So, where are the architects?

If you've been paying attention, one of the things that the movement to the sort of agile IT that service-oriented architecture (SOA) enables is a new set of roles and responsibilities in the organization. We often blame today's IT departments and their technology purchases for being responsible for the integration rats' nests that are the cause of today's inflexibility, and we frequently chastise the business folks for making expedient, short-sighted decisions that only make the problem worse. So, is there a way out of this puzzle? Is there anyone in the organization that can hope to get the vision of service orientation right, or is this all a hopeless struggle?

Fortunately, there is hope, and it comes in the form of enterprise architecture. As we've frequently discussed, the most critical part of making SOA work is doing architecture well. So, if there's a need for architecture, then it figures that there's a need for architects. After all, if we need an architect for something as relatively simple as a house or office building, then it makes sense that we need someone in the corresponding role for designing systems as complex as today's IT environments.

The Enterprise Architect's Roles and Responsibilities
We last discussed the importance of the enterprise architect to any SOA initiative two years ago. Since then, many companies have launched their SOA initiatives, and as a result their enterprise architects are now fully engaged in planning and guiding their architectural rollouts. As a result, the specific skills that this elusive service-oriented architect requires are crystallizing. Specifically, companies need e

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nterprise architects who can merge the worlds of business and IT in order to make service orientation a reality. Such an architect should be able to perform the following functions in the organization:

ZapThink Take
It is certainly possible for those that have traditionally been in the IT role to become architects, but they must be able to think in terms of architecture and be able to fulfill the functions we described above in a credible way. Likewise, it is also possible for someone who has spent their entire career in the world of business to be able to gain enough IT knowledge to become a credible architect. So, what is required here is for the new breed of architect to develop in such a way that they are capable of thinking in terms of in the agile, flexible, service-oriented way that the business requires.

Thus, we leave with you the admonition that it's not good enough to simply call yourself an architect and do one or two of the above tasks. A successful SOA demands that you develop your communication, simplification, economic, leadership and best practices skills. If you can pull all these disparate capabilities together, you will be seen not only as the individual who can make SOA happen, but finally give companies the architecture they've needed since the dawn of IT.