Must All Technology Recommendations Provide Tangible and Quantifiable Business Value?

Must All Technology Recommendations Provide Tangible and Quantifiable Business Value?

This is not a trick question; rather, it is a question that all architects will continuously be challenged by. Business leaders and developers constantly ask us to prove the value for our recommendations. On the other hand, architects might wonder why their constituents can't simply accept their advice because, to them, the reasons to follow through on their suggestions seem so obvious.  Unfortunately for the architect, there are many suggestions that are very difficult to tie to predictable outcomes. Usually the people who challenge us want to know how some technology or technique will increase productivity and revenue, or perhaps decrease costs. It's totally within their rights to ask, but can we always honestly defend our positions with solid data or a rationale that others can relate to? The truth is that there are many times when we can not, yet we know (or more accurately believe) that, should the skeptical accept our counsel, they will reap the benefits in the future. So how does one go about helping the naysayer understand the sometimes intangible, hard to quantify, or hard to express benefits of our technology and process recommendations?

The Hard Skills are the Soft Skills

I was recently asked what I considered to be the three most important characteristics of a good software architect. I had to think long and hard. "How can I possibly boil it down to three essential attributes?", I pondered. I recalled some of the things that I wrote about in the articles What Does it Mean to be a Software Architect? - Part I and What Does it Mean to be a Software Architect ? - Part II. Finally I reluctantly answered stating that I thought architects should have a good understanding of the business problem domain including its general strategies and tactics, the fundamentals of abstraction and modeling both business and technical concepts, and how to assess the trade-offs involved when recommending an approach. Later in the day, after having reflected upon the question at length, I realized that I had missed a critical category. Software Architects must also be adept at the soft skills if they are to be effective in their position. Social skills are essential to success in this career path, and they are much harder for most of us techies to learn than are the hard skills like producing well written software.

Speaking at IASA Architecture Connections

I will be giving an updated version of the following talk at the IASA Connections Architect Connections Conference.  This unique conference, devised especially for software architects, will be held in San Francisco from October 6-8, 2008.  I am honored to be included amongst a great bunch of speakers, and am really looking forward to attending a number of the presentations myself.  Even if you can't make it to this conference, you may want to check out the International Association of Software Architects.