A software architect is responsible for establishing the standards of coding to abide by for any software development project that they oversee. Oftentimes working in teams, the top software architect is also called the chief architect.
Rise of Software Architecture
Historically, the number of software architects has increased as their expertise has become increasingly needed to accommodate a widening pool of software development methodologies. A competent software architect can ensure that the team’s new developing software doesn’t too-closely resemble pre-existing end products in its final form.
It was at the beginning of the 21st century that the concept of a software architect began to circulate more frequently in the programming world. At the time, object-oriented programming (OOP) was increasingly commonplace, according to TechTarget. Because OOP introduced a new, wider frontier of potential projects, software architects became valuable for their ability to provide much-needed oversight.
Primary Functions
In most cases, a software architect’s decisions will concern matters that lie more on the high end of the projects than the low end; at the same time, the standards that they establish for platforms, tools, and coding practices will naturally affect all levels of the developmental project.
The software architect’s responsibilities concern both direct work on high-level applications and general supervisory duties. One of the key priorities that the software architects will have at the start of any development project will be the establishment of a standard developmental pursuit. By paying strict attention to the nuances of coding between different developmental methodologies, a software architect can ensure that the end product’s unique value is truly being facilitated by all of its programming components.
Because there are so many different avenues to take in the range of developmental approaches there are, software architects can ensure that the project develops in accordance to a cohesive standard to keep it on-base. In addition to setting the developmental standard for the project, the software architect may also be needed to either create or elect an application framework.
Lowering the Risk of Reuse
As the different developmental methodologies there are create lots of potential for overlap and unintentional reuse, a software architect can ensure that the application doesn’t veer too closely into manifesting as an imitation of an application that already exists in another form.
The software architect can prevent the chance of reuse more easily due to their depth of understanding about the system environment as a whole. Due to their training, software architects have a thorough level of understanding about how different application components collectively interact and depend on one another to execute the application successfully.
Field Research and End User Feedback Collection
In addition to their personal knowledge base, the software architect can contribute even more to their team by constantly researching the development of new applications in the field. If the software architect becomes aware of a new potential for reuse presented by a new application that has emerged, they can communicate their findings to head developers. Software architects also play an important role in collecting end user feedback about the application once it’s been released. The software architect will typically ask end users what their most-desired features are for future application variations, and the information taken from these surveys can either be subjective or specifically measurable.
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By collecting end user reports of specifically measurable implementations that they’d like to see, software architects can take the initiative of testing these implementations for inclusion in future development projects.
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