Who Codes and Who “Architects”?

Sometimes, when we are in a high-level role with great expectations on our shoulders, it might seem difficult to lean toward someone from the team and ask for an opinion. At the same time, we sometimes give particular importance to some high-level roles or to our tech “heroes”, which blocks us from being honest, asking for mentoring or for some clarifications, or giving suggestions when we could contribute. In this chapter, I would like us to open our mind and leave behind all preconceived ideas in order to be able to grow, learn, and make great products that we are proud of.

The architect role is challenging, and the expectation is to have a lot of knowledge and expertise. But the confusion starts here: you don’t need to be an expert in all software areas to become an architect. This is an unrealistic expectation. Considering the speed with which the technology stack has evolved in the last decade, there is enormous...