define a blueprint for what needs to be built

ensure the team has enough details to get the job done

guides the rest of the team toward this design during execution

talks to stakeholders

it’s possible to do the architect’s job w/o coding:

• one must understand the low-level details, constraints and complexity

First of all, a software architect is a programmer; and continues to be a programmer. Never fall for the lie that suggests that software architects pull back from code to focus on higher-level issues. They do not! Software architects are the best programmers, and they continue to take programming tasks, while they also guide the rest of the team toward a design that maximizes productivity. Software architects may not write as much code as other programmers do, but they continue to engage in programming tasks.

create a shape for the system that recognizes policy as the most essential element while making the details irrelevant

• this also allows decisions about the details to be delayed and deferred

takes late decisions and shapes the Software System in a way that decisions can still be deferred or changed for as long as possible

• also maximizes number of decisions not made