The Software Architect's Profession: An Introduction [Paperback]

Marc Sewell (Author), Laura Sewell (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0130607967 | ISBN-13: 978-0130607966 | Publication Date: September 29, 2001 | Edition: 1

A transformational guide to the profession of software architecture. Whether a structure is built of bricks, steel, or computer code, the process begins with an architect and client. Together they arrive at a shared vision-a plan-that the architect guides through the bidding, construction, and implementation phases. The Parthenon and the Empire State Building were built according to architectural designs, but the software industry has been building information skyscrapers without architects. It is time for the profession to become a reality. Successful software-based technology is designed, then built. It does not "develop." Who creates the design? An enormous grass-roots demand exists for software architects-but a true profession of software architecture is not yet established. Many software professionals adopt the gravitas of the title "software architect," but fail to fulfill the true, classical role. Drawing on deep metaphors from traditional architecture, Marc T. Sewell, President of the Worldwide Institute of Software Architects, and Laura M. Sewell examine the nature of architecture, what defines a software architect, and how the profession is coming of age.The Software Architect's Profession is lingo-free. It is a book of philosophy that will enable anyone to understand software construction, and it is the first "line in the sand" defining the parameters of this fledgling, yet ancient, e-profession. Key areas include: *Bridging the chasm that separates clients from technical professionals *Differentiating the professions within the software construction industry and defining the roles and accountabilities of software engineers and software "builders" *Discussing the vocational temperament and aptitudes that characterize architects *Reviewing the phases of architecture *Describing the critical role of the client in understanding and validating the design and construction of software Whether you are a CIO, CEO, IT manager, software professional, or student, you inhabit software structures, and your world is profoundly affected by their design. The Software Architect's Profession offers a simple cognitive map that will change your world view of software architecture, construction, and the information structures we live and work in everyday.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

A transformational guide to the profession of software architecture.

Whether a structure is built of bricks, steel, or computer code, the process begins with an architect and client. Together they arrive at a shared vision—a plan—that the architect guides through the bidding, construction, and implementation phases. The Parthenon and the Empire State Building were built according to architectural designs, but the software industry has been building information skyscrapers without architects. It is time for the profession to become a reality.

Successful software-based technology is designed, then built. It does not "develop." Who creates the design? An enormous grass-roots demand exists for software architects-but a true profession of software architecture is not yet established. Many software professionals adopt the gravitas of the title "software architect," but fail to fulfill the true, classical role. Drawing on deep metaphors from traditional architecture, Marc T. Sewell, President of the Worldwide Institute of Software Architects, and Laura M. Sewell examine the nature of architecture, what defines a software architect, and how the profession is coming of age.

The Software Architect's Profession is lingo-free. It is a book of philosophy that will enable anyone to understand software construction, and it is the first "line in the sand" defining the parameters of this fledgling, yet ancient, e-profession.

Key areas include:

• Bridging the chasm that separates clients from technical professionals
• Differentiating the professions within the software construction industry and defining the roles and accountabilities of software engineers and software "builders"
• Discussing the vocational temperament and aptitudes that characterize architects
• Reviewing the phases of architecture
• Describing the critical role of the client in understanding and validating the design and construction of software

Whether you are a CIO, CEO, IT manager, software professional, or student, you inhabit software structures, and your world is profoundly affected by their design. The Software Architect's Profession offers a simple cognitive map that will change your world view of software architecture, construction, and the information structures we live and work in everyday.

About the Author

MARC T. SEWELL is an independent software architect and President of Worldwide Institute of Software Architects (WWISA) who has designed software systems ranging from managing banking transactions to trafficking retail products. He has been a systems programmer for Boeing Computer Services, Chief Architect for IBM Corporation, and VP of Information Systems for Morgan Stanley.

LAURA M. SEWELL is a professional writer with essays published in the Washington Post and the Atlanta Journal Constitution, as well as the Department of Defense's Software Technology News. She is the author of the WWISA website and has also been a Rehabilitation Counselor for over 20 years.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1 edition (September 29, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130607967
• ISBN-13: 978-0130607966
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #552,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It had to be said., January 9, 2002

By 

Christo "montxsuz" (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Software Architect's Profession: An Introduction (Paperback)

The Sewell's try to address the crisis in our industry by attempting to formalise and define the role and profession of the software architecture. They do this by comparing the software industry to the building industry. They advocate specific educational programs for software architects. Personally I feel that this approach is valid - I have post-graduate qualifications from a school of (building) architecture and design, plus bachelors in computer science - but work as a software architect. Yet I find a lot of confusion in the marketplace (and sometimes in my own mind) about what a software architect is and is not.

