contracting - it reduces the politics
If you've done system design then you can do TA technically, but it's about ensuring a wider overall solution so you have to consider not just your part of the solution but how it fits to everything else, and that includes other technical solutions, processes and the people.
As has been intimated above, the hardest bit will be the people - they always are, and you may find.a lot of pushback as architects can be seen as external people interfering.
Good luck though it's a good step on the way to senior roles and good money.
Final advice - when you're comfortable, go contracting - it reduces the politics
keirik said:
TOGAF is a good start in terms of understanding the processes and ensuring end to end solutions, but take it as a guidebook not a recipe. Anyone that implements TOGAF as documented is doomed to failure (and I speak as one of the 3 co authors of TOGAF 9)
If you've done system design then you can do TA technically, but it's about ensuring a wider overall solution so you have to consider not just your part of the solution but how it fits to everything else, and that includes other technical solutions, processes and the people.
As has been intimated above, the hardest bit will be the people - they always are, and you may find.a lot of pushback as architects can be seen as external people interfering.
Good luck though it's a good step on the way to senior roles and good money.
Final advice - when you're comfortable, go contracting - it reduces the politics
Luckily, I am already an contractor but was initially taken on as a DevOps chap. This will be something completely new and different for me. If you've done system design then you can do TA technically, but it's about ensuring a wider overall solution so you have to consider not just your part of the solution but how it fits to everything else, and that includes other technical solutions, processes and the people.
As has been intimated above, the hardest bit will be the people - they always are, and you may find.a lot of pushback as architects can be seen as external people interfering.
Good luck though it's a good step on the way to senior roles and good money.
Final advice - when you're comfortable, go contracting - it reduces the politics
Thanks for all the advice and in the words of Frank with the 964...I can hear the slide deck calling
I'm a TA, came from a development background. I thought it'd be really difficult, but it turns out that most people are either complete idiots or skilled techies who don't want to deal with the business side.
Many of my peers have only ever really touched one facet of architecture, so it's useful to have had a grounding in all areas (business, data, applications, infrastructure - or technology dependent upon which course you did). With the people who have only covered one side of things there tends to be an element of 'if the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail'.
Many of my peers have only ever really touched one facet of architecture, so it's useful to have had a grounding in all areas (business, data, applications, infrastructure - or technology dependent upon which course you did). With the people who have only covered one side of things there tends to be an element of 'if the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail'.
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