Part II: Technology Skills

“Architecture is easy: you just stare at the paper until droplets of blood appear on your forehead.”

Unknown

“No architecture is so haughty as that which is simple.”

John Ruskin

“What people want, above all, is order.”

Stephen Gardiner

“Architects have made architecture too complex. We need to simplify it and use a language that everyone can understand.”

Toyo Ito

“Architecture doesn’t come from theory.”

Arthur Erickson

This part focuses on the four essential technology skills of an architect. These chapters focus on principles, strategies, and other areas to help you become more effective in managing your architecture. The chapters are organized as follows:

• Chapter 6, “Platform Development,” will enable you to

• Build leverageable capabilities across multiple applications

• Create an ecosystem for platform development to thrive in

• Establish and adhere to guiding principles for the platform

• Chapter 7, “Architectural Perspective,” will enable you to

• Guide the architecture via well-established architectural principles

• Ensure that nonfunctional architectural concerns are addressed

• Communicate your architectural perspective in an effective manner

• Chapter 8, “Governance,” will enable you to

• Provide principle-based architectural governance for the areas you are responsible for

• Provide architectural governance for agile projects

• Chapter 9, “Know-how,” will enable you to

• Develop relevant architectural know-how

• Build and maintain currency with your architectural know-how

• Develop excellence with respect to architectural know-how

Technology skills are the second layer of skills needed to be an architect (see Figure PII.1).

Figure PII.1. Essential architect skills (technology skills)

Technology skills can be thought of in three dimensions: technology leverage, technology oversight, and technology knowledge management (see Figure PII.2).

Figure PII.2. Technology skill dimensions

These three dimensions of technology skills are critical for architects to master. They will enable you to drive your organization toward its goals and objectives with a solid foundation in technology.