Sun Certified Enterprise Architect for J2EE™ Technology Study Guide

1.2. Role of the Architect

“The ideal architect should be a person of letters, a mathematician, familiar with historical studies, a diligent student of philosophy, acquainted with music, not ignorant of medicine, learned in the responses of jurisconsults, familiar with astronomy and astronomical calculations.”

—Vitruvius, circa 25 BC

Vitruvius was not referring to a software architect, but the basic idea is that the architect should have the following characteristics. An architect should be a person who is well-rounded, mature, experienced, educated, learns quickly, a leader, communicates well and can make the difficult decision when necessary. For architects to be well-rounded, they must have a working knowledge of the business or problem domain. ...