This is not a practical book. Instead it attempts to provide a philosophical basis and justification for the profession of software architecture. If you read this book hoping to find an architectural process or methodology, look somewhere else. If you are looking for a set of templates to use as a basis for your practice, read Dikel eta al's "Software Architecture" instead. But perhaps the current book will contribute significantly the debate that is sorely needed in the software industry.

The book is well-written and a pleasure to read. I found the anecdotes relevant and enlightening.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Overpriced, pedantic essay, January 14, 2003

By 

Dennis Muzza (Monterrey, Mexico) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Software Architect's Profession: An Introduction (Paperback)

While I recognize the need for a distinct role of software architect, different from that of software developer, this book takes the analogy to building architecture way too far. It fails to recognize that while physical architecture is literally set in stone, software structures are forever malleable, that physical architecture is concrete and there is a standard way to communicate it while software architecture can be abstract and efforts to standardize its representation have not been truly successful, that aesthetic factors play an important role in physical architecture while software architecture is driven almost exclusively by practical considerations, and that software construction often calls for professionals, not tradesmen comparable to plumbers and brick masons, etc. I think for most organizations it makes practical and economic sense for developers to be able to take on more than one role during the course of a project, and most team members would look forward to it as well. I also think that the superstar architect championed by this book who sticks to a bird's eye view of things while the lowly "builders" fill in the details would have a difficult time coming up with practical designs as well as getting the respect from developers he would need to be truly effective.

This books gets two stars from me because it does contain some useful insights. For instance, the case it makes for architects as client advocates is particularly compelling. It also stresses that an architect should understand the client's world view in a way that goes above and beyond laundry lists of requirements, which is hard to argue against. I guess if this book were a ten to fifteen page manifesto, with the key insights and ideals behind software architecture presented concisely (along with a proportional reduction in the [$$] price tag), it would be worth it. But unless you are interested in a tour through architecture history (filled with such illustrating words as "venustas" and "firmitas"), a cliched account on why software projects fail, and a concept of software architecture that raises more questions than it answers, it would be better to look elsewhere.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading for Everyone in IT, November 13, 2001

By 

Lawrence Landis (Tulsa, OK USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Software Architect's Profession: An Introduction (Paperback)

Finally, someone has pointed out that the emperor is, indeed, naked...that all of the hoopla about rapid application development, extreme programming, etc., etc. hasn't given the poor neglected customer (whether internal or external) software that a)actually does what the customer needs (not just wants) , b)is completed within schedule, and c)comes in within budget. All the emphasis on getting on with coding has given us software that, in most cases, only a masochist could love. As the Sewells point out, using software should be a pleasant, even enjoyable experience -- like living in a well-designed house. Instead, all too often, those upon whom poorly designed software is inflicted complain it makes them feel stupid. Yessir, that's certainly a noble goal for the software profession - and one it has obviously achieved in spades! Neither the ignorance of what users really need; nor the hubris of thinking that because one can write code, one can also make design decisions results in inspired software. Let's be blunt: most software today is not designed, it's engineered...the situation is quite equivalent to having Bob Villa design the Empire State Building. I'm sure Mr. Villa is a complete professional at what he does, but I also suspect he'd be the first to say that he'd be out of his league as an architect. Just because you're very good at construction doesn't mean you're an architect. No matter what your beliefs, there is a fine quote out of Proverbs (29:18): "Where there is no vision, the people perish..." And that's the problem: all current methods of software development have no place for "vision," artistic or otherwise. The Sewells bring a long overdue voice of sanity to a field upon which so much of modern life depends. The only problem is that if you're in any way at all involved with software development as it's currently practiced, once you read this book, you'll become increasingly dissatisfied with all the nonsense going on around you. Read it anyway! Get dissatisfied! Customers of software "designed" with the current engineering mentality will thank you- whether they shell out their hard-earned money for it or are forced to use it all day in their jobs. Eventually, we can make a difference - and the first step is to read the Sewell's call to sanity.