The Agile Software Architect: Embracing Servant Leadership and Collaboration

Software Architects have long been known for their technical expertise and ability to design complex solutions. Historically, they worked in isolation or with other architects to design detailed specifications before projects began. However, today's successful architects take a different approach, prioritizing servant leadership, open collaboration, and emergent design practices to ensure their guidance remains relevant and adapts to the needs of their teams. 

Establishing Technical Standards 

The primary responsibility of the modern architect is to establish technical standards for a product team or the broader organization. This includes:

• Breaking down complex solutions into understandable components
• Emphasizing principles and frameworks instead of rigid rules
• Developing an architectural runway that aligns with the project roadmap

Additionally, modern architects should contribute to an organization's comprehensive definition of done, including non-functional requirements, and communicate solution intent so that developers share an understanding of proper architecture and software design.

Championing Automation and Emergent Design

A second responsibility of an agile architect is championing automation and emergent design. Modern agile teams utilize automation to minimize the risks of experimentation and short development cycles. They also recognize that they first need to build the right product that a customer needs and then ensure the product is built in the right way for long-term scalability and stability. Examples of an architect's responsibilities include helping their teams to: 

• Practice continuous integration, especially in scaled agile environments
• Automate builds, tests, and pipelines where possible
• Utilize DevOps tools and practices like Infrastructure as Code, Containerization, and Monitoring & Telemetry
• Design architectures that can adapt and change based on customer feedback

Furthermore, architects advocate for discovery practices, like technical spikes and proof of concepts, to promote learning in a safe environment and minimize the risk of deploying poorly thought-out solutions.

Mentoring and Support 

Third, architects mentor and support their teams. Rather than being assigned technical tasks when problems arise, architects will:

• Guide a struggling team to learn and work within existing frameworks
• Address impediments that impact multiple teams
• Facilitate the alignment of consistent practices across the organization

While it can be tempting for a seasoned architect to jump in to fix a problem quickly, they must remember to grow the skillets of their teams to become self-sufficient and autonomous.

Beyond Technology

The modern architect goes beyond technical expertise, embracing the qualities of a servant leader to foster collaboration and open communication. By doing so, they contribute to their teams' success and ensure that the solutions they create remain relevant and adaptable in an ever-evolving technological landscape. Establishing technical standards, championing automation, and providing mentoring and support are critical responsibilities for architects to thrive and lead in agile environments.