How Organizations Can Restructure Themselves to Churn Out Home Grown Architects at a Rapid Rate

 1. The Generic Structure

The most crucial element in a software organization is the quality of its software developers. The second most crucial element is how these developers are molded into having an architect's mindset for the future. In most organizations' structure the developers' core skills get lost amongst the various duties and responsibilities he must perform as he climbs up the professional ladder. This generic structure that consists of software developers, tech leads, business analysts, project leads etc. leads to the dilution of technical skills and the resource loses focus on areas that he expected to concentrate on.

This leads to the creation of generalized resources rather than resources with specific skillsets. Even in organizations that focus on creating technical streams there is too much overemphasis on specific roles within each stream that actually dilutes the quality required of a good actual architect. Most seasoned enterprise architects will tell you that there are only two kinds of technical resources i.e. 1) Developer 2) Architect, everything else in between is a pure overhead and results in dilution of the qualities required by a good technical resource.

2. The Simplified Structure

Very few techies these days have the pure raw passion for coding and development. A harsh reality is that most software engineers are keen on working just for a couple of years as a software developer before rushing to a management school. The even harsher reality is that a lot of software development abilities get lost in the unnecessary hierarchies built into the various streams in an organization. The technical skills of a resource loses priority and techies are expected to take on lead roles and management duties as well. Whilst those streams are absolutely necessary for those individuals who are keen to pursue management streams, a conscious efforts should be made to preserve the core techies from getting swept away by such streams.

Core techies are a rare breed and need to be nurtured and preserved if an organization aims to generate their own breed of competent and well versatile architects. Simplifying the organization structure or at least the part that applies to technical streams is the most important step in achieving this goal.

3. The Way Ahead

Simplifying the organization structure in no way means scrapping out the existing structure since those too are very crucial for producing the next line of management, solution architects and business analysts hence these streams have evolved. However it is important to modify the streams that are meant to generate core architects for the organization. As mentioned earlier, core technologist considers only two basic hierarchies in the technologies stream i.e. you are either a developer or an architect or both. All other levels in between serve as nothing but hindrances or filters that dilute the qualities required to become a strong architect.

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