Solve problems, not symptoms

More often than not, architects are tasked with solving problems. Oftentimes they're big and/or long-term problems rather than smaller, shorter-term problems. It really doesn’t matter whether it’s a business problem, a technical problem, or some other type of problem, effective architects must possess an innate ability to solve them. Solving symptoms is much easier than solving problems, which is why many people tend to gravitate more towards solving symptoms, but an effective architect knows how to dig deeper and get to the problem. Solving problems is hard, it usually takes more time, and not a lot of people actually have the skills to do it. Solving problems requires skills such as:

• The ability to actually identify a symptom versus a problem: Consider the symptom “My PC won’t turn on”, when the problem is that the electrical power is out. You could argue that the power being out is just a symptom of a problem at the power company, and you’d be right too of course. This is an important point however, as one person’s problem is typically someone else’s symptom. Given this, the context of the symptom or problem is critical in identifying and solving it.
• Acknowledging that you don’t know everything: I’ve met many architects who believe that it’s their job to know everything, and some who actually think they do. The longer you're an architect, the more you'll come to realize how little you really do know, about much of anything. Effective architects are humble, not know-it-alls.
• Precision questioning and critical thinking skills: An effective architect is a critical thinker and is extremely proficient in identifying and asking the right questions. I encourage you to explore these areas further through Wikipedia topics such as critical thinking, problem solving and precision questioning.
• A breadth of business and technical skills, as well as experience: An effective architect has some knowledge in a variety of areas, and though they may not have significant depth in any particular area, they must be able to dig deeper with someone who does.
• Knowing what you don’t know: Of course you can’t know everything, nor can you have the skills and experience to solve every problem. Therefore, you must be able to identify what you don’t know and identify information sources that do. These information sources may be the right reference material, or individuals that possess knowledge in areas you don’t. When you dialog with multiple people with a variety of skills however, you’ll often always end up with a better solution than if you go it alone. Leveraging the Socratic Method (Wikipedia) is invaluable in arriving at the “best” solution to the problem.

It's ultimately unimportant whether you solved the problem or someone else did. All that's important is that it's solved. Effective architects drive problem identification and resolution.