Whatever I work at, I am seeing my daily job as a cartographer one. Either navigating well-known technical shipping routes focusing on improving the journey or exploring new areas assaying and gauging relevance and shape of potential new routes. The goal remains the same, feeding downstream navigators and crews with methods and tools allowing them to safely and efficiently reach destination, while listening about their experiences and adventures to refine upstream yards and experimentations.

As you may infer, I did not pick this metaphor for free, cartographer being used to leverage maps and sextants, so am I. I do believe architects also need methods and tools. I pushed for software mental model, architecture decision records and spikes for years now as R&D first-class citizen. All are now broadly acknowledged to effectively support and strengthen decision making processes. Navigating back and forth between high-level diagramming and low-level implementation is also a good way to mitigate ivory tower or technical lead twin pitfalls.

The way I see modern architecture’s role could be sum it up with a simple “Hands-on & Hand over” mantra. That’s why I do believe writing stuff down and sharing it benefits the whole ecosystem. People often think those said activities are about prominence, but I find pragmatism to be far more accurate here. If every journey starts from the home port, they are doomed to land at the same distance. Because it is not only about moving forwards and covering the distance but mainly being able to shape the future.

That’s why we need outposts.
That’s why we need scouting.
And that’s why ultimately, we need architects…