5.5. Conclusions

The software architect has a unique leadership role in the software development effort. The architect educates the development team on technical issues when time permits, sells them on the defined vision when there isn't enough time to educate, and relies on the cultivated trust between the architect and the team in the remaining cases. Regardless of the method, the architect keeps the team focus on the overall technical vision and has the difficult tasks of verifying that the team is on the same technical page based on work products and of communicating with the team. The architect must serve as the technical role model to team members and maintain their respect on technical issues in order to effectively guide the project toward the desired technical goals.