Role:

Bridging the gap between hardware and software, a Computer Architect should understand enough of both – and be an expert in at least one of them. Ultimately, we design a certain aspect of how a computer behaves, and we use the information from hardware and software stakeholders to make that design. The design might be an incremental improvement, or a brand-new feature. We work between a range key people inside and outside our immediate organisation, including those who are building our design and those writing software for it.

As a Computer Architect I’m concerned with the overarching design. A building architect doesn’t design how the bricks connect with other walls (this is the responsibility of the structural engineer). In a similar way, I don’t get involved in the micro details of a design or feature. But like all architects, I need to have a good understanding of the possibilities.

Computer Architects understand how people will use our products, which problems need to be solved and what needs to be included to solve them. Our role is not to implement the feature itself – but to make sure that it does what it is supposed to do! Our role is to look ahead and design the high-level behaviour – anticipating future need.

Who Needs the Computer Architect’s Buy-In and Why?

Architect peers and the engineers that work with them often need my buy-in. If they are working on a project related to something I have done previously, they will ask me to review things. Equally, if they need me to change my project to accommodate their own, need my help on their project (on an ad hoc basis), or are doing anything that will affect my project – they will also need my buy-in.

How You Can Get the Computer Architect’s Buy-In:

When a proposal is made and my buy-in is required, I need to make sure that the proposal or idea:

- isn’t too wild

- considers the needs of the company or customer

- is consistent with, or has a clear relationship with other projects

- has been thoroughly thought-out.

I am more likely to buy into proposals when there is an existing problem that the idea would solve, a customer need, a tangible path to adoption and the proposal is well-documented. Buy-in is infectious. Once persuaded, I can help to persuade others of the benefits of pursuing the idea. If necessary, I can also change my work to accommodate the proposal.

Whose Buy-In Does The Computer Architect Need and Why?

As the architect’s role is to ensure broad alignment of approach, I have to get buy-in from many stakeholders including the architecture team, our customers and our products teams (hardware designers). We have to convince them of an idea’s value internally and to customers. We have to get buy-in for brand new concepts from them as well as our internal customers and stakeholders. We have to introduce them to new ideas and persuade them of the benefits. We might also need to ask people to change the way they do something. Getting colleagues to agree can be difficult – as they often only see it as extra work. Therefore, it is crucial to convince teams to get on board early – as if bugs or problems are not solved early it can have a huge knock-on effect as the project reaches maturity. You have to be a good politician to be an architect!