Architect's Core Values:
Courage - standing up for what you believe.
It's word association time. If I say "Courage", you think what? Cowardly Lion? "Red Badge of..."? Well, I think "Software Architect".
At some time in their career every architect has experienced this scene:
The project team is meeting. Deadlines are looming and costs are building. The stakeholder wants to see progress, but there's an obstacle in the road and it's a big one. A decision has to be made and made well. This decision has far-reaching implications beyond this project. There is discussion and proposals are floated. There is the proposal to plug in a quick-fix; something quick and dirty. There's the proposal to short-circuit one of the primary design objectives. There's the proposal that defers the issue to the next project or release.
The group discusses the alternatives and starts to lean towards one of these "lesser solutions". At some point in the meeting, they might even all agree that if the situation were different - if we had more budget, more time, or more support from our executive management - we'd definitely attack the issue more strategically. They might agree that they want to address the obstacle with a well-conceived, sound, and sustainable design, but given the situation today they just need to patch it and move on.
"It's not a great solution, but we have to do what we have to do, right? Is everyone agreed?"
Heads around the table start to nod. Some people nod because they believe that it's the right thing to do. Some people nod because they are undecided, but if everyone else agrees, it must be a good answer. Some people nod because they nod at everything - their career is almost defined by "nodding".
But the architect isn't quite ready to nod yet. She's still thinking about that sound and sustainable design. She's not quite ready to make the trade-off, and just when everyone else is packing up their stuff preparing to end the meeting, her hand goes up, and she says, "Hang on a second, I'm not bought in."
The courage to stand up in the face of stakeholders, project team members, and executive management and defend a design approach is a core value for an architect. Architects who have invested the time to think through a particular problem and design a solid solution are not easily argued off their position. Those that hold their ground in these circumstances and can calmly articulate their views in the face of this pressure are the good ones.
If this scene is familiar to you, it really doesn't matter which seat in that meeting you're sitting in. Your title might be the project manager, the developer, the business analyst, or even the end user. But at that moment, if you are holding your hand up to defend a more sound and sustainable approach - than you're playing the role of an architect and exhibiting one of the architect's core values.
Is COURAGE on your list of core values of an architect? Please join us and help establish the Architect’s Core Values.
photo: simpologist
0 Response to 'Architect's Core Values: Courage - standing up for what you believe.'
Post a Comment