Being a software architect is not just about defining technical structures but also about making life easier for your team. It is a technical leadership role that balances vision, development, and collaboration. Here are some key principles I apply and consider essential for a software architect:
🔹 Constant Migration:
No technical debt: Don’t postpone framework and library updates (always migrate to stable versions). Keep everything up to date in each sprint to prevent future bottlenecks and ensure smooth development.
🔹 Refactor within the Sprint:
Clean code—don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today. AI can be your ally.
Help the team understand why clean code makes their lives easier. Refactor with the team, not for the team.
Incremental refactoring prevents technical debt accumulation and improves code maintainability. If another developer joins the project, it should be a great place to work, not a maze of obsolete code.
🔹 Explore and Automate:
Don’t wait for perfect tools. If you see someone performing repetitive tasks, ask yourself if they can be automated.
Create simple tools that save the team time.
Share and teach how to use these automations.
Don’t overcomplicate things—sometimes a simple script is better than an elaborate solution.
Some useful script examples:
Auto-merge in Jenkins to prevent unnecessary development flow blockages.
Automatic task generation in Jira with predefined assignments.
Release process automation to reduce manual errors and accelerate deployments.
🔹 Teamwork:
Support the team daily with mentorship and technical guidance.
Encourage collaborative challenges. Solving a task together improves solutions and fosters learning.
Promote effective communication and knowledge sharing among team members. For example, organize a meeting to explain how you plan to solve something or how you’ve solved it, discussing the pros and cons—not just the final result.
Remember that everyone has something valuable to contribute. Listen to and appreciate all team members' opinions.
🔹 Learning Culture:
Share what you learn, no matter how small (even a simple shortcut can save hours of development).
Learn from everyone, even juniors—they are often up to date with the latest trends.
Don’t be afraid to say, "I don’t know, but we can figure it out together."
Celebrate curiosity and the desire to learn.
🔹 IDE Productivity:
Mastering shortcuts and functionalities in your development environment is crucial. Many underestimate what a good IDE or customized setup can do for speed and efficiency. Tools like WebStorm (which I personally find much better than VSCode) or advanced Neovim customization can significantly enhance productivity. (I’ve been using Neovim for a couple of months and am still adapting).
🔹 Long-Term Thinking:
A good software architect should design with scalability, maintainability, and flexibility in mind. The technical decisions made today will impact the product’s lifespan in the future.
🔹 Adaptability and Continuous Learning:
Technology evolves constantly. Stay up to date with new trends, frameworks, and best practices. Experimenting and learning is a fundamental part of the role.
An architect must balance technical vision, code, and collaboration. What other skills do you think are essential for this role? 🚀
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