This post originated from an RSS feed registered with .NET Buzz
by Udi Dahan.
Original Post: Should architects code?
Feed Title: Udi Dahan - The Software Simplist
Feed URL: http://feeds.feedburner.com/UdiDahan-TheSoftwareSimplist
Feed Description: I am a software simplist. I make this beast of architecting, analysing, designing, developing, testing, managing, deploying software systems simple.
This blog is about how I do it.
Everybody's talking about it so I'll chip in my 2c.
I'm an architect. I code.
I intend to keep coding.
This includes production code.
One of the main purposes I code is to show programmers I concrete example of an implementation of the design. Not just to show, but to explain - both the code and the design; why this code is better than alternative approaches. Its very important for me to pass on the spirit of the code/design. Since I can't be everywhere all the time, I need everybody working on the project consistently making their own micro-decisions that are harmonious with the overall project direction.
There are also many cases where I develop particularly technologically complicated modules, but this isn't because of my architect hat - its because I'm an expert in those given technologies. When it comes to deep performance optimization in the database, for example, I don't do those. I let the person best suited to the job take care of it.
To sum up, I think my coding has made me a better application architect, but probably has had less of an impact at the level of solution architecture. There are also so many other activities that people with the role of architect perform, which aren't architecture, that are key to their success. I have seen many successful architects who don't code, and many unsuccessful architects who do. Why was it that the issue of coding ballooned in the first place?
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