Top Most Architecture in the Enterprise

Recently I heard about a consulting company that sent a prospect to interview for an Enterprise Architect role. The interviewer, resume in hand, zeroed in on the lack of EA experience. Unfortunately the folks who set this up never identified this as an Enterprise Architect role. The prospect was a software architect, not an Enterprise Architect.

Unfortunately some managers in recent years have appropriated the term 'architect' after running out of titles for the senior developers. Senior-senior developer? Master developer? Guru developer? I must admit, 'architect' sounds better.

In reality architecture is a set of disciplines, each unique and specific. Beware of the unmodified term "architect", it has no meaning without context.

In my experience, I have seen the following architecture roles:

Enterprise Architect
Enterprise architecture is performed at the strategic level. Typically EA's plan future-state architectures for the enterprise. They do no development at all and actual development experience is helpful but not necessary. EA's can provide competitive advantage over the long run. They can also bring an enterprise to it's knees.

Technical (or Solution) Architect
This is a project-level position that recommends the hardware best suited for an application or system of applications. Actual development experience is helpful but not necessary.


Chief Architect
In the mid-late 1990's architects were seen as overhead, but motivation existed for CIO's to have an architect. This would be a very senior person, essentially the only named architect in the enterprise. Nowadays Chief Architect is sometimes used to designate the top architect, or can be just a ceremonial title.


Application Architect
Works at the project level, typically overseeing all technical aspects of the project. This is the original "architect", responsible for frameworks and design, aka "software architecture". Typically promoted from Technical Lead, the best AA's have been know to improve developer productivity by 2 times or more.

Network, Security, Data, Infrastructure, etc. Architects
These are technology-specific professionals who create enterprise standards, assist development teams and provide governance. They are responsible for their specific technical space, ensuring it meets project and enterprise requirements.

Summary
Each architecture role aligns with Enterprise Architecture and strategic business initiatives. For example, years before the current services trend, good application architects would design to support services, since future state architectures were likely to move to a Services Orientated Architecture.

Each architecture role is fairly specific with little overlap. They are specialists who help tame the complexity required of enterprise solutions through standards, governance and best practices. Some can play multiple roles with training and experience, but they are generally not interchangeable